The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 28

Upon arriving at the gate of "Jile Temple", Master Mingzhou looked around, hesitated for a moment, and nodded, saying, "It's not bad! Although the reclaimed land is ultimately just barren dry land, the area is still quite spacious, and we can develop it as much as possible in the future. The 'one-official post' here can be considered a foundation for our future."

Then Master Mingzhou called over the monk Jingcheng, the theoretical successor of Gokurakuji Temple, and after a brief inquiry, he said with surprise, "He does have some wisdom, but unfortunately he is too old to be trained as a scholarly monk. In the future, he may be able to become a famous minister if he assists Shinzaburo."

Monk Jingcheng, drenched in sweat, repeatedly agreed.

Then Master Mingzhou reminisced with Oi Shigeie and solemnly said, "As long as you wholeheartedly help Shinzaburo, you will surely be able to restore your family name and establish a new foundation."

Shigeie Oi also expressed his approval.

The atmosphere here was serious, but over there, the girl Adou was quite excited when she saw the scenery of the fields. Forgetting to pretend to be shy, she happily ran over and asked, "What should we plant in the fields around here after they are cleared?"

Shinzaburo Kubo then told her that they were busy with millet here, and the plan was to plant barley in the second half of the year, with rye fields further away, and barnyard grass planted in the rest.

Adou blinked her big eyes, looked around with great interest, and then said, "I've tried millet, barley, and rye, and none of them taste very good. But I've only ever seen this barnyard grass in books; I've never seen it before, much less eaten it."

Shinzaburo Kubo was greatly embarrassed and didn't know how to deal with it. Some people in later generations might think that millet porridge is quite delicious, but that would only be possible if there was plenty of fuel and sufficient firepower. Sixteenth-century farmers couldn't afford such luxury; they would just cook it until it was almost done and eat it, without caring about the taste.

Master Mingzhou laughed and said, "Why don't we let her try it?"

Upon hearing this, Adou nodded repeatedly, showing an eager expression.

Since the old monk had spoken, Shinsaburo had no choice but to comply.

He then sent someone to the poorest villager's house nearby to fetch a clean bowl and exchange it for a coin for a bowl of millet porridge.

Full of anticipation, Adou brought the food over. Looking at the thick, grayish-white liquid, she was quite curious and immediately took a bite.

Then, her expression instantly changed, a bitter look spreading across her face. She puffed out her cheeks and chewed like a little hamster, barely managing to swallow. She immediately shoved the bowl into the hands of the young nun beside her, shaking her head repeatedly: "Is this food? It's practically sawdust soaked in hot water! It's much worse than millet or barley!"

But before Master Mingzhou or Shinzaburo could speak, she suddenly realized and said, "The land here is too barren. Even if it is cultivated, not much millet or barley can be grown, let alone rice. Only barnyard grass can be grown, right?"

Shinzaburo Kubo nodded and explained, “In the irrigated land of Fengze, farmers would pull up barnyard grass as a weed to avoid it competing with rice for land. But the land around Gokurakuji Temple is all barren mountains, so it’s good enough to grow barnyard grass.”

Master Mingzhou said, "The Kinki region is full of people and little land. Any place with slightly better soil has long been occupied. These refugees from the west can at least avoid starvation because they have millet to grow."

After listening, Miss Adou seemed to be deep in thought. She then took the bowl of millet porridge back from the little nun next to her with both hands and swallowed it in small sips with a frown.

Master Mingzhou looked pleased upon seeing this.

Shinzaburo was also slightly surprised.

After finishing the millet porridge, Miss Adou let out a long sigh of relief. Then, she clasped her hands to her chest, lowered her head to think for a while, and suddenly raised her head and said, "I think I read in a book before that monks used millet to brew wine. If we let the refugees brew wine from millet and then sell it, wouldn't they be able to get some better food to eat?"

Master Mingzhou smiled but did not answer.

Shinzaburo could only awkwardly say, "Selling a little homemade sake in the countryside is fine. But if you have a large quantity of sake to sell in the town, it involves the matter of 'exclusive rights,' and you have to get permission from the Yuri-ji Temple."

“It's from the Yuli Temple…” Miss Adou, who had been a little nervous, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Then, with a beaming smile, she tugged at Master Mingzhou's sleeve and said, “That sounds really difficult. What should I do? 'Uncle—Uncle—'”

“You clearly said before that you should call me uncle in crowded places, but you wouldn’t agree…” The old monk first shook his head with a wry smile, then nodded helplessly, and finally said, “Alright, alright! As long as the refugees in the Blissful Temple area brew wine, I guarantee there will be a place to sell it.”

053 The brewing business has begun.

Not only is barnyard grass not picky about the environment or the season, but it also grows much faster than other grain crops. It can be sown from late spring to early autumn and will mature in two or three months, so you don't have to wait too long.

The traditional brewing process is not complicated. It involves collecting the seeds, removing the husks and skins, washing them thoroughly, steaming them until fully cooked, adding yeast, and letting them ferment. After fermentation, the mixture is sieved and filtered to separate the lees, yielding "raw wine." Finally, it is heated over a low flame for a period of time to deactivate the enzymes, resulting in "mature wine," which can be stored for a long time.

Generally speaking, brewing wine with rice is seen by the public as excessive drinking and wasting food; brewing wine with barley or rye is viewed much better; and brewing wine with barnyard millet will not be criticized at all.

Two coins could buy a liter of millet. Two liters of millet, worth four coins, could roughly produce one liter of wine. The price of each liter of wine ranged from fifteen to thirty coins, depending on its quality. The remaining lees, though worthless, could be eaten or used to make sauce.

Of course, there were fine wines that cost one or two hundred mon per liter, as well as luxury wines that cost five or six hundred mon per liter, but Kubo Shinzaburo did not expect the refugees in Gokurakuji territory to be able to brew them.

Even ordinary wines for everyday consumption, as long as the finished product isn't too inferior, can always yield several times the profit. Skilled breweries can earn ten times the profit.

Therefore, the brewing industry has been heavily taxed since ancient times. The early Japanese court also considered alcohol taxes an important source of revenue. Later, the imperial system collapsed, and the monopoly on alcohol sales was seized by powerful local temples and shrines, making it inaccessible to ordinary people.

Many wealthy farmers brew a little for their own consumption or sell a small amount within their villages, which is fine. But if someone dares to sell in large quantities, the "head merchants" of the local "taverns" will inform the corresponding temples and monasteries, and have the monks explain the situation to them.

However, since Miss Adou spoke up today, how could Master Mingzhou, as her biological "uncle," not make a statement?

After a moment's thought, the old monk said, "There are several taverns, lodgings, gambling dens, and the like in front of Kofukuji Temple. They consume more than 30,000 liters of alcohol every year. Let them set aside 2,000 liters for Shinzaburo."

Shinzaburo first expressed his deepest gratitude, then after a moment's thought, he said with embarrassment, "The amount of dry land reclaimed this year is limited. Even if all the millet planted is used to brew wine, it probably won't exceed six hundred liters."

Master Mingzhou waved his monk's robe sleeve with great magnanimity and said leisurely, "In these chaotic times, there are too many refugees. I think this place can be further cultivated to absorb more people. If we plant millet and brew it into wine, it will definitely be far more than two thousand liters. Then, this old monk will step in and say hello to our friends in Sakai Town..."

At this moment, Miss Adou suddenly peeked out from behind the old monk and said, "The junior sisters were just discussing that the refugees said that the newly reclaimed land was initially exempt from taxes and fees, and later only 20% of the 'land' was collected. Lord Shinzaburo is such a good person."

Shinzaburo Kubo sighed, "With the yield of these lands, if we harvest too much, people will probably starve to death."

Master Mingzhou looked up at the surrounding environment and slowly nodded, saying, "It is indeed not advisable to take too much land here, but if the winemaking goes smoothly, it is not unreasonable to collect 60% to 80% tax according to custom."

"Ah?" Miss Adou exclaimed, "How many refugees are left? Are they enough to have clothes and food?"

Master Mingzhou smiled and said, "It will definitely be enough. The profits from brewing wine are several times that of farming, and forty percent is no small amount. Besides, collecting a little more money and grain is also to take into account your future needs..."

Miss Adou blushed, shrank back behind the old monk, and whispered, "Then I beg Lord Shinzaburo to try to collect 60% of the wine tax. Although it is impossible to benefit everyone in the world, I still hope that the people will suffer less as far as I can see."

Shinzaburo Kubo agreed without hesitation.

He also felt that 60% was enough. Putting aside the question of whether or not to show compassion for the poor, the first thing is that if you take too much of a cut, your subordinates will definitely not have the enthusiasm and motivation to work.

The brewing industry is not simply about repetitive labor; it requires a certain amount of initiative.

……

Shinzaburo Kubo was overjoyed that the visit of Master Meishu and Miss Adou would bring such great help to his "farming business" and quickly sent people to prepare for brewing wine.

In those days, large-scale breweries in various places attached great importance to secrecy. Their equipment was custom-made in-house, their processes were kept strictly confidential, and the recipe for their sake koji was never leaked.

However, in the vast rural areas, private brewing is also very common, and there are many excellent-tasting brews, but they cannot obtain exclusive sales qualifications and thus cannot form a large-scale operation.

Shinzaburo didn't expect to create a high-end liquor with a brand effect. He was satisfied as long as he could find ordinary liquor worth twenty or so coins. He didn't need to steal trade secrets at all.

One early morning, Kubo Shinzaburo took advantage of the fact that Kinbei's father had just woken up and hadn't had a drink yet, and had him speak on his behalf. He also had some folk drinking utensils and vessels collected, and invited a local farmer who often brewed wine to a big meal to exchange his experiences.

Of course, he also had the task of "fellowship" to attend to, so he couldn't stay there for long. He instructed the monk Jingcheng to manage the site and tools, and to write down the key points of brewing, so that he would be in charge of the matter in the future.

The brewery was also planned to be built within the grounds of Gokurakuji Temple. This was because Shinzaburo Kubo held the authority of "Gokurakuji Registrar," and placing it there would legally absolve him of any tax obligations.

If it were built elsewhere, it would be difficult to avoid disputes with other samurai over profit sharing.

Therefore, it is perfectly justified to hand it over to Abbot Jingcheng for management.

Shinzaburo also specifically instructed Shingoro Kubomura, Kumakichi Hashisuke, and others to visit Gokurakuji Temple whenever they had free time and help look after their properties.

Shingoro was very interested in this and kept saying that selling sake would definitely make more money than being a samurai.

At the same time, Shinzaburo made a promise to the monk Jingcheng: "If there is any profit from the millet wine in the future, you will also receive a share of the money."

At first, the monk Jingcheng pretended to say that monks don't care about these things.

Shinzaburo then asked, "Do you still want to be able to help the widows in the neighborhood like before? And didn't you always say that pickled vegetables were hard to swallow and that you wanted to eat tofu?"

Monk Jingcheng had nothing more to say and was immediately filled with passion for the subsequent land reclamation and brewing business. He patted his thick chest and said that once the grain was harvested in July, the wine would definitely be available by October at the latest.

During this time, Shinzaburo Kubo suddenly had a brilliant idea: since there were many chestnut trees in his hometown, could they also brew this specialty into alcohol? Perhaps it would have a unique flavor?

After asking an experienced person, I learned that chestnuts can indeed be used to make wine, and they do have a unique flavor, but the yield is extremely low, and if you are not careful during the processing, they may have some strange or off-flavors.

In this case, it can only be developed as a high-value single product after the brewing business has taken shape. It's not needed in the initial stage.

Because he also had to take on the work of the "Doshinshu" (a group of followers), Shinzaburo Kubo could not take care of Gokurakuji Temple for an extended period. This time, he again used the excuse of "welcoming Master Meishu" to request leave.

After making some arrangements, he hurriedly returned to "Noguchi Castle".

However, he discovered that some unexpected situations had occurred during the few days he was away.

054 Water Spill Incident

Upon returning to Noguchi Castle after taking leave, Shinzaburo Kubo found a tense atmosphere pervading the ranks of the sentries and their attendants.

Upon entering the palace, I saw Matsunaga Magoro sitting in the main seat, sitting upright and solemnly, seemingly trying to maintain a serious demeanor. However, his youthful yet dark face also revealed a hint of impatience.

Shimizu Hachirozae and Kozaemon were both kneeling below. The former was respectful and appeared terrified; the latter kept his head bowed deeply and remained motionless, his expression unreadable.

In this setting, Shinzaburo Kubo is practically a leader, so there's no need for him to be too reserved. Being overly humble would only make his colleagues feel awkward.

He gave a casual bow and immediately asked, "What happened?"

Matsunaga Sonroku bowed in return, then stroked his sparse beard and said irritably, "Kozaemon, tell Lord Shinzaburo the origin of this 'water clamor'!"

Kozaemon from Takeda Village raised his head, said "Yes!" with a bitter face, and then slowly began to speak.

It turns out that a conflict arose between two villages not far apart in Noguchi Township over irrigation water. The two sides argued endlessly and then came to blows. Although no one was killed, several people were seriously injured.

Upon learning of this, Matsunaga Magoro immediately intervened, ordering Shimizu Hachiroza and Kozaemon from Takeda Village to mediate. Kozaemon had not yet received his family name and was not officially listed in the register, but he was essentially being used as a samurai.

The mediation not only failed, but it also made the argument between the two sides even more intense.

Matsunaga Magoroku had no choice but to order representatives from both sides to come to Noguchi Castle for a confrontation. But after both sides arrived and argued for a while, no conclusion was reached.

The representatives from the two villages have now been arranged to rest in different longhouses.

Inside the palace, it was time for internal discussions.

Therefore, when Shinzaburo Kubo returned after bidding farewell to Master Meishu and Miss Adou, he witnessed this scene.

In fact, disputes between villages over water are what is known as "water squabbles".

Also known as "Water Theory", "Water Disputes" or "Water Disputes".

This was a common folk event in feudal times.

The two villages arguing today are "Little Hotaru Village" and "Big Hotaru Village," and they share a small river called "Hoda River" as their main water source.

The water volume of the "Watian River" is not very large, just enough to irrigate the rice paddies of two villages. Many years ago, the two sides reached an agreement to share water resources.

However, with Kowada Village upstream and Owada Village downstream, water resources obviously cannot always be distributed completely fairly.

For example, this time, during the peak of agricultural water use, the villagers of Owada Village suddenly raised the suspicion that Kowada Village upstream had secretly adjusted the dike, resulting in insufficient water flowing downstream and affecting the growth of rice.

The people of Xiaowatian Village, however, said, "We've been building dikes upstream for so many years to prevent the river water from spreading into smaller tributaries, which benefits everyone. You're reaping the benefits without doing anything, and then you turn around and blame us—it's shameless!"

And so they started arguing.

……

As a local, Shinzaburo Kubo immediately understood that this "water commotion" was not simple.

The two villages have shared a river for many years, so they must have developed a tacit understanding by now. There haven't been any changes like the river changing course or the water source drying up, so why did such a violent dispute suddenly erupt, resulting in injuries?

This is mostly related to the previous "land inspections" and "gambling crackdowns".

Previously, the "Otina" of Owada Village colluded with samurai from the Naito family to register land under the name of "military service fields." This year, the incident came to light, and everyone involved was punished. Otina had to be replaced, and the village's tax and grain allowances were significantly increased.

In contrast, Owada Village previously lacked capable individuals who could easily deceive their superiors, resulting in a consistently heavy tax burden. However, this year, some villagers helped Matsunaga Sonroku identify other villages as tax evaders, but in return, they themselves received a tax reduction of about one-tenth.

That may have been when the conflict between the two sides began.

In any case, we must first determine the cause and effect of the matter.

Shinzaburo Kubo asked, "Is it true that Owada Village secretly adjusted the dikes, causing a decrease in downstream water supply?"

Matsunaga Sunroku grunted in response, still gesturing for the two kneeling men below to speak.

Shimizu Hachiro quickly and eagerly replied, "Along the 'Wada River,' there are supposedly several dikes, but they are actually just small earthen mounds, not stone walls. Even if someone did something to them, you wouldn't be able to tell after a few days."

“That means it’s unlikely there’s any evidence.” Shinzaburo Kubo pondered for a moment, then asked, “Has the water supply in downstream Owada Village really decreased significantly? Have their rice paddies really been damaged?”

“Uh…” Shimizu Hachiro hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s a long story… I’m not good with words, so I’m afraid I can’t explain it clearly.”

Kozaemon from Takeda Village interjected, "While the situation isn't simple, it's not so complicated that it's impossible to explain. The reason some people feel it's impossible to explain is simply because they have relatives and friends on both sides and can't shake off their selfish motives."

"Oh? It seems Kozaemon understands quite well." Kubo Shinzaburo smiled, then changed the subject: "Kozaemon is a man who never lies. In your opinion, is Ōwatamura's accusation justified?"

Upon hearing this assessment, Kozaemon from Takeda Village puffed out his chest proudly and declared with great enthusiasm, "Yesterday, I was sent by Lord Sonroku to mediate, so I carefully inspected the 'Wada River.' There are indeed some problems with the dam, and clearly more water is flowing towards Kowada Village. However, the water level of the 'Wada River' is very high this year, so the water left for Owada Village is almost sufficient, and the rice growth is fine. Therefore, if we must say something, both sides are in the wrong!"

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo Kubo asked in surprise, "You didn't say that in front of the two families of villagers yesterday, did you?"

Kozaemon showed a hint of grievance on his face, lowered his head slightly, and said, "Kowada Village, as the upstream village, has violated the agreement to share the water by diverting more of the flow, which is unreasonable of course. But Owada Village's claim that the rice paddies' water supply is insufficient is an intentional exaggeration, so it is also unreasonable. Since both are unreasonable, what is there that cannot be said?"

What he said wasn't wrong.

However, it's no wonder that trying to "mediate" like this is unlikely to yield any results...

Shimizu Hachiro then feigned a look of trepidation and said, "I failed to stop Kozaemon in time, allowing him to utter such inappropriate words. I deserve to die!"

Matsunaga Sonroku glanced over lazily and said irritably, "Fine, since you're so conscientious, how about I give you, Hachiro, a chance to redeem yourself? I'll leave the matter to you, how about that?"

Shimizu Hachiro was probably truly terrified now, shrinking his head and bowing his body without answering.

Shinzaburo Kubo pretended not to have seen what had just happened and immediately asked, "Kowada Village said that the earthen dam they built prevents the river water from spreading into smaller tributaries, which is beneficial to everyone. Is this true?"

Kozaemon nodded without hesitation and said, "That's true! But I think only half of it is like that. The other half of the earthen dam was obviously built to take up more water."

After summarizing the situation in his mind and asking many detailed questions, Kubo Shinzaburo felt that he had an idea, so he said he wanted to meet with the "village representatives" on both sides.