Chapter 5: I Was Here All Along
Yuan Ye didn’t pay much mind to the temporary name he’d given himself. He already had an English name, Kerry, given to him by his junior high English teacher. He certainly wasn’t going to let Yayoi, a young girl, control the conversation—he was more concerned about his surroundings. He hadn’t heard of Aragiko Castle; it might have disappeared in the Modern Era. He needed to ask about other places.
Without waiting for Yayoi to exclaim, “So you’re Lord Yuan Ye!”, he asked with concern, “What other towns are there near Aragiko Castle?”
“Nearby…” Yayoi’s thoughts were indeed steered back on track. After thinking for a moment, she said, “If you go southeast along the Odaigawa River, there’s Shimo-no-Isshiki Castle.”
Yuan Ye pressed, “Who is the lord of Shimo-no-Isshiki?”
“It’s Lord Soreyū. Sometimes when he travels, he passes through here and rests in the village,” Yayoi replied first. Then, remembering Yuan Ye was unfamiliar with the area, she quickly added, “It’s Lord Maeda Soreyū Tanetoshi.”
Maeda Tanetoshi?
Another Maeda?
Why are there so many Maedas? Which one is from the Maeda Family that Maeda Toshiie belongs to? But it doesn’t matter. Maeda Toshiie is probably still mixing mud with his urine right now!
Yuan Ye really couldn’t recall the birth year or birthplace of Maeda Toshiie. His limited knowledge of Japanese Warring States history mostly came from the DOS-era game “Taiko no Tatsujin 2” ported to mobile phones, a small portion from textbooks and scattered historical dramas he’d watched, and bits and pieces from museum and archive visits he’d made recently.
In short, he knew some of the broad strokes, but when asked for details, he could only stare blankly.
He asked again, “What about other places?”
“Ah, if you go east from Shimo-no-Isshiki Castle, I hear there’s Higashi-oki Castle. If you go south to the mouth of the bay, I hear there’s Okinoshima,” Yayoi said hesitantly. She hadn’t actually been to these places; she’d heard about them from her parents. Her usual range of activity was around Hibitsu Village, and she usually didn’t even go across the Odaigawa River.
Yuan Ye still hadn’t heard of these places in the Modern Era, but that wasn’t surprising. Many so-called castles in the Japanese Medieval Period were just enclosed by wooden fences, so it was normal for them not to survive to the Modern Era.
After asking for a long time, he still couldn’t figure out his geographical location. He subconsciously asked half a sentence, “How far is Nagoya from here…”
He only asked half a sentence because he remembered that Nagoya as a city didn’t exist yet. It seemed Tokugawa Ieyasu only built it after the Japanese Warring States period ended.
He changed his question: “What about large castles nearby? Ones with significant castle towns or market towns.”
Yayoi thought for a moment and said cautiously, “I’ve heard that Nagoya Castle and Furuto Castle both have large market towns. They’re both northeast of Aragiko Castle, and it seems like a half-day’s walk. Further north and west, there seem to be Kiyosu Castle and Shōbata Castle, which also have market towns, but I hear they’re very, very far away, and I don’t know how long it would take to walk there.”
Nagoya Castle?
This seemed to be the ancient name for Nagoya. Tokugawa Ieyasu either expanded Nagoya Castle or demolished it and built Nagoya Castle on the same site to serve as the center of the Tokugawa family’s rule in Owari Province and even the Guanzhong region of Japan.
Yuan Ye stroked his chin and pondered. He confirmed the approximate location of Nagoya Castle and, combined with the terrain he’d seen on the way, he finally had a rough idea of his geographical position.
He seemed to be at the southern end of the Nōbi Plain. To the south was Ise Bay, to the northeast was the future city center of Nagoya, to the west were the foothills of the Mount Ise Range, and to the north in the distance was the future city of Kiyosu.
So, unable to discern direction in the thick fog and forests, he had wandered around and only emerged from the foothills of the Mount Ise Range. No wonder he’d almost run his legs off after entering the mountains and then trying to get out—the Owari Province section of the Mount Ise Range formed a “people” shape. He had wandered around in the mountains, crossing from the central part of the “people” to the bottom of the last stroke before encountering people, deviating by a considerable angle and taking a long, roundabout route.
With his geographical location clarified, Yuan Ye felt a little less stressed. The worst thing is not knowing where you are; unfamiliarity itself breeds fear. Knowing where you are significantly reduces the psychological burden.
At the very least, if he encountered danger, he would know which direction to run.
He continued to ask for details: “Who is the lord of Nagoya Castle?”
Yayoi tried hard to recall and said somewhat nervously, “I’m sorry, Lord Yuan Ye, I don’t know.”
She could talk about things near Hibitsu Village, but anything further was beyond her. However, Yuan Ye was already very satisfied. With this information as a basis, if he asked an adult later, he wouldn’t reveal too many flaws, greatly increasing his safety.
He immediately comforted her, “It’s okay. I’ll find someone else to ask later. Please continue eating!”
“Yes, Lord Yuan Ye.” Yayoi picked up her rice bowl again and tried to eat gracefully, chewing slowly. Before long, a look of happiness returned to her small face.
Yuan Ye also picked up his bowl and continued to drink rice soup. After she had eaten for a while, he asked casually, “There aren’t many wars around here, are there?”
Owari Province, as the birthplace of the Sixth Heavenly Demon King Oda Nobunaga and the place where the monkey Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose to prominence, seemed to have been relatively peaceful in his memory. The most famous battle that took place there as the main battlefield was the Battle of Okehazama. He hadn’t heard of any others, and “Taiko no Tatsujin 2” didn’t mention any either. He felt it should be relatively peaceful.
Yayoi was about to put down her bowl to answer again, but Yuan Ye stopped her. Holding her bowl, she replied softly, “No, Lord Yuan Ye, there are frequent wars here.”
Ever since she could remember, people from the village were conscripted as ashigaru every year, sometimes three or four times a year. Many never returned, either dying on the battlefield or being captured and taken elsewhere to farm. The term “ashigaru” here refers to the traditional meaning: “those with light feet,” generally used for transporting supplies and materials, and for construction work like building fortifications. They were part of the “musha-dono,” meaning soldiers without armor, lacking any armor like dōmaru or gusoku.
Of course, if the war was urgent, they could be given bamboo spears to fight, but casualties would be heavy, which could affect the harvest the following year.
“Frequent wars?” Yuan Ye was somewhat disappointed not to get the expected answer. “Who are your enemies?”
Yayoi couldn’t say much about that. She said blankly, “I’m sorry, Lord Yuan Ye, I don’t know. There are many enemies. I hear sometimes they have to travel very far, cross many rivers to fight. One time, more than half of those who went out didn’t come back.”
It’s hard to find a peaceful place in turbulent times!
Yuan Ye sighed inwardly and smiled at her, “No need to apologize. You’re already very knowledgeable.”
For a ten-year-old farm girl to know so much was beyond his expectations. She could be considered quite intelligent. He hadn’t expected to get so much information.
Yayoi smiled shyly and said bashfully, “My mother used to work as a servant at Aragiko Castle, and my father also served Aragiko Castle for a long time. They told me these things.”
“I see, but it’s still very impressive.”
Yuan Ye praised her again with a smile, boosting her favorability. He continued to drink rice soup and chat, asking about the surrounding terrain to avoid falling into a pit if he had to run for his life. When he put down his bowl and chopsticks, Yayoi immediately stopped eating. She quickly tidied up the table and moved it away, then cautiously asked, “Sir, are you going to rest now?”
It was less than 8 PM, but he figured farmhouses in the Medieval Period wouldn’t have much nightlife.
Yuan Ye didn’t really want to sleep, but he still smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll rest now.”
Yayoi immediately ran to get hot water in a wooden basin and offered him a piece of cotton cloth, about 80% new and very soft, to help him take off his hiking clothes and wash his face and hands. However, when she was about to take the basin away, Yuan Ye stopped her, asking her to leave the basin aside and take it out tomorrow.
She was a little puzzled, but it wasn’t a big deal, so she took the bowls and chopsticks, preparing to take her leave. Yuan Ye looked around, unable to find the “nōko.”
He remembered seeing a restoration drawing at the museum recently. This type of house should have a place called “nōko” for storing daily necessities or valuables. In later generations, it evolved into the closet Doraemon slept in. But he looked around the earthen seat and couldn’t find it, so he directly asked, “Wait a moment, Yayoi, where are the pillows and bedding?”
“What did you say, Lord Yuan Ye?” Yayoi looked bewildered. She could understand most of what Yuan Ye had said before, but she hadn’t heard several words in this sentence.
Yuan Ye gestured with his hand, “You know, the bedding you put underneath and cover yourself with when you sleep, for warmth.”
Yayoi became even more confused. She looked at the hiking clothes beside Yuan Ye and hesitated, “Do you need me to get you another piece of clothing?”
Yuan Ye was also a bit confused. “What do you… cover yourselves with when you sleep at night?”
Yayoi looked down at her own clothes and said hesitantly, “Just… clothes.”
Yuan Ye understood. This damned Japanese Medieval Period hadn’t even invented pillows or blankets, or perhaps court nobles and high-ranking samurai had some primitive bedding, like fur coats, fur blankets, or padded garments. But for low-ranking samurai and commoners, they slept on straw mats, and their warmth came from the clothes they took off.
What an uncomfortable era this is…
Yuan Ye didn’t explain further and calmly said, “Is that so? It’s a bit different from where I’m from. Perhaps customs differ! Alright, you’ve worked hard tonight. You should get some rest too!”
Yayoi didn’t think much of it. Yuan Ye, judging by his height, skin color, teeth, hair quality, and clothing, had clearly lived a life of luxury, possibly even extravagant. It was normal for him to possess things she’d never heard of, so there was nothing strange about it.
After tidying up, she excused herself again. She wanted to remind Yuan Ye to blow out the lamp later. Since they weren’t sure of Yuan Ye’s origin, they hadn’t dared to use soybean oil lamps, fearing the smoky smell would upset him and make him fly into a rage. They had used perilla oil, which was only used when entertaining the main family, and it wasn’t cheap, so they wanted to save it if possible. But she was too afraid to say anything and quietly withdrew.
She smoothed out the straw curtain as much as possible to ensure no wind leaked through, then quickly took the leftover food and dishes to the side room to find her mother.
Her mother was waiting for the information she had gathered!
