Chapter 13

"Fill it in! Fill it in! Just fill it in!"

After Hikaru Kogami took control of Ichijima from the Hattori family, he began large-scale land reclamation to move his base. This area was formed by sediment from several upstream rivers, and it served as a base for living. However, due to the nature of the land, it was also prone to flooding.

To address this, they determined the course of the rivers, conducted excavation and levee construction, and dug out flood control areas and reservoirs. They also collected sediment to fill in shallow waters and tidal flats, working at a rapid pace.

At night, Kiyomaro and his team operated heavy machinery, and during the day, they employed a large number of laborers to carry out the construction. To create land comparable to the size of Yatomi City and Higashihama Village before the nuclear war, as seen in the database, many laborers worked hard. The wages were high, and meals were provided, so many people gathered for the construction.

Additionally, the exchange of Bitamoney for Eiraku coins and the purchase of sediment for reclamation based on its weight further accelerated the construction.

It seems that there were also spies from the Hattori family who came from Nagashima, but if they didn't work, they would be caught by the security forces and dismissed, so they were properly working. There were no reports, and the reclamation and flood control projects were proceeding smoothly. Once the port and the adjacent town were completed, the Shinji family would move their base, and no one would know.

Even if someone tried to incite rebellion among the residents, they were satisfied with the new lord's rule. The number of spies from the construction site who were captured by the residents of Ichijima and handed over to the Shinji family also increased, further weakening the Hattori family.

Fortunately, there was a temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect in Nagashima, and Hattori Sakyojin, who had fled there, was appointed as the castle governor of Nagashima Castle and was able to catch his breath. In Nagashima and Kuwana, Chinese porcelain, dried shiitake mushrooms, and honey were sold to the monks, providing many economic benefits, so they would not openly interfere with the Shinji family.

As long as the Shinji family did not interfere with their territories in Nagashima and Kuwana, they would not take any action.

"Lord, the Shinji family has grown quite large."

"Yes, I am grateful to Taisuke. After all, we are not originally samurai. Many people don't like serving."

"No, I am grateful to be saved and given a position after my family fell."

Hori Taisuke, the internal affairs director of the Shinji family, spoke to his lord, Hikaru, while observing the construction site. He thought that the world was unpredictable, as he had risen to a high position in the Shinji family after his previous family, the Iwakura Oda, fell.

His younger brother Masahiro was in charge of the security forces, and his sons Yoshiharu and Ujimitsu were commanders of the active forces.

His former colleague, Yamashita Masahiro's son Kazumasa, was also a commander, and his younger brother Yasumasa was assisting Shinji Seiki, who was in charge of finance.

The Yamashita brothers were still young, but they would be able to proudly revive the Yamashita family once they grew a bit more.

His responsibilities increased, but his salary also increased significantly. Although managing and educating a large number of subordinates was challenging, the increased salary made it acceptable. The only issue was what to do with his successors, as he was no longer young. He thought that the successor would likely be Yasumasa, so it wouldn't be a problem.

Unfortunately, his own sons lacked the aptitude. They were reliable in battle, but that was the only thing he could think of.

"Lord Anosuke and Lord Kuki were a great loss."

"They were originally the lord's vassals. There was nothing we could do."

During the Ichijima campaign, Maeda Toshiie took three heads and earned military merit. Hikaru rewarded him with money and tea utensils, and Nobunaga appointed him to the Red Mother Coat Corps and returned him to the Oda family.

Toshiie returned to the Oda family, grateful to Hikaru. Kuki Yoshitaka was the same, but some of his clan members served the Shinji family. They started gathering people to form a navy in the Shinji family.

Most of the remaining ships were lent to the Kuki Corps by Nobunaga's order. The Oda family was busy with the Mino campaign and couldn't yet extend their influence to Ise Shima. Until the right time came, they would earn money through trade and security using the ships and pay rent to the Shinji family.

Hikaru thought that they would be happy to receive guidance from the Shinji family's sailors, as he offered to reduce the rent in exchange for teaching.

"We need more manpower."

"Recruitment is ongoing, but some people avoid us because we are not originally samurai."

Hikaru thought this was inevitable.

"The people of Ichijima were the same."

They did not resist the new rulers, but when asked to serve, they often sent the third son or an uncle living in a room to avoid the request.

"In return, we gave them a taste of our power."

"They probably didn't expect this outcome."

Under the Shinji family's rule, the intermediate ruling class of local samurai was eliminated. This caused significant resentment, but in essence, they were offered employment by the Shinji family for pay. The farmers in the villages they ruled received land through the Shinji family's land survey and paid taxes to the Shinji family. There was no need to consider the local samurai, and if they tried to collect taxes forcefully, they would be reported to the Shinji family and arrested by the security forces.

Families that did not choose to become salaried samurai fell to the level of wealthy farmers. They were taxed, so they truly became wealthy farmers. If they tried to resist the Shinji family's rule, no one except their own clan would respond, leaving them in a state of despair.

However, as more of their clan members sent to observe received education and even salaries, they might eventually choose to serve the Shinji family.

"I thought I wouldn't receive any land at first, but now I find this easier."

He didn't need to maintain his own troops, and during battles, he could command the troops hired by the Shinji family according to his rank. The Shinji family also purchased equipment and provisions in bulk, making them cheaper.

"Seiki told me that buying in bulk allows for discounts."

"That's part of negotiation skills."

In fact, many of the items were produced in Kanagawa, but this was a secret even from Taisuke.

"I see, I understand."

The construction is expected to take several years, but once it's completed, a major base of the Shinji family will be established on the reclaimed land of Ichijima and Higashihama.

"The plan is proceeding smoothly, but there is one issue."

"Issue?"

"Yes, we need to continue to strengthen and train our troops, but some practical combat experience is also necessary. Hattori Sakyojin won't attack for a while."

Given the significant losses of the Hattori family and their vassals, it would take a considerable amount of time for them to recover enough to attack the Shinji territory.

"I'll find a way."

"Find a way?"

"Yes, I'll find a way."

Taisuke tilted his head, not understanding Hikaru's response.

"Lord Fujikichiro, it's been a while."

"Having the Shinji family as reinforcements is reassuring."

The practical combat experience Hikaru mentioned was to assist the Oda family in the Mino campaign. Nobunaga, with his wealth, constantly moved a certain number of troops at the borders of his sphere of influence, gradually turning the local samurai of the Saito family to the Oda side.

The Saito family also deployed troops, but recently, Saito Yoshitatsu died of illness. His successor, Ryusei, at the age of fourteen, launched his first campaign to bring back the local samurai who had defected to the Oda side. Despite the numerical advantage, the Saito army achieved a nominal victory but lost key vassals like Hibiya Kiyotane and Nagai Eian, making it a bitter first campaign for Ryusei.

Moreover, although the Oda army lost, their losses were minimal, and they resumed their efforts to turn the local samurai after the Saito army's retreat.

"Lord Anosuke and Lord Takigawa also performed admirably."

"That's good to hear."

Toshiie defeated the fierce general Saito Rokubei, and Ichiyoshi also defeated Nagai Eian, both receiving additional land.

"This made me determined to work hard."

Fujikichiro thought of building a forward castle in Mino Mokuma.

"Building a forward castle quickly in that area will check the Three Houses of Western Mino and drive a wedge between Inabayama Castle. This is the lord's idea, but..."

A forward castle was a basic strategy in this era, used to drive a wedge into the enemy's territory and peel away the surrounding villages and local samurai.

"Is this strategy ordered by Lord Fujikichiro from the lord?"

"No, initially, it was to be carried out by Lord Kurokichi..."

Fujikichiro, who had finally been given command of a small force, could not immediately execute Nobunaga's strategy by bypassing the senior vassals. Initially, Chikatatsu Kurokichi was to lead a force of 3,000.

"Will it go well?"

"It depends on how it's done."

Hikaru thought that was true.

"Reinforcements? I don't need them!"

The construction of the forward castle in Mokuma by Chikatatsu Kurokichi began. Fujikichiro and Hikaru offered to help, but Kurokichi rudely refused, confident in his own military prowess and seeing no need for assistance from Fujikichiro, a former farmer, and Hikaru, a former merchant.

Kurokichi, who disliked Fujikichiro, also came to dislike Hikaru, who was friends with Fujikichiro.

"Lord Shinji, you're being disliked for my sake."

"Don't worry. I dislike him too now."

Hikaru, who was not fundamentally a sports enthusiast, also came to dislike the sports-obsessed and overbearing Kurokichi. It was a rather harsh reason, but people often dislike others for such reasons.

"Since reinforcements are no longer needed, shall we visit Lord Ichiyoshi, who has been given this territory?"

"Sure."

When Fujikichiro and Hikaru visited Ichiyoshi's territory, he was very busy. Receiving a territory in Mino was good, but collecting taxes, governing, and maintaining troops were challenging tasks. He needed to understand the production capacity, identify taxpayers, and collect taxes effectively. Without this, the territory would be like a picture of a rice cake.

"Fujikichiro and Lord Shinji. I'm very busy... Can you lend me your troops?"

It was a crude way to determine the upper ruler of a territory, but in many cases, it came