Chronicles of The Hardships of Komachi in The Sengoku Era

Despite the stagnation of the war situation, it was decided to start the New Year in the midst of a whirlpool.

Regarding the warlords who are going to the East China Expedition, it has been announced that the New Year greeting is useless, but it does not apply to Shizuko who is not going to the front.

Therefore, for Shizuko this year, the third day of the New Year is a day she can't rest in a hurry.

It was necessary to behave like him to many people.

I see Mr. Owari Sancho [about Shizuko].

Shizuko's forebears told the guard guarding the main gate of Azuchi Castle.

At that moment, the surroundings became noisy all at once, and when I saw Shizuko's horse, I uniformly stopped at the edge, cleared the road, and lowered my head.

Shizuko's expression was twitching as she watched as Moses' Ten Commandments divided people from side to side.

It was originally named as a resurrection town, but furthermore, the third place given by the imperial court gave a spur to the authority.

The third place in the samurai family is the official position one step ahead of the general, after Nobunaga, who became the right minister in the second place.

(I don't like this kind of stuff, so I'm stuck in Oshiage...)

Shizuko, exhausted by the encounter, was grateful that she was allowed to enter the castle in a way that blocked the gaze of others.

When they entered the castle, they waited for a while while while only the heavy ministers were allowed to enter, and when the payment was made, Nobunaga and the two of them were left alone to see each other.

"I'm celebrating the New Year."

"Don't be afraid. You can do anything at your house with" Happy New Year ", right? That's fine with me."

Well then... I wish you a Happy New Year.

Hmmm, it's amazing. This is how I can celebrate the New Year with my words. It's because of your skill.

"If you praise me like that, I feel a little squeaky."

"I'm going to ask you to do your best early in the New Year, so you won't be punished for what I've said about this."

It is a secret meeting between the two of them in the dazzling Great Hall. The good thing about not being heard by others was that various contents that determined the whereabouts of the Eastern Expedition were told.

It was an unexpectedly long greeting, but Nobunaga was also scheduled to greet other parties, and Nobunaga would visit Ogata to discuss the details.

Having greeted Nobunaga, the master of the event at the beginning of the year, Shizuko decided to descend from relief and take only the minimal offerings to the castle on foot.

Shizuko was in a good mood to be able to go home secretly without anyone finding her by greeting Nobunaga first, but her thoughts were pale.

"I'll see you in a strange place." Sir Shizuko, I'm offering to celebrate. "

I ran into Mitsuhide with thinner eyes than the original.

This is Akechi-sama, this is the best I can do this year.

Shizuko returns as above because she was told "Ogai (Yoroko) Bi" as read in the script. The absence of a formal gratuity is evidence of her disgrace.

Since Nobunaga's subordinate was the first to see Shizuko, it was unnatural for him to encounter Mitsuhide, who needed to greet her on the way to the castle.

That said, since Mitsuhide is not a sociable genius, it is difficult not to be impossible considering the possibility that she was rooting out.

If Shizuko had been ambushed, he would have given Shizuko a New Year's greeting before Nobunaga, and his betrayal in historical fact would have been upsetting.

Still, Shizuko got off and was on foot, so she was called out, and I couldn't say hello until I stopped calling her Mitsuhide of Fluxstone.

It was whimsical that she chose to walk, and she decided that she had no problem with this encounter.

"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support in improving the distribution of our territory during the old year. Thanks to you, the people are not starving, and we are celebrating the New Year."

Mitsuhide's possessions were Tamba and Tanjo, among others, Tamba is known as a treasure trove of ingredients, and it is considered an important base located in the northwest of the capital, Kyoto.

History shows that there was a Tamba Kameyama clan that was important to the shogunate even in the Edo period, and Mitsuhide, who was entrusted with its management, can see how much trust is entrusted to him by Nobunaga.

It was Shizuko who was ordered to provide technical support for the development of Tamba and the Tango region.

"You don't have to worry about it." Even so, I hope that Tamba's specialties will flow to various places. "

Mitsuhide was more dissatisfied with the streets, which were more responsible for the distribution of his own territory. Since Mitsuhide is a warlord who exhibits his true worth in Kyoto, he has not been blessed with the opportunity to know the state of maintenance of Owari until now.

However, as Azuchi Castle and its town were developed, it was forced to be stunned.

His common sense was overshadowed by the existence of pavement roads that did not muddy even after heavy rainfall and did not frighten even when heavy loads of waste passed through them.

After receiving Mitsuhide's plea, Nobunaga orders Shizuko to provide technical support.

In addition to conventional macadam pavements, the use of the latest asphalt pavements has greatly increased the convenience of distribution.

Mitsuhide, who watches the pavement gradually stretch out from Kyoto, is forced to further review Shizuko's reputation.

"I think you are busy with the back support of the East China Expedition and the development of Arima by Hashiba, but I would like to thank you for your cooperation this year."

Having said that, Mitsuhide bowed her head deeply to Shizuko. There were still few warriors who could bow their heads without hesitation against Shizuko, who was still a woman.

Shizuko thought that Mitsuhide was a reasonable person who could suppress her self-esteem without any hesitation if she proved to be beneficial to herself. At the same time, the mystery of why a person who worked reason so far betrayed Nobunaga in historical fact deepened.

(Well, I don't know the acumen of a man, and it's a mystery whether he really betrayed the truth or not......)

Still, Shizuko couldn't help but hope that she wouldn't betray Nobunaga.

Although the dialogue with Mitsuhide was less than an hour, Shizuko promised unchanging cooperation.

In the background, I know that Mitsuhide wants to control Tajima in addition to his current territory.

Shizuko decided to bite into Tajima development from the beginning, as it seems that his control of Tajima is definitely behind those who do not think Hideyoshi's rise is interesting in practical terms.

In this way, it is easy to grasp the detailed map of Tajima and the economic situation, and it is possible to have a certain influence on the management of the territory.

It's insurance just in case, but I hope this doesn't happen again.

There are many insurance policies prepared by Shizuko, in addition to invisible insurance such as technical assistance and civil engineering work, there are also obvious insurance policies that are now being implemented under the leadership of Ashigaru.

One of them was the smokeless gunpowder that was finally ready for mass production. Shizuko, who had originally been uninterested in the rough, thought sweetly that if she could procure even black gunpowder herself, she could take the world.

However, to put it mildly, the idea is exhausted, and black gunpowder can only make a one-shot gun because it burns due to incomplete combustion.

This is the same for the brown gunpowder used in the new guns with life rings, and the development of smokeless gunpowder was a must in order to realize a series of guns.

The biggest difference between a single shotgun and a multiple shotgun is that it can overturn Lancaster's Primary Law, which preaches the theory of the number of troops in classical warfare.

The presence of multiple guns, which one soldier can overwhelm against many others, brings a technical breakthrough.

And in developing this smokeless gunpowder, the core substance was unexpectedly cotton.

It is commonly referred to as lintel pulp, and becomes gunpowder by nitriding the fibers (lint) around the fruit of cotton with sulfuric acid and nitric acid.

Shizuko's rendezvous with Sumitomo focused on the joint cultivation of cotton between Shizuko and the Tokugawa family from an early stage, and he continued to collect lint that had been thrown away because the fibers were short.

Such efforts culminated in the abundant use of sulfuric acid and nitric acid due to the progress of industrialization, and finally blossomed into smokeless gunpowder.

However, this smokeless gunpowder is not without its drawbacks. Compared to black gunpowder, which is highly stable, this smokeless gunpowder is an unstable substance that explodes even when hit hard.

In extreme cases, just sprinkle a thin powder of smokeless gunpowder and hit it with a metal hammer as hard as you can and it will explode.

Therefore, Hitomi, who had studied the manufacturing method in modern times, was able to produce a stable "B gunpowder" by adding ethanol and diethyl ether to the smokeless gunpowder and kneading it.

Nevertheless, since ethanol and diethyl ether are volatile, they have the disadvantage that they become unstable again when stored for a long time.

I also know how to make [Cordite Gunpowder] that can solve this problem, but I am giving up because I don't have the means to acquire the core Vaseline.

In other words, what this means is that the castle will dramatically gain an advantage by building a defense base.

If we were to take down a castle equipped with a Maxim machine gun, it would be difficult to do so after gathering ten times as many troops as the defending side.

In the unlikely event of a temple change, even a few hundred soldiers with enough ammo can hold back enemy soldiers for days.

I hope you don't have to use the [Gun Bringing] serial gun, which is a revival of the [Gun Bringing] that overshadows the common sense of the past.

Shizuko was shown a revolver pistol and a serial rifle that had already reached the practical level from the foot full.

If Shizuko wasn't good at it, she wouldn't be able to fight. There was something to see with the commander, but if it was a mud coating that sealed the first kill, the bottom would be exposed.

The more important a minister who has served Shizuko for a long time, the more he knows her true nature, and the more he begs her not to stand on the spot.

I don't feel sorry for that, but I am trying to focus on internal affairs by saying that we can reduce the number of victims who lose their lives in the war even if they don't go to the front.

Shizuko's policy has been the same since she met Nobunaga.

First, by providing sufficient food, we will create a margin, and send people of both sexes, young and old, to places of activity worthy of education.

The Meiji government's national slogan, "Rich National Militant", has been practiced in the Warring States Period.

After repeating this over the years, I eventually took the form of a huge human resource provider.

Not to mention the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry, there is no such industry that does not have anyone who has received Shizuko's ceramics from the construction and civil engineering industry to the commercial industry.

The area under the control of the Oda family did not extend to Shizuko's influence anywhere in Hinomoto.

Listening to this, Shizuko was perverted to the idea that she possessed a tremendous amount of wealth.

But she doesn't actually have that many assets that she can move personally.

Of course, there is no doubt that Oda's wife will be in first and second place except Nobunaga, but it can still be understood that the scale of her business is very small.

This is because Shizuko reinvests more than half of her profits to society.

As for her, she thinks that it is best to enrich society as a whole rather than to enrich herself, so she has no idea of fattening her own stomach.

Even though it's luxurious, you can eat delicious rice, and it's enough for you to enter the hot spring from the morning

Even if I lean my neck and worry about it, I can't imagine myself being luxurious.

As a person involved in the primary industry, it is out of the question to handle food poorly, and I am fully satisfied with the current situation.

Since it invests in various industries, it is easy to obtain cutting-edge items such as clothing.

The most important hobby of spending money is the art protection ordered by the imperial court, but even this has become commercialized, so it seems to be profitable.

“That's right! If you can't use it yourself, you can invest in a future young man.”

Shizuko, who suddenly clenched her hand, decided to execute the idea she had come up with.

During the New Year, Shizuko summoned Forty-Six and the vessel to her room.

Since it is not uncommon for two people to be summoned together, Shizuko and the forty-six vessels oppose each other while looking at each other's faces.

I think it's time for you two to learn how to spend money.

Both of them leaned their necks at Shizuko's words. Even when it comes to how money is spent, they live on their daily pocket money.

I could live without spending money, but Shizuko gave me a fixed amount every month to get what I wanted within a set budget.

In other words, they both understand the existence of money and how to spend their limited resources.

I wondered if there was anything more I could learn.

"Money, when it gathers more than a certain amount, it becomes powerful." So you two will learn to handle a little bit of big money. "

"... I see. The amount you spend at your discretion is literally a different order of magnitude from the amount you spend as a lord."

"I've never wanted money..."

Forty-six responded to the positive thought by contrasting with the asshole. So Shizuko goes like this.

"You don't have to think hard." It is important to experience it first. If we don't fail and succeed, it doesn't start. "

Shizuko continued to speak while gently resting her hands on their shoulders.

"Experience both success and failure. Let that experience feed you.”

Yes.

“Use the budget you've been given to find out how you can make money. You truly understand the value and gratitude of money.”

Shizuko smiled contentedly at their reply.

When the New Year mood is over, it returns to normal.

Although it was still stagnating due to the effects of snow, preparations were steadily progressing towards the resumption of the East China Expedition.

Perhaps it was an opportunity for the new year to begin, and when it arrived in mid-January, people from all over East China began to send Wen to Shizuko.

Almost all of them were content that I wanted to mediate in order to show my obedience to Nobunaga.

It smells like you're protecting yourself, right?

Even though the Oda family's hand extended to the area around Odawara Castle, where Hojo is based, they probably cut off the fact that they could not fight back.

In fact, Shizuko's guess is correct. Whether the person who sends the message is Hojo or Oda, if his territory is reassured, there is no problem.

Some of them showed loyalty by not returning the favor they had received from the Hojo family, but it remained a minority.

It seems that the Satomi family leaned toward the surrender route, but it seems that some of the Satake family rebelled.

Shizuko predicted that she would soon encounter the Genzo army, which was opposite Satomi and Satake.

Naturally, the talent store who feels the air in the frontline with their skin is making the same predictions.

While monitoring the trends of both the Satomi and Satake families, he saw that the talent store, which had passed over the years, would be finished before his role was too far away.

The fatigue of both families is significant, and it can be seen that there is no morale and no supplies to continue working.

He was dissatisfied with Hojo, who had never sent reinforcements, and wondered if he was trying to reconcile with the Oda family.

At the end of the chaos and exhaustion, the question arises as to whether there is anything to be gained by continuing to rebel against the Oda family.

"If both families had any excuse, they would go down to the Oda family immediately." Is it Hojo's defeat, or is it.... "

In the view of the talent store, both families want to surrender quickly, but it is troubling that they surrender without being able to do anything.

Therefore, I was predicting that I would like to reward with a single arrow to protect my hold and surrender on top of that.

As for Satake, Mr. Makabe is appealing for resistance.

“Yes, it looks like you've been protesting against Mr. Satake, who is weak. I admit to losing without fighting, it's a serious act in the samurai family."

A subordinate replied to the confirmation of Ozo. Mashi refers to Mr. Mashi's trunk. He served the Satake clan from an early age and served as the front line when he was hostile to Hojo.

He had a nickname for the demonic wall, and was feared for swinging a Tochigi stick that was two meters long to symbolize the demonic nickname.

He took part in most of the work carried out by Mr. Satake with the protruding Takeshi, but he was not a loyalist.

If it would be in the interest of herself and the Mayabe clan, she had the attitude of not even resigning from confronting the Satake clan, the main house.

"I guess it's time to lose control of the wall." I don't even know if you're going to cut me off and set me up on my own. "

"There is no way to attack them in this snow accumulation compared to the middle wall of the boulder. You'll be counting the snow melt.”

"No, assumptions are dangerous." Think of your enemies as always raiding from outside the stereotype. You shouldn't let your guard down. "

Yes, I understand.

Gifted men who could see their chubby hearts were caught up in it.

"Still, it's cold. I can't move my body in this cold weather. Make sure to take adequate measures against the cold than usual."

“So far, I'm not particularly dissatisfied.”

"Shizuko-sama also instructed me to take strict measures against the cold. I can't face the fact that I lost without keeping my word."

"I understand." Not only are we prepared for direct cold, but we are also prepared for quarantine. ”

Among the Oda troops, the Shizuko army carried out cold protection measures until the end of the war. Of course, the generals and soldiers were different, but the philosophy was the same.

Waterproof military boots with cotton filling at the foot. Underwear and leggings worn under armor are also made of thick fabrics.

In addition, even a platinum kettle with alcohol fuel can be rented out if you become a warlord.

In addition, a coat made of waterproof cloth that can be worn from the top of the armor like a trench coat was arranged for rainy weather.

"That's good."

The Minister smiled at his words.