Chapter 32

"Now that the battle is over, I really want to go home."

"Yeah, I want to see my wife and kids soon."

Unfortunately... or rather, fortunately, the attempt by the Sanada trio to overthrow Ashikaga Yoshiaki ended in failure. Fortunately... or rather, due to good luck, reinforcements arrived in time, and Nobunaga himself led a large army to Kyoto to carry out a second attack, which resulted in the Sanada trio's heads being displayed in the capital.

Later, these heads were returned to Shinohara Nagafusa, with whom a truce was made, but the Sanada clan suffered great losses and had to flee back to Shikoku.

The campaign to overthrow Yoshiaki was successfully concluded, and now the Oda army is dispersed and stationed in various parts of the Kinai region. Since the campaign has ended successfully, the soldiers under each general are scheduled to return to their respective territories, but this will only happen after Nobunaga gives the order.

The soldiers are waiting in their camps for orders from their lord. Prolonged battles can cause stress, but this time, due to the nature of the battle, the usual method of relieving stress—looting—was prohibited. Violators would be beheaded without mercy by Nobunaga, just as they were when he marched to Kyoto to support Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

This was because the so-called "one-sen cut" was also announced this time. However, just suppressing the soldiers could lead to an outbreak, so Nobunaga is giving them alternating breaks.

He also distributed money as a reward, allowing the soldiers to buy souvenirs for their families or visit women before returning home.

However, even with these breaks, the camp life remains boring. Apart from meals, there was little else to enjoy, and the food available during battles was limited.

Of course, the Shinchi army was the exception...

"Well, it's time for dinner."

"Now that the Kinai region has been pacified, I really want to return to Ise."

At the Shinchi army's camp set up in the outskirts of Kyoto, the leaders, including Mitsuhiko, Masahiro, Koushu, and Seisho, were having a meal together.

The menu included mixed grain rice, wakame miso soup, marinated sea bream, simmered dried daikon and yuba, and pickled turnips. During battles, it was a rule that both soldiers and commanders ate the same food. If anyone wanted something different, they had to buy it from merchants near the camp using their own money.

"Lord, the meal has arrived."

The Shinchi army had a dedicated cooking team that prepared meals for everyone. This method saved fuel and ingredients and saved time. The cooking team was busy even when there was no battle, and even more so during battles. To prevent poisoning of Mitsuhiko and the commanders, only those with verified backgrounds and skills were assigned to this role, and they were paid more than regular soldiers. They were treated as skilled workers, and the commander of the cooking team was also responsible for procuring food locally with the budget.

It was crucial that they not be embezzled. Those who lacked confidence in their physical strength or command abilities could aim for advancement in logistics or cooking. Some even saved money while working in the cooking team and later opened restaurants after leaving the guard, a proposal by the Shinchi family that attracted many applicants, improving the quality of the Shinchi army's meals.

"Lord, wouldn't the meals be better if we could use the bottled food you gave me before?"

While eating, Seisho suggested using bottled food for battlefield meals. He had been deeply moved by the bottled food he received as a reward from Mitsuhiko before.

He was so moved that he kept the empty bottles after eating the contents, and his wife used them as vases at home.

"It would be better, but the bottles are heavy."

Additionally, they can break. If the roads to the battlefield are poor, transportation becomes a significant issue.

"I didn't consider the transportation issue."

Moreover, building production facilities and producing the glass for the bottles would also take time and effort. The glass industry was still in its early stages, and there were few skilled workers. They were prioritizing the development of the glass industry for crafts, so there was little room to allocate resources for bottle production.

For these reasons, small-scale canning factories had been built and production had started, but for the time being, the bottled food was mainly consumed by the Shinchi family or used as gifts.

The army's preserved food was handled through salting, marinating, drying, smoking, and fermentation.

"Seisho, look at the other armies. We are living in incredible luxury."

"You're right. Living in the Shinchi family has skewed my perception."

Seisho apologized to Masahiro, who had reprimanded him. He realized how luxurious their meals were compared to the dried rice and grilled miso he had during battles when he was with the Tsuchiya family.

"Lord Nobunaga was surprised by the meals of the Shinchi army."

Even the Oda army's meals during battles were similar, and Nobunaga had decided to adopt the Shinchi army's system. Establishing a supply system that did not rely on local looting demonstrated Nobunaga's capabilities as a wise ruler.

"Still, the battlefield meals are good, but I want to return to Shinchi soon."

It's not clear if it was because of what Koushu said, but soon after, Mitsuhiko and his men received permission to return home. They immediately began preparing to return to Shinchi, consolidating their supplies and preparing to depart as a whole army.

"Lord, is that bottled food?"

While packing, Seisho noticed the bottled food in Mitsuhiko's luggage. In fact, Mitsuhiko had brought some bottled food as a prototype, but he kept it in a box to avoid unfairness by eating it alone.

The bottles were sealed with screw caps that could only be produced on the Kanagawa ship, and corks were also hard to come by. Therefore, they used processed bark from the abemaki tree as a substitute for corks.

As long as the bottles remained sealed until opened, this was sufficient. Re-sealing after partial use could cause hygiene issues, so all the bottles were still sealed.

The contents included boiled bamboo shoots, mountain vegetables, mushrooms, pickled vegetables, loquats, strawberries, pomegranates, peaches, cucumbers, apricots, grapes, and various types of simmered dishes, salted fish, oil-packed fish, and pasted meat.

As prototypes, there were many varieties, all of which were made by Seiki as a hobby.

"Right, Seiki asked me to have you try it."

"But there aren't enough for all the soldiers."

There was only one large wooden box, which was not enough for the entire Shinchi army of ten thousand. Seisho was concerned about the unfairness of only a few people eating it. Normally, Mitsuhiko wouldn't care, but as a commander, he felt it would be inappropriate to eat it alone.

"Before we leave, I plan to have a banquet with Lord Toyokichi and others, so I'll serve it there."

As a retainer of the Oda family, Mitsuhiko also needed to socialize with his colleagues. The banquet was planned to have only sake and simple snacks, but serving these as samples might please them.

"Sure, let's do that."

Mitsuhiko decided that serving it as a reception had a public reason.

---

"Wow, Lord Shinchi, you always have great food at your banquets."

Before breaking camp, Mitsuhiko hosted a banquet attended by Toyokichi, Iemasu, Nagahide, and Masahiro, and this time, Murai Sadaharu also joined due to his availability.

Toyokichi was delighted with the banquet dishes made from the contents of the bottled food. Since the assumption was to use the contents once the seal was broken, the flavors were not overly strong. The skilled cooks of the Shinchi family prepared a variety of dishes for the banquet.

"So, this is canned food using glass containers from the South?"

"The weight and the high cost of glass are the drawbacks."

While enjoying the food, Iemasu and Nagahide continued discussing the drawbacks of canned food.

"Since the contents last as long as they are sealed, wouldn't it be better to use pottery instead of glass?"

"Ah! That's right! Pottery would work!"

Mitsuhiko was familiar with canned and bottled food but had not thought of using pottery as a container. He had only seen pickled plums in jars at a souvenir shop on the planet 'Neo Wakayama.'

"If the seal is not perfect, the contents might spoil, so it might be better to use a lot of salt, vinegar, or alcohol."

While small quantities could be easily made, various issues would arise when transporting and using them in an army. Mitsuhiko thought this would take time to resolve.

"By the way, is there no rice?"

After enjoying the sake, snacks, and side dishes, Toyokichi said he wanted to eat rice.

"There is."

Mitsuhiko ordered a young cook, and steamed white rice and miso soup were served to everyone.

"Rice and miso soup at the end. What a luxury."

Everyone usually ate only brown rice and mixed grains, so they were delighted with the white rice.

"I have a special treat."

Mitsuhiko then brought out several bottles of canned food, including salmon flakes, soy-sauce-marinated ikura, salted squid, salted sea urchin, and crab miso.

"Try putting them on the rice. They taste great."

"Salmon is a real treat."

Sadaharu was delighted with the salmon, which was considered a luxury in this era.

While squid and sea urchin were available in Ise, salmon and crab were obtained through trade with the Ainu in Ezo, processed locally, and transported to Ise. Since his wife, Kyouko, loved salmon, Mitsuhiko had dispatched trading ships and the Shinchi navy to Ezo.

'Who would have thought he would build ships just to process salmon and crab...'

Kuki Sukenaga was perplexed when Mitsuhiko insisted that the large ships for processing and canning salmon and crab were supply ships. He provided escorts for the trading ships and regularly sent fleets to Ezo. The Ainu were happy to sell Ezo's products to the Shinchi family, who paid well.

The Shinchi family also traded with Ryukyu and Luzon. Trading was profitable and provided training for the sailors, a win-win situation. The profits allowed for remote location allowances for the sailors, contributing to the recruitment of the Shinchi navy.

The trade goods included rice, Ryukyu sugar, Chinese porcelain, newly produced glass products and glass beads, and privately minted Yongle Tongbao coins. The Ainu leaders, who wanted to show off their wealth, kept large amounts of these coins and used them in trade with other partners.

Money was gradually becoming more common in Ainu society.

"Put the salmon and soy-sauce-marinated ikura on the rice, and pour a broth made from Ezo kelp. That's how you make salmon ochazuke."

"Ah, so it's called salmon ochazuke because it uses salmon and its roe. The name and the taste are both excellent."

The salmon ochazuke, which Toyokichi praised, was Kyouko's favorite. The Shinchi family started trading with Ezo so she could enjoy it whenever she wanted. They even taught the Ainu tribes who provided the salmon simple methods for artificial hatching and release to prevent overfishing.

"This is the best taste!"

"It makes you feel luxurious."

"I want to share this with Matsu."

"Lord Shinchi, thank you for inviting us today."

The banquet was a great success, and the leftover fruit preserves were given to Toyokichi and the others as souvenirs.

"Ne-ne and Kaka-sama will be delighted. Thank you."

The fruit preserves were to be given to their families, and they carefully packed them to take home.

"Bottled food could be a good business, but the challenge is bottle production."

Mitsuhiko thought this would also take time to resolve as he and the Shinchi army returned to Shinchi.

"Lord, a letter has arrived from Lord Nobunaga."

"What is it?"

A few days after returning to Shinchi Castle, Masahiro informed Mitsuhiko that a letter had arrived from Nobunaga. He immediately opened it and started reading.

"'Mitsu, I heard you and the others, including Sadaharu and Saru, had a feast. It's fine since the battle is over, but I'm surprised you didn't think to invite me... Again?'"

No one would invite the CEO to a company dinner, yet Nobunaga, the CEO, was complaining, leaving Mitsuhiko perplexed.

"'I'm not a child to get angry over this, so if you send me the bottled food you served at the banquet, it will be fine.' Seriously..."

Despite the unexpected request from his lord, Mitsuhiko still sent various types of bottled food to Gifu.

"Indeed, transportation is a disadvantage. But the fact that bottles can be reused is a good point. Still, this sugar-soaked peach is the best."

Among the many types of bottled food, Nobunaga's favorite was unexpectedly the sugar-soaked peach. The bottles, after the contents were eaten, were reused as vases for flowers or containers for miso and pickled plums, just like in the Shimazu family.