Chapter 252: Risking One’s Life!
Yuan Ye had always been willing to spend money on his army, and with Wanjin’s workshops flourishing and fiercely competing, even the “state-run workshops” were constantly under pressure. Therefore, every piece of equipment on a Wanjin soldier could be considered a masterpiece, otherwise, the workshops wouldn’t be able to secure orders.
The katana were finely forged, the dōmaru plates were all made of fine iron, the matchlock guns were reliable, their barrels polished smooth, the military uniforms had fine stitching, were strong and durable, and even had a silk lining inside for ease of removing arrowheads.
Kitabatake Tomonori flipped through them for a moment and had to admit that the Wanjin army was indeed well-equipped. Moreover, the tools carried by the Wanjin soldiers were such that even he, a seasoned samurai, couldn’t immediately discern their purpose.
For example, when he came across a bundle of cloth, he couldn’t understand why the Wanjin soldiers would carry such a thing and couldn’t help but ask, “What is this?”
“My Lord, it’s a raincoat… probably a raincoat!” Hirado Tōbei took the bundle of cloth, untied the knot, unfolded it, and showed it to Kitabatake Tomonori, sighing, “We also spent a long time trying to figure it out.
My Lord, please look here. This piece of cloth is double-layered. The outer layer is coated with tung oil, and the inner layer is coated with wax, making it completely waterproof. Look here again. This piece of cloth has rope holes, ropes, buttons, and buttonholes at the four corners. Just like this…”
As he spoke, he spread the cloth on the ground, folded one corner inward, fastened the button into the buttonhole, and then draped the cloth over himself. The rope hole at the corner of the cloth happened to be on both sides of his neck. With a pull of the rope, the cloth tightened, and one corner of the cloth immediately formed a hat, which, when flipped over, perfectly covered his head.
That wasn’t all. There were slits in the middle of the cloth. He reached his arm out from inside, picked up a matchlock gun from the ground, and rested it on his shoulder. It didn’t hinder his shooting at all. In fact, because the raincoat was stretched out, it provided some obstruction and could reduce the possibility of the matchcord being extinguished by wind and rain.
It was the same when holding a katana or a gun; it didn’t cause much hindrance when slashing or thrusting.
“Truly… ingenious!”
Kitabatake Tomonori understood. He examined the details of the raincoat carefully and found the craftsmanship to be impeccable. Even the buttonholes were covered with leather. Even someone of his stature felt a sense of delight upon seeing this raincoat and wished he had one himself.
“My Lord, it’s more than that.”
Hirado Tōbei gave a wry smile, took off the raincoat, then pulled the rope inside the cloth longer, tied it to a tree in the courtyard, folded the cloth in half and fastened the buttons, propped it up with a short spear shaft in the middle, and a small shelter that could block wind and rain was set up. It was enough for one person to rest.
While setting up the shelter, he explained, “My Lord, when propped up like this, it can be used for temporary lodging. Moreover, these raincoats can be buttoned together. As long as there are enough of them, they can be combined to form a large tent, or spread on the ground to waterproof and insulate against moisture, allowing for a good night’s sleep in the wilderness, which is very convenient.”
Kitabatake Tomonori nodded, finally understanding the purpose of this bundle of cloth. Such equipment was very suitable for Ise Province, which experienced rain for more than 180 days a year. Even though life in the wilderness was still harsh, with this item, a significant portion of the inconvenience could be avoided, at least allowing soldiers to sleep well and conserve a lot of energy.
Seeing that he understood, Hirado Tōbei took down the raincoat, unbuttoned it, loosened the rope, straightened the cloth again, and then folded it in half from both sides, and then in half again, folding it into a roll. He tightened the rope again, tied the ends, and it became a bundle of cloth once more, which he could casually sling over his shoulder.
This raincoat was not invented by Yuan Ye. In fact, he didn’t even know that the Wanjin army had this project before the finished product came out. During their training, the Wanjin army discovered that rain greatly affected their combat effectiveness and requested from the Wanjin internal affairs system: a better rain gear than conical hats and traditional straw raincoats.
Upon receiving the request, the Wanjin internal affairs system began to search for procurement in the market, which piqued the interest of many workshop owners. Finally, the owner of a clothing store had a flash of inspiration and created the first generation of “tablecloth-style raincoats,” which won the order and made a small fortune.
After this new equipment appeared, it quickly attracted competitors to imitate it. They began to secretly add various embellishments based on the first generation, launching a vicious cycle of competition among peers.
As a result, when the Wanjin army made a small-scale procurement and found the usage effect to be good, and prepared for large-scale deployment, the inventor of the “tablecloth-style raincoat,” the owner of that clothing store, surprisingly didn’t get any orders at all, having been “rolled to death” by unscrupulous competitors.
The inventor, unable to bear it, got into a fight with his competitors. In a fit of anger, he sued them all for “theft,” accusing them of stealing his “secret recipe.”
This matter dragged on for over a year before concluding with a compromise between both parties: all workshops producing “tablecloth-style” raincoats would pay the inventor based on the number of units produced, for a period of ten years. Similar matters would be handled in the same way in the future, and no one could copy another’s “secret recipe” without cost.
To this day, Wanjin army’s raincoats have been developed to the seventh generation. The quality is getting better and better, the functions are increasing, and the Wanjin people are still secretly competing. It is estimated that next year there will be another upgrade and innovation, in order to obtain the largest order when the Wanjin army updates and supplements its equipment.
Many workshop owners even spare no expense, not seeking to profit from military procurement, but just to get a reputation. After all, the procurement of Wanjin army’s weapons and equipment is a key focus of A Man and the Wanjin internal affairs department. The review is extremely strict. Anyone who dares to falsify information, accept bribes, or engage in backroom deals must be prepared to be apprehended by the supervisory department and thrown into a mine. Few people dare to do so.
Therefore, as long as they can supply the Wanjin army, all Wanjin people will recognize them as the best quality in the industry. Many people will buy their goods even at a higher price, and the workshops can gain both fame and fortune.
Kitabatake Tomonori naturally did not know the story behind this small raincoat. However, with his normal intelligence, he could infer the big picture from the small. He looked through the small items carried by the Wanjin soldiers and even tasted the “biscuits” they carried – made of seaweed powder, flour, oil, and salt. They were very salty and hard, with a slightly strange taste, but they were small in volume, convenient to carry, and eating one could quickly restore energy and prevent hunger in critical moments.
From the small, he understood the big. The Wanjin army even came up with various tricks for soldiers to camp temporarily in the wilderness, racking their brains to maintain the soldiers’ combat effectiveness. Then, such an army…
Kitabatake Tomonori was silent for a long time before asking with a sliver of hope, “Do all the ashigaru of the Yuan Ye Family have… these?”
“The ones in front might be more elite, as they are the vanguard scouts, but most of the Yuan Ye Family’s ashigaru are equipped similarly.” Hirado Tōbei sighed, not directly speaking discouraging words, but explaining the reason why they didn’t want to fight a decisive battle on the front lines. “My Lord, the Yuan Ye Family is definitely a formidable enemy unlike any we have seen before. With our current forces alone, it might be…”
“A formidable enemy unlike any we have seen before?”
Kitabatake Tomonori repeated softly and then fell silent.
Hirado Tōbei and the others also had nothing to say. The courtyard was silent for a long time, and finally, Hirado Tōbei tentatively asked, “My Lord, we need to gather more strength. What do you think…”
Kitabatake Tomonori slowly shook his head, indicating that there were no more reinforcements.
The “ikki” (uprisings) in the various counties of Ise Province were rampant. The local samurai and local powerful families were unwilling to provide military service anymore, fearing that as soon as they left, their homes would be burned and looted by the mob. Even if Kitabatake Family threatened to settle accounts later, it was useless. “Issho kenmei” (dedication to one’s land) was not just a saying. These local samurai and local powerful families would rather not recognize their “father” at such times than leave their land.
And these local samurai and local powerful families controlled a large number of villages, and they themselves were one of the main fighting forces. If they didn’t move, the Kitabatake Family’s mobilization capacity would be reduced by more than half. The fact that they could muster over six thousand people was already a testament to the Kitabatake Family’s long-standing management and high prestige.
However, over six thousand people were not enough to fight a decisive battle with the Wanjin army, and there was no hope of victory.
Hirado Tōbei was slightly disappointed but knew that his rear was in chaos. He then asked again, “Then, My Lord, can we seek some aid from elsewhere?”
Kitabatake Tomonori shook his head again. The Rokkaku Family, an ally by marriage of the Kitabatake Family, was locked in a struggle with the Azai Family. Although a major war had not yet broken out again, neither side dared to leave Omi, otherwise, if one left, their home might be occupied by the other.
The Oda Family was still fiercely attacking Mino and could not spare any troops. Moreover, the Yuan Ye Family was an ally of the Oda Family, making it unlikely that they would sneak attack the Chita Peninsula and force the Wanjin army to reinforce.
The Hatakeyama Clan had always been indifferent to the affairs on the Ise Peninsula. They were more concerned with the Seto Inland Sea and had conflicts with several families along the Seto Inland Sea, such as Bessho, Akamatsu, Uragami, and Miyoshi. Furthermore, the relationship between the Kitabatake Family and the Hatakeyama Clan was not good. With both suffering from insect plagues and internal “ikki,” it was highly unlikely they would sacrifice their own interests for others.
As for the local lords in North Ise, they were also experiencing “ikki” there, similar to the situation in South Ise. Not to mention that they probably hoped for the Kitabatake Family’s demise, even if they wanted to help, they couldn’t mobilize much strength.
Therefore, only the Miyoshi Family remained. The Miyoshi Family had a large territory and strong power. Even if they suffered from the disaster, their strength would not be greatly diminished, and they likely had the ability to intervene. However, the Miyoshi Family had always had designs on the Kitabatake Family and had been coveting the Kitabatake Family’s territory for a long time. If they sought their aid, it would be difficult to say who would have the final say in the five counties of South Ise in the future.
Kitabatake Tomonori had come to the front line to oversee the overall situation and to question why Shimokyū County could not even hold its ground. However, after coming in person and observing the actual situation, he realized how difficult the situation was. Even he could not make a direct decision. The more than five thousand soldiers in the Anno Castle area were almost the last mobile forces of the Kitabatake Family. If they lost a decisive battle and were completely annihilated, the Kitabatake Family would essentially be 80% destroyed.
How did the situation inexplicably become like this? Before the autumn harvest, the Kitabatake Family could mobilize over ten thousand people, and if they really fought desperately, it was possible to field twenty thousand!
But even if they didn’t want to fight a decisive battle, there wasn’t much room for concession. The Wanjin army was still advancing step by step, slowly towards Anno Castle. Even if their speed was like that of a turtle, they should reach it by the end of the month.
Kitabatake Tomonori pondered for a long time and asked Hirado Tōbei, “We were so greatly affected by the mob. What about the Yuan Ye Family’s situation?”
“Currently, it seems… they haven’t been significantly affected. There were several groups of mobs on the other side of the Nongchuan River, but they surrendered. The remaining villages also offered little resistance, and some even began to assist the Yuan Ye Family in hunting down our people.”
“What is going on?”
“Perhaps… the Yuan Ye Family did not plunder there and even transported grain to distribute. These mobs are inherently base and lack loyalty. As long as they have something to eat, they forget the generations of kindness from the Kitabatake Family.”
Hirado Tōbei was a rather refined samurai, and he couldn’t help but frown when speaking of these mobs. Before, they had confronted the Wanjin army near Deer Ferry Port, and these mobs had looted their transport teams, causing endless trouble for them. However, when they retreated to the Notsuki Castle area, these mobs became obedient, all docile, and transformed into good citizens, no longer stealing or robbing.
It was impossible not to be angered by this, and he truly looked down on those mobs. The Kitabatake Family had supported them for over a hundred years. Theoretically, even if the Kitabatake Family temporarily retreated, they should have fought the Wanjin people to the death.
Instead, they not only resisted but even aided the enemy, leading the Wanjin army to capture Kitabatake Family members. In some places, villagers even voluntarily followed the Wanjin army to attack the small castles of local powerful families. It was simply a moral collapse, a lack of humanity!
Of course, he also knew that the commoners were starving this year, but loyalty should be above life and death. It was truly shameful that these commoners forgot a hundred years of kindness for a mouthful of food!
However, the Yuan Ye Family was indeed wealthy and powerful, transporting grain to Ise by the boatload, and there was no sign of it ending. They were unconcerned about feeding tens of thousands of people through the winter. It was truly unknown where that Nohara Saburo got so much money and where he obtained so much grain.
Kitabatake Tomonori was slightly disappointed, and a sense of hatred also arose in his heart. He felt that his own people were indeed worthless. But since things had come to this, hatred and regret were useless. He still had to face the current dilemma: no confidence in a decisive battle, yet unwilling to cede Shimokyū County to the Yuan Ye Family.
It was still too weak. Is this era simply a case of big fish eating small fish, and the weak must die?
But Kitabatake Tomonori asked himself, he had also been working hard to manage the Kitabatake Family in recent years, actively campaigning to conquer North Ise, and actively trying to swallow North Ise. Yet, he had never made much progress. Instead, his neighbors were all becoming stronger. Even this Yuan Ye Family, which appeared from nowhere, was so strong with only one county, forcing a Daimyo like the Kitabatake Family, who nominally controlled a country, to struggle for breath. Where could he find reason?
What should be done now?
Retreat was no longer an option, after all, it was “issho kenmei”!
Kitabatake Tomonori slowly made up his mind. Born in this era, he also possessed the courage to fight desperately!
