Chapter 246: Silk
A desolate beach in the central part of Ise Province had now become a massive construction site.
The coastline on the eastern side of Ise Province is largely a submerged terrain, a unique geological phenomenon formed when original land sank into the sea for various reasons. This results in poor sea conditions, with many former peaks becoming isolated islands and submerged reefs. Sunken valleys and canyons have formed numerous treacherous currents and whirlpools, making maritime accidents extremely likely.
This is mainly the fault of the Mount Ise Range. The Mount Ise Range is shaped like the character “people” (ren), with one of its strokes running through the entire Ise Peninsula. It also contains many active volcanoes, leading to frequent geological activity. Over tens of thousands of years, constant pressure has pushed the coastal landmass into the sea.
Yuan Ye, leading the Wanjin Army, crossed the sea from the Chita Peninsula, and the first challenge was the terrain.
There is a lack of good ports suitable for large ships to anchor. Even though this area was prosperous in fishing and sea transport before the 14th century, once being one of the “Three Great Ports of the World” during the Nara period, it began to become unsuitable for large vessels due to changes in the natural environment and the development of Japanese shipbuilding technology. Businesses were snatched away by places like Shimazu, and the ports here declined one after another within a hundred years.
It will likely take another three to four hundred years for the numerous bays at the root of the Ise Peninsula to naturally disappear. In the future, that area will become land, and maritime transport in the central part of the Ise Peninsula will become frequent again.
This is too long a wait; Wanjin clearly cannot afford it. They can only build their own landing point. The first batch of Wanjin Navy has brought a large number of construction workers. Cooperating with Wanjin engineers, they have hastily repaired a jetty here and are desperately unloading personnel and goods.
Subsequently, they must also construct a castle here to echo Xin Wanjin Port on the diagonally opposite side of the bay, serving as the administrative center for the Wanjin regime on the Ise Peninsula and a hub for material transit.
Indeed, over the past year or so, a large number of small Wanjin ships have come for trade （ and smuggling ）. Even with the complex sea conditions here, they have likely figured them out. This desolate beach is the result of selecting the best among all conditions, even if it’s still a bit rubbish.
A Man watched a large “Ma-bune ship” carefully back towards the shore, docking against the wooden jetty that extended far into the sea. The ship’s gate was raised, revealing the goods in its open cargo hold. A large number of Wanjin workers, soldiers, and sailors immediately swarmed in, beginning to pull out horses. They then shouted in unison as they hard-dragged the heavy “carriages” out, sending them ashore along the wide jetty.
It’s a bit slow, not fast at all. After all, amphibious landings are a super difficult problem even in the Modern Era, let alone in the 16th century. And if you don’t intend to have a small force raid and leave, but want to send a large army to fight here long-term, you can only proceed this slowly.
It’s even slower than when Yuan Ye led his men to forcibly land on the Chita Peninsula back then. After all, the sea conditions in the central part of the Chita Peninsula were much better than here, and the Wanjin Army didn’t have so many people or so much heavy equipment at that time.
The Wanjin Army didn’t even have many horses back then, but now they need to transport nearly two thousand packhorses. To be honest, it’s a bit of a killer.
A Man understood all this, but she had rushed back on a Kobaya ship, forcing the sailors to row in shifts at full speed, not to watch construction work, but because she was here to participate in the war.
The main reason is that this is Wanjin’s all-out strike. They have not only used all their reserves but have even mortgaged some of their future to launch this attack. Even if she were no longer the “Chief Senior Retainer of the Yuan Ye Family,” she was still very worried, fearing Yuan Ye would squander the family fortune in one go. Therefore, she had to come back and see, no matter what. And upon returning, she saw this?
They’ve been here for three days, and they’re still building jetties and fortifications? Isn’t speed the essence of military action?
Even if they weren’t directly heading for Okōchi Castle to take that formidable fortress and decide the war in one battle, they should at least be actively engaging the enemy in open combat, striving to annihilate their fighting forces.
She had only returned recently. Calculating the current number of Wanjin troops landed, she felt it was enough for a battle. She asked Yuan Ye, who was standing on a small hill by the shore looking at the construction plans, “Just waiting like this isn’t good, is it? Should I take some people out to harass them? Or perhaps seize some provisions and capture some people to work?”
Yuan Ye was quite satisfied with the construction progress, even feeling a sense of pride. In this era, only the Wanjin Army could do this, and dared to do this. Without excellent organization and a large number of workers, such a grand operation could not be completed.
He directly shook his head and refused, “No need. We will stay here. Everything will proceed according to plan. Ensuring the rear is clear is the highest priority task. Therefore, as long as the Kitabatake Family doesn’t attack us, we will stay here.”
“This is too boring. How long will we stay here?” A Man was speechless.
“Until Ise truly descends into chaos,” Yuan Ye said calmly, unmoved. “Time is on our side now. We don’t need to take reckless risks. As long as we can stabilize ourselves, we have already won this battle.”
A Man had been living like a savage on Ezo Island and had not participated in the planning or preparation of related plans. She didn’t even have a good understanding of the actual situation, so she couldn’t object immediately. She pondered, “Are we waiting for the famine to become more severe? By the way, we’re quite lucky. Why did a pest outbreak suddenly occur in Ise?”
This pest outbreak came at such a timely moment. Just as Yuan Ye was preparing to strike Ise, Ise had already self-destructed. She even had a fantastical feeling of destiny, as if heaven itself was helping them.
Yuan Ye fell silent. In this era, almost no one understood the role of “beneficial insects and birds.” Even if there were vague suspicions, they were often uncertain. Even he, the instigator, dared not be absolutely certain that the “empty ear blight” currently spreading across the entire Ise Peninsula was related to him.
But it didn’t matter. As the saying goes, “A righteous person does not manage finances, and a benevolent person does not lead troops.” Let’s just assume he did it!
Now, all he needs to do is stay here. As long as he stays here, he can tie down a significant portion of the Kitabatake Family’s forces, preventing them from fully suppressing the peasant uprisings. As more people go hungry, more will rebel, further depleting the Kitabatake Family’s strength. They won’t be able to gather all their forces and will be unable to expel him.
It’s not that he’s arrogant. From the moment the “empty ear blight” broke out on the Ise Peninsula, he truly felt he had already won this battle. Even if the Kitabatake Family was a Daimyo capable of mobilizing over ten thousand troops, and even if they allied with surrounding Daimyo, Minor Daimyo, and Local Lords, their forces could potentially exceed twenty thousand, he had effectively already won.
Of course, the victory wasn’t exactly glorious, but war pursues victory and practical benefits, not face. Whether it’s glorious or not is completely unimportant.
Of course, he also genuinely needed time to gather troops and supplies. After all, he wasn’t here to plunder; he intended to occupy this place long-term. Without sufficient personnel and provisions, it would be impossible.
At the very least, after he takes over the territory, he will need to provide disaster relief. He can’t possibly have the aura of a king that makes starving rebel peasants rejoice and surrender immediately just by his presence.
This is also to prevent making the same mistake as the Imagawa Family.
The Imagawa Family’s surprise attack on the Oda Family’s rear with their navy, and their swift capture of Kanie Castle, was a brilliant stratagem. However, it ultimately proved useless. The reason was that the four to five thousand men who landed lacked sufficient provisions. The soldiers, starving, went to the countryside to loot, making it impossible to directly attack Kiyosu Castle and Atsuta Port. In the end, they had to retreat shamefully.
Therefore, to prevent starving and losing combat effectiveness, Yuan Ye also needed to establish a stable rear base before launching an attack. Otherwise, if any other unforeseen circumstances arose and Wanjin couldn’t deliver supplies here, he would be in trouble.
Yuan Ye had been preparing for this battle for a very, very long time. There was no need to listen to A Man, who had suddenly returned, babbling nonsense. After finishing his current task, he changed the subject and looked at her strangely, asking, “By the way, I’ve wanted to ask for a long time, aren’t you hot?”
A Man had rushed back too quickly and was still dressed in Ainu attire, with a dark purple painted mouth. Although she wasn’t wearing the “bear head hat” anymore, she had a black fox fur draped around her neck, making her look very strange and ostentatious.
It was late summer, with temperatures over thirty degrees Celsius. Yuan Ye felt so hot just wearing armor that it was like torture, yet this person was wearing fur…
A Man was also hot, but she had finally obtained a “treasure,” and it would be more unbearable than killing her if she didn’t wear it back for others to see. She could only wipe the sweat from her forehead, forcing herself to endure, and boasted to Yuan Ye, “I’m not hot. This fur isn’t ordinary fur; it’s warm in winter and cool in summer. Look at the color of the fur… it’s so black it shines, right? And when I stroke it like this, it turns purple again. Isn’t it amazing? You don’t know quality. If you ask me, this fur could sell for at least one thousand kan at Atsuta Port. Ordinary people don’t deserve to wear it!”
Yuan Ye looked closely. Even as a well-traveled modern person, he had to admit that the fox fur was exceptionally beautiful. It was as lustrous as ink, and under the sunlight, it subtly revealed purple undertones, which could be described as “shimmering waves, like pearls and precious stones.” While saying it was worth one thousand kan was certainly an exaggeration, three to five hundred kan was definitely achievable!
He spoke truthfully, “This fur is indeed excellent. If there’s more, bring some back.”
“How could that be possible! I spent over a year on Ezo Island to get just one piece like this!” A Man affectionately stroked the fox fur, watching a bright purple halo emanate from it. She felt it was worth the long wait that almost drove the old hunter Zha Ping Nong crazy, and worth the sweat she endured.
“If there isn’t any, then forget it.” Yuan Ye wasn’t bothered. After all, Wanjin needed leather for making armor. He himself had little interest in luxury goods like fur. In a place that rained 186 days a year, was extremely humid, and had an average temperature above twenty-four degrees Celsius, only someone like A Man would wear fur.
“I can’t give you this fur, mainly because I only have one. But I did get a batch of beauties on Ezo Island. I’ll share a few with you later!” A Man was reluctant to give the black fox fur to Yuan Ye, but Yuan Ye was ultimately different from ordinary people, and A Man was willing to share some benefits with him.
Yuan Ye was speechless. In a sense, he was now A Man’s brother-in-law, and his sister-in-law was offering him a mistress… This, even in ancient times, was a bit too bizarre.
He quickly refused, “Forget it, I… don’t need it.”
“You fellow, you truly don’t know how to enjoy blessings and insist on suffering!” A Man wasn’t surprised. She merely glanced at Yuan Ye’s lower body and shook her head slightly, feeling that the tools for procreation were wasted on Yuan Ye. If they were on her, she wondered how much joy they would bring.
No longer a vassal, you wild child are becoming increasingly presumptuous. I should never have fired you!
Yuan Ye cursed A Man a few times in his mind, but it wasn’t convenient to discuss such matters with her further. He changed the subject and asked, “You came back this time with only a few pieces of fur and some nugget gold, nothing else?”
“That broken place, Ezo, finding a few good pieces of fur and some nugget gold is already good. What else do you want?” A Man had brought gifts back too. The one for Yuan Ye was a nugget gold the size of a human head. She had traded three sets of iron armor and a good sword for it from an Ainu tribe.
But even as she said that, she immediately started rummaging in her pocket, saying with excitement, “However, there are other rare items too. Let me show you something good.”
“What good thing?” Yuan Ye became interested.
A Man didn’t speak. She took out a small bamboo tube from her pocket, then inserted a wide bamboo section onto the small bamboo tube. She then poured some crushed leaves into it from a small leather pouch and took out a fire starter to light it.
Yuan Ye was stunned. This scene… felt familiar!
A Man’s hands were nimble. She easily lit the crushed tobacco in the bamboo section, took a deep puff from the bamboo tube, and then exhaled two long streams of white smoke from her nose. Dou Dou’s eyebrows drooped, and she looked entranced, sighing, “Siii~~~”
Yuan Ye’s face contorted, and he felt like he was about to split open.
You wild child, it was already troublesome enough when you used to drink and gamble, and now you’ve started smoking too?
You’re truly something else. You don’t learn any of the good things, you just specialize in learning the bad ones!
