The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 113

Kumataro led a tall, yellow-faced young man with a baby-like face and introduced him: "Sir, look, this is my son, Little Pig. He's fifteen years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, and this is his first time participating in battle!"

Qiaobingwei hugged a sturdy, dark-skinned man who looked quite young. He said, "This is my younger brother, Adong. He's ten months older than his little pig, and this is his first time here too."

Oh, little pig and Ah Dong.

Shinsaburo remembered the children from these two relatives' families.

To be precise, it was the original body before the transmigration that had the memory.

A few moments of recollection bring back a flood of fragmented memories, mostly of wandering around the village, collecting branches, picking chestnuts, playing games, catching small animals, fighting with kids from neighboring villages, and so on.

Shinzaburo was several years older and hadn't played with them for a while. Shingoro, on the other hand, was close in age to these two relatives' children, having genuinely spent time playing in the mud and peeing together.

These are some of the few remaining close relatives and associates of the Kubo family!

After reminiscing, let's return to reality.

Upon closer inspection, the little pig was half a head taller than its father, and Ah Dong was also a size larger than its brother. It's likely that their nutrition has improved in recent years, and they haven't had to take on physical labor too early, allowing them to grow up healthily.

Good.

Kumataro was thin and Hashibei was short, so neither of them were well-suited for fighting on the battlefield and could only switch to operating arquebuses.

Shinzaburo stepped forward, patted the two young men on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Then let's call Little Pig Kubo Butaro for now, and Adong Kubo Tobei for now. We'll give them more formal names later when the time is right. Hey, wait a minute, you two have shaved your heads? Why haven't you had your formal coming-of-age ceremony arranged?"

Kumataro and Hashibei exchanged a bewildered glance: "Does a family like ours need to have a coming-of-age ceremony?"

“Of course, you are relatives of the Wakasa Governor!” Shinzaburo could only shake his head and sigh, thinking that these two relatives had been samurai for several years and their rank was over 100 koku. How come they didn’t understand their own position?

In principle, such a thing shouldn't be overlooked; it's just that the family's foundation is too shallow, and there needs to be a process of accumulation.

As the mistress of the house, Adou was not from a proper military family, so perhaps she had forgotten about that.

Shinzaburo nodded and solemnly emphasized, "We can't be careless in the future. If any more members of the Kubo family's faction come of age, we must make proper arrangements!"

Kumataro and Hashibei quickly agreed.

Then, the newly named Pig Taro and Tobei knelt down together and shouted in their childish voices, "We are willing to be the vanguard and conquer this bamboo and rattan castle for you, sir!"

Yes, in terms of seniority, these two are indeed Shinzaburo's cousins.

But being a pioneer...

Shinzaburo remained noncommittal, shaking his head and laughing, "Being a vanguard is very dangerous, aren't you two brats afraid?"

Unexpectedly, Butaro shouted passionately, "The glory and legacy of a samurai come from danger!"

At the same time, Tobei solemnly shouted, "We are Kubo Ierou's party, and after Sasaki, we fear nothing!"

This demeanor truly suggests someone trained in a proper martial arts family.

Shinzaburo looked up at his parents again.

A slight worry could be seen on Kumataro's face, but his tone was very firm: "Little Pig... Pig Taro is a tall and strong boy, he should go to the battlefield to make a name for himself. He has to go to the battlefield eventually. This time the opponent is not too strong, I think it is quite suitable. Please let him try."

Hashibei chuckled, scratching his chin, and said something very realistic: "Higashibei can't do arithmetic, let alone tea ceremony or waka poetry. If he can't even fight for you on the battlefield, how can he call himself a samurai of the Kubo family? He can't just sit around doing nothing."

You know what, it makes sense.

Although these two relatives neglected the coming-of-age ceremony, which was a bit funny, they were quite conscientious in other aspects.

They are right.

If we are too concerned about the risks and keep our children away from the front lines, keeping them only in the safe fortresses, they will be wasted in the long run, and how will they be able to take over in the future?

The chaos is unlikely to end anytime soon, making the existence of the martial arts faction essential.

After a moment's thought, Shinzaburo nodded and said, "Then let's assign Butaro and Tobei to the third assault team. If the previous attacks don't yield any results, you'll have to go in!"

Both Ibaraki-Douji and Tobei-Douji showed joy on their faces and said in unison, "Thank you, sir!"

Looking at the new generation who identify themselves as Kubo Ierou's party members, Shinzaburo had a strange feeling of being middle-aged and couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

213 Both the first and second lines win, double happiness!

"The Yamana family has already run into trouble? That's quick..."

A few days later, Shinzaburo listened to the report from the head of the Monomiban and simply nodded without showing any emotion.

Yamana Yuutoyo listened to the advice and led his Tajima soldiers to plunder everywhere.

Most of the villagers had already fled when the war started, and those who remained at home were simply those who couldn't escape, offering little to exploit. The only form of commerce in Kumano and Takeno districts was the regular market, and there were no townspeople to rob. However, religious figures generally wouldn't abandon their temples.

Yamana Yufeng spent only two days sweeping up more than a dozen temples and shrines in the vicinity. The largest of these temples had three hundred monks and laypeople, while the smallest had only five monks and two laypeople.

Regardless of their status, they all received the same treatment, but the warriors of the Kingdom of Ma only cared about money.

Offering sufficient money as tribute indicates that the temple or shrine is of high moral character and can obtain a prohibition order to ensure temporary peace; refusing to offer money, or offering an unsatisfactory amount, indicates that the temple or shrine is an accomplice of rebels and disloyal to the shogunate, and should be punished.

This is the usual practice in this era, and it cannot be said that the Yamano family is particularly excessive.

Even Yamana Yutaka showed a certain degree of respect.

He believed in the Linji school, so he only charged one-tenth of the fare to temples affiliated with the Linji school. He also received a 50% discount when visiting other branches of the Chan school, such as the Caodong and Huangbo schools.

However, when encountering practitioners of the Tiantai, Zhenyan, Jingtu, and Nichiren schools, they are not so polite. They directly estimate the number of people based on the number of rooms and beds, and each person, regardless of whether they are monks or laypeople, has to pay 200 cash.

If they don't hand it over, let the Tajima soldiers collect it themselves.

Anyway, I have a knife!

The three castles of Kizu, Yuike, and Takefuchi, guarded by local samurai, block land transportation? No problem, we can take a boat around and rob them. As long as we share a little for travel expenses, the sailors under Nasa Yamato-suke's command will row their boats at breakneck speed.

Needless to say, doing something like this would definitely provoke strong resentment from the locals.

Most of the local wealthy landowners have already entered the three cities to participate in the defense, but that does not mean that the common people have no ability to resist.

Soldiers raiding enemy territory is common practice; victims rising up in resistance is equally common.

It's unclear how the conflict specifically arose, but in the early hours of the third day, Yamana's Koho unit was suddenly attacked and thrown into chaos. When they regained their composure, they discovered the enemy numbered only twenty or thirty men, who attacked and fled without lingering.

Yamana Yutaka was furious and personally led a group of men on horseback to pursue them, capturing two prisoners alive.

After interrogation, it was discovered that he was a member of the Jodo Shinshu sect, also known as the Ikko-shu sect.

They could never tolerate being wronged, and even though their influence in Tango was shallow and they only had a few hundred followers, they still rose up to fight back.

With overwhelming military superiority, the Yamana army calmly divided its forces to pursue and kill, quickly eliminating a portion of the Ikko-kyo disciples.

But with the example set by the "wise ones," monks and believers from other schools gradually organized themselves.

In Japan, apart from the youngest Zen sect which is relatively civilized, monks from other sects all went through a period of being full of martial virtue. Temples and monasteries that cannot fight simply cannot survive.

As expected, although Yamana Yutaka gained some money and some recognition from his retainers, he was caught in a constant stream of vendettas and attacks.

There's nothing to complain about; it's just a matter of taking what you need.

……

After the war began, Itsuki Masatsune and Kawakatsu Tsuguji kept a close watch on the garrison of Kizu Castle and Yuike Castle, while Shinzaburo cautiously directed the attack on Takefusa Castle and called his younger brother Shingoro to his side to serve as the head of the garrison, so that he could observe and learn from him.

During this period, Katsuhisa Awaya's Wakasa Sixth Division fought bravely and performed quite well, having already conquered the two relatively weak earthen and wooden structures of the first two battlements, pushing the battle line to the enemy's Ninomaru.

This is also closely related to the ongoing cooperation between the friendly forces on the other three sides.

During the day, they would feign attacks to the south and north to distract the enemy, launch a strong attack to the west, and launch a surprise attack to the east. Then at night, they would select strong men with good eyesight to harass the enemy as close to the city walls as possible, disturbing their rest.

After the defenders received the first surprise attack at the eastern rear gate, they immediately strengthened their defenses on the east side. As a result, the offensive from the west actually made progress.

It has now been ascertained that the general in the castle is named "Matsukura Izumi-no-kami," and his troops are known for their bravery, but they are poor and lack firearms and powerful bows. Therefore, in the previous battles, Shinzaburo's soldiers did not suffer much ranged attack and were even able to use firearms to suppress the defenders on the castle walls, allowing the assault troops to advance to the front relatively easily.

The biggest obstacle was actually the crisscrossing ditches, which made it difficult to move quickly on that kind of terrain.

In a purely melee combat setting, the armor protecting the defenders on the city walls would prevent significant casualties. Over seven days, Shinzaburo's side had lost a total of over 120 men, while the opposing side had likely lost even fewer. However, the attackers, with their superior numbers, could rotate shifts. The defenders, on the other hand, numbered only four or five hundred, and their exhaustion was considerable.

Shinzaburo observed the situation and realized that it had reached a critical point, so he decided to send in another fresh force to end the battle as soon as possible.

Dozens of strong, well-equipped samurai and foot soldiers had been carefully selected and were already on standby. Among them were Izayoi and Tobei, who were participating in the battle for the first time.

These two young members of the Kubo family, one in black armor and the other in red armor, were both eager to try and showed no sign of timidity. Their faces were filled with a desire to make a name for themselves.

It makes sense, as most people begin to form their values ​​around the age of ten. At that stage, Butaro and Tobei witnessed their relative Shinzaburo's brother "slaying two demons" on the battlefield, earning the nickname "Tanba Zhong Kui," becoming a village magistrate, and leading his entire family to achieve upward social mobility.

How could it not leave a deep impression?

Although the process from a village to a prefecture and then to a country is more exciting, it is probably not as thrilling for children as the first time.

But why didn't Shingoro, his younger brother, turn out like that? It probably has something to do with each person's personality.

In short, having two relatives who dare to take the lead isn't so bad.

Samurai eventually have to use their brains when they reach a certain level, but a family can't be made up entirely of people who use their brains.

Kubo family boys, charge!

Shinzaburo personally wished for "good fortune in battle" and waved for Butarou and Tobei to return to the ranks.

Shingoro's younger brother watched his two childhood friends go to the front lines with a complex expression. According to him later, he felt a mix of worry, envy, and incomprehension.

Next, the drums sounded and the conch shells blew, and the besieging troops, who had been arranged in advance, took action according to their assigned roles.

Some used arquebuses to suppress the defenders peeking out from the city walls, some operated large shields or bamboo bundles to protect the arquebusiers, some charged up the walls headfirst with hand shields a foot and a half long, some used ladders to approach the front lines under the cover of friendly forces, and some carried pistols or great swords and waited to launch an attack...

Unexpectedly, shortly after the battle began, Harumi-shitaka, who was in charge of guarding the camp, reported that several monks, escorted by a group of monk soldiers, approached the siege position, saying they had come to visit Lord Kubo Sado.

Shinzaburo was quite impatient at first, thinking, "We're at war, what kind of guests are we seeing?"

But realizing they were a group of monks, a possibility came to mind, so he ordered them to go and inquire again.

Qinghai was not particularly clever, but he was conscientious and meticulous in his work. He recited the instructions to his lord twice and memorized them by heart before running out.

Shinzaburo turned back to keep his eyes on the siege.

After a while, Harumi Ujitaka rushed back, panting, and nodded sharply, saying, "You're right! Those monks came because of the Yamana army's looting of temples and shrines!"

"That's double happiness indeed." Shinzaburo nodded, glanced at the siege situation again, put down his fan, called over his younger brother Shingoro, and said to him, "The outcome of this battle is decided; the enemy is exhausted and unable to sustain the fight. Now, do as I instructed before and arrange for everyone to carry out the follow-up work!"

Then, he had Qinghai Shiga lead the way to see the group of monks who had come to petition.

Shingoro, who was left behind, stood there stunned for a moment. He could only carefully recall the items he had just heard and then brace himself to go and relay the order.

214. Perhaps we should find someone else more capable.

"You want me to stop the famous Tajima mountain family from collecting arrows? I think you should find someone more capable!"

Shinzaburo was very polite to the monks of Tango, showing no airs of a regional lord, but he had no intention of acknowledging their pleas.

I can't just do whatever you say, that would be too embarrassing.

The old monk in charge was from the Shingon sect and his Dharma name was "Seijō". He was not a great monk, but he was slightly well-known in the remote Tangō province. He was not very sharp-minded and kept crying out for justice with a worried look on his face.

"If Lord Kubo Sado doesn't take action, the temples in Kumano and Takeno districts will probably be destroyed!"

Such words cannot move people.

Shinzaburo simply deflected the issue, saying, "Collecting arrows as a wartime tax is standard practice. I've heard that the Yamana family isn't asking for much, so it's best for you gentlemen to pay to avoid further trouble. Wouldn't that also demonstrate your support for the shogunate?"

That's right, this Tango campaign was ostensibly supported by the shogunate.

Honganji, Enryakuji, and Nekoroji might be able to voice their opposition, but ordinary monks would never dare to question the legitimacy of the action.

“Since it’s the shogunate’s decision, it’s only right to make some contribution.” The old monk Seijō could only concede first, and then protest: “But now, some temples and shrines have already paid their arrows, and even have ‘bans’ posted at their doors, yet they are still being harassed by samurai from Tajima Province. Isn’t that too tragic?”

"Huh?" Shinzaburo was immediately surprised. "Is that so?"

He really doesn't know.

Given that Yamana Yutoyo's thinking is quite traditional and he values ​​the reputation of his family, it's unlikely he would be dissatisfied with receiving protection money.

Could it be that the retainers have lost control?

"My Engaku-ji Temple has already paid 30 kan of silver, 200 mon per person," said the aggrieved old monk Seijō. "The neighboring Jōnen-ji Temple of the Jodo Shinshū sect refused to pay and even retaliated, injuring the Yamana family. It's not surprising that we were robbed. But then, samurai from Tajima Province insisted that our Engaku-ji Temple had harbored thugs from Jōnen-ji Temple and demanded another 15 kan, threatening to search us otherwise. Then, Kōun-ji Temple also resisted, and they said our temple was hiding thugs and demanded another 20 kan."

It turned out to be the case.

The other monks also complained, saying they had encountered similar situations.

Then the old monk Seijing lamented, "I heard that yesterday, Myorin-ji Temple of the Nichiren sect also refused to pay and got into a fight with the Yamana family. Will they then accuse us of harboring the thugs from Myorin-ji Temple and come to demand a fourth payment?"

After hearing the whole story, Shinzaburo showed no sympathy, but instead questioned, "Then, Master Kiyosada, did your Engoku-ji temple actually harbor the thugs from Jōnen-ji?"

"This..." The old monk Qingding was speechless for a moment, his eyes darting around, and he stammered, "Our temple has a total of 150 monks and laypeople. Even if one or two suspicious people were to sneak in, it would be very difficult for this old monk to distinguish them!"

The words are correct.

With 150 monks and laypeople, many buildings would need to be constructed just for housing. In addition, there would be a main hall, scripture hall, pagoda, bell tower, study, warehouse, and so on. The temple area would certainly be quite large, more than enough to house one or two people.

However, judging from the old monk's expression, there seems to be more to it than meets the eye.