Chronicles of The Hardships of Komachi in The Sengoku Era

The season shifted from spring to the rainy season.

By then, the seedling planting of the sweet potatoes had already ended, and weed extraction was the main thing later.

Currently growing sweet potatoes, pumpkins and tomatoes can be fed enough water with rainwater.

You don't even need to sprinkle water artificially, so just remove the weed.

Medium cultivation and earthpicking may be done about three times by harvest, so it is not necessary to do so frequently.

Cane is also a variety with varietal improvements, so pest control is not necessary.

The only thing that needed a lot of water was sweet corn, but enough rain and river water had been secured.

Currently, there was little work done on the field.

The main focus was to automate (automate) the work of building water trucks and to combat pests.

But the deer control got a secret weapon besides the trap.

"Wow... I can't believe I used to keep a wolf... he's a boulder village chief!

"Oh, that's too awesome, village chief!

"Ah, haha. Thank you."

Shizuko laughs bitterly as the villagers are overwhelmed by the look of respect directed at them.

Looking next door, there was a wolf with a stern face, a cause that was supposed to attract respect from the villagers.

The wolf, who had been invited by venison that day, wondered if he would leave after eating.

But contrary to Shizuko's expectations, the wolf did not try to leave beside her.

The dog's ancestors were wolves, that's the idea that was roughly unanimous among experts as well.

In other words, dog habits were mostly taken over from wolves.

The wolf therefore considered Shizuko to be the leader of the herd and himself to be part of the herd.

"Well, okay."

Shizuko was at ease because she originally had a dog and didn't think it was necessary to think deeply about it.

It was more important to her that, as a result of the re-exploration of the surrounding mountains, it was estimated that there were nearly a thousand deer out there.

The cause of the increase in deer that far was simple.

Halfway through the mountains, daylight began to shine on the forest floor.

As a result, the mountain was transformed into an environment where the sesame grass flourished.

There are no more carnivores, such as wolves, that become natural enemies.

It could be said that the environment is ideal for an explosion of deer, such as the availability of agricultural land nearby and the abundance of food.

Moreover, deer are said to be highly fertile and increase about twofold in four years.

Furthermore, even if the number of males is reduced in polygamy, the reproduction power does not diminish.

(Even in modern times, the cause of the increase in deer is the extinction of the natural enemy, the Nihon Wolf, and the neglect of the Medium Mountains. And because of the increase in abandoned cultivated land and the decrease in snow accumulation in winter due to warming)

I thought so, Shizuko, but the cause of the growth was slightly different from modern times.

In her time, deer were growing all over the Medium Mountains.

Medium mountain land, an area with few flat arable land and unfavourable agricultural production conditions, is originally poorly crop productivity.

On top of that, since it is a rural area in mountainous areas with low population density, few arable lands are abandoned.

To the extent that there are no natural enemies and humans to exterminate.

Modern Medium Mountain Lands could be described as an ideal environment for deer to grow.

That said, it does not change that deer are troublesome beasts in both modern and warring times.

Once a growing environment is in place, it is not a great deal of effort to cover it.

Like planting a tree, a deer could eat it in a young bud.

Given the plants that deer devour, moderate interruptions are necessary.

But I can't secure any labor for it.

There are about twenty people who can labor because it's a small village, and ten of them are tight on field work.

There are five blacksmiths and wood processors, and the other five specialize in compost making.

This means that there is no workforce in this village that can always carry out deer hunting.

"Hmm, if so... to prevent an increase for now... that's it"

I put my hand on my jaw and thought about it a lot, but in the end there was only one realistic idea.

It prevents an increase by (...) focusing on babies and children (...).

And it's a way of doing the thinning for females over males.

"Thinking about it, I need Vitman to have a pack fast...... have you ever seen a female?

Wolf beside me, crouching in front of Vitman again.

The named parent is naturally Shizuko, but I stuck myself into why it's a German name.

Shizuko asks as she strokes Vitman's head.

Naturally, there's no way he'll come back with a decent reply or anything.

Vitman, stroked in the head, gives a pleasant look.

"Well, you don't. I thought you were a nihon wolf, but you're a high iron wolf... and you can't find your wife -"

Review Vitman's appearance again.

Where is the wind blowing in the first lean and thin look, the head torso is nearly 140 cm long and weighs more than 50 kg.

He regained his stately wolf figure, which also boasts a tail of nearly 40 cm.

The nihon wolf is estimated to be a little over a meter long, so I don't think it will be nearly 140cm in size.

Then someone from the continent must have brought the hi-lo wolf to Japan.

(I don't know about the animal import control laws during the Warring States. Individuals must have brought it in as they please)

Someone in Europe or China brought a high iron wolf to Japan as a tribute.

And the general or the famous man, or I guess he gave it up to Sakami's fancy merchandise.

But the wolf saw the gap and escaped, fleeing straight to the mountain.

Shizuko thought that was Vitman.

"Maybe the other hi-lo wolves are alive. Outreach, could you be deer hunting near here?

The high iron wolf lives in a herd of seven to thirteen, mainly one male and one female.

And the wolf herd is called the pack. It is a strict vertical society, ranked among all individuals.

Males of the highest order are called alpha males and females of the same highest order are called alpha females.

Basically, alpha males and females connect, while other females do not have children.

There are rare exceptions, but the basic ecology of the wolf is as such.

"Will it ever be"

A lot of hard thinking doesn't solve it.

In conclusion, Shizuko left agriculture to the villagers to take Vitman to the mountains.

Aim for the deer child, but there's no way you can meet him that easily.

Somehow they are very alert because they are wild animals.

If we're lucky enough to meet, but we're on the wind, that's all we'll get noticed by the smell and get away with.

The hunter-like skills of being in the wind and discovering before their opponents, etc. are not available to Shizuko.

So what did she go up to the mountain to do?

"I wonder if this area is a bait yard point"

That's finding a deer feeding ground.

The whole mountain is not an abundant feeding ground for deer.

Just dotted all over the mountains is a place rich in feeding sesame grass.

Then deer are very likely to come to an abundance of sesame grass during meals.

"This time the rope can be installed. Vitman, hold still for a second."

Kneeling beside Vitman, Shizuko unties the rope wrapped around her belly.

I wasn't strangling him to restrain the wolf, I was strangling his body for another purpose.

Untying the knot, the rope took off easily, eventually becoming four long ropes.

Tie it to a thick tree that looks sturdy, and you'll already tie the other side to a nearby tree.

"Well, better than not. Rope stained with the smell of natural enemies"

Having finished tying all the ropes, Shizuko muttered with an accomplished look.

Install the smell of carnivores, natural enemies, at the point where it will serve as a feeding ground.

The deer won't come near the bait yard for fear of this smell.

But Shizuko thought that the effect of this rope would not be excessive.

"If I find out you're not actually here, I'm sure you'll come into the bait yard."

Deer would come into the feeding grounds if they knew there was just a smell and no natural enemies.

In other words, it's a time-bound scheme and at some point it becomes meaningless.

Let's go back.

I can't help worrying about what's ahead.

Shizuko said all the same out loud to chase the extra thought out of her head.

During the rainy season, if it comes down to the main place, the work outside will be almost stopped.

Finally, there is nothing left to do, and the villagers, including Shizuko, are free.

I have some details, but I decided that Shizuko was full of them.

It was finally a mess.

But after lunch Shizuko's gu told him the end.

"Sorry for the sudden visit"

Because after noon Kasei Mori asked about Shizuko's house.

At that time Shizuko was eating dried deer meat while drinking tea with dokudami.

Calmly considered, rude outfit, but Kasei Mori didn't particularly care.

"Oh, no... I showed you something ugly"

Shizuko, who blushes her cheeks out of embarrassment, coughs one up and deludes the air.

"What can I do for you today at the place?

"Mm-hmm. First of all, it's about the hot springs made by Lord Shizuko."

"Yes? Um... what is the hot spring?

"I love your mansion. We're talking about wanting to overhaul the hot springs. I'd like to ask Lord Shizuko to direct that formation."

When I heard the words, I almost accidentally blew out the tea that was in my mouth.

But I managed to bear it and swallow it. Still got stuck in the trachea, just a little bit.

"Kehokkeho...... what are you going to do about overhauling that hot spring?

"Of course your palace is thinking about using it as a reward. That's why I won't take it away from Shizuko. The point is, I want you to separate the hot springs that enter as rewards from the ones that Shizuko usually uses."

"Ha... I hope so. But that would be quite a modification. We have to break the hot springs into four parts."

"I want Lord Shizuko to take command of the formation, including around there. Of course, your palace says you will reward the successful dawn."

Saying so, Kasei Mori, but in the end there is only one option.

But when it comes to taking it, it's not that simple. We need to increase the amount of water somehow.

Hot springs are simply removing impurities through simple filters of hot spring source water.

The finished hot water is being transported to the bathroom through a pipe made of wood.

A vast amount of groundwater is warmed with some heat to see where the water doesn't wither after 24 hours of drooling.

That's what Shizuko was staring at. Most of all, there is no way to confirm it.

"Okay. I'll take that story."

"Well, I don't know."

Saying so, Kasei Mori lowers his head gently. Shizuko thought he was as low back as ever.

"and example ingredients, but I managed to collect them."

"Oh, really? That's good."

"But something like that, what the hell do you use it for?

"Well with all this... I can't go into detail right now because it's at least three years from now that I can deliver results"

"Okay. But I ask only one thing. Is that for your museum?

Shizuko nodded without hesitation at the question.

Hopefully, Nobunaga Oda is what people around the country want you to name.

It is also a substitute that is not thought to be available in Japan.

(No big deal in modern times, but secret information in this era. You can't break your mouth easily. I can only make about thirty kilos from the material I requested... but that's enough)

"Okay. Then let's believe in Shizuko."

"Thank you"

Shizuko bowed her head deeply to Kasei Mori's words.