Chapter 58

"Phew, the lord is so stingy."

The reward from Nobunaga for the campaign against the Takeda family was rather meager. Apart from a bag containing swords, armor, and gold, the only other reward was the bestowal of the Tsuda surname.

The Tsuda surname was a branch of the Oda family, and some members of the Oda family also used it. By bestowing this surname, Nobunaga could honor the leading branch of the family and save on rewards for the new territory.

"Sado and Kai are poor, you see."

After the trial appointment, Watanabe Kibei, who was appointed as a secretary like Masahiro, expressed his thoughts.

"The lord spent a large amount of war funds to destroy the Takeda family, but the Oda family's income did not increase."

"You are right, Kibei-dono."

Masahiro, another secretary, seemed to agree with Kibei. The roles of these two were divided: Masahiro handled political strategy, while Kibei handled military affairs. Masahiro was welcoming Kibei, as the overly tight schedule had been resolved.

Kibei, being a capable man, respected Masahiro as a senior, and there was no conflict between them.

"Sado and Kai have all been given to vassals. The Oda family does not need them, it seems."

Due to the fall of the Takeda family, the various generals who performed well were given territories. Takigawa Kazumasu, who was transferred from eastern Mino, received northern Shinano and western Kozuke. Hashiba Hideyoshi received Kai, and Kawajiri Masahiro and Hachisuka Masakatsu received southern Shinano. At the same time, an expedition to Hida was carried out, which was given to Katsunaga and Mori Masahiro.

"We are withdrawing our army and developing the new territories, but Hideyoshi's Kai will be tough, I think."

Kai was popular due to the good governance of Shingen. This was evidence that Shinano and other areas were exploited, but the residents of Kai were unaware of such circumstances. The area was mostly mountainous with poor transportation, and the rice yield was good due to Shingen's land development and flood control, but the land was originally scarce. In recent years, poor harvests due to the Little Ice Age have continued.

Therefore, they had to go on expeditions to plunder food from other regions to secure their food supply.

This is why the Takeda family was disliked, and the governance of the other territories was easier than expected. At least, there was hope that it would be better than the Takeda family's governance.

However, among them, only Hideyoshi was at a disadvantage.

Nobunaga, considering that Hideyoshi, a former peasant, might be attacked out of jealousy, gave him the difficult task of governing Kai to protect him from the envy of others like Katsuie.

"What to do with this land?"

Becoming the lord of a country was good, but Hideyoshi was troubled by the problems in Kai. He visited Mitsuharu in Suruga under the pretext of a greeting. Kai had a difficult issue with schistosomiasis, and he also wanted to thank Mitsuharu and Kyouko for their cooperation in dealing with it.

"I'm sorry, but my opinion is rather commonplace..."

He suggested abandoning the idea of rice cultivation, planting mulberry trees to increase silk production, increasing the production of grapes and peaches, and actively developing gold mines.

In fact, these were the only ideas that came to Mitsuharu's mind.

"Will you reduce rice production?"

"Not entirely. In places where the effort does not match the yield, we will switch to other crops. We will buy rice with silk, fruits, and gold. To prepare for famine, we will encourage the cultivation of buckwheat and barnyard millet and store a designated amount to be released during famines."

"The gold mines are a relief. Newchi-dono, buy gold."

"Gold is good. I will buy as much as possible."

"Thank you."

Hideyoshi's relief was the large amount of Koshu gold coins and the rich gold mines that the Takeda family possessed. Mitsuharu would use the gold to buy food produced in Ise and Kii, or secretly collected with money from various places.

Actually, there were gold mines in Suruga and Izu as well. The famous ones were the Umejima Gold Mine, Kusunoki Gold Mine, Tofu Gold Mine, and Nawa Gold Mine. Many mines were unknown at this point.

The history of the world Mitsuharu and his companions came from and this world differed, so historical knowledge was often not useful, but the locations of the mines were almost the same. Development would bring profits, but they prioritized increasing the production of known mines. The mining and smelting techniques they possessed were far superior.

Mitsuharu collected copper, gold, and silver from all over the country and recast them into Eiraku coins, standardized gold coins, and silver coins, making a huge profit. Copper contained a lot of gold and silver, and merchants from Ming and the West bought it cheaply from Japan, refined it, and made huge profits.

By entering this market, they almost eliminated the competition and made huge profits. Other sources of income included the extraction of precious metals and gems from seabed mines and private trade conducted by the Newchi navy.

"Will you be transferred again, Newchi-dono?"

"It seems so."

Nobunaga's current plan for the country was to make Owari, Mino, Ise, and the Kinai region the Oda family's territory and place meritorious vassals in large territories in the provinces.

"Mitsu, you will go to the Kanto region."

When he went to Gifu to greet Nobunaga after the fall of the Takeda family, Nobunaga seemed to plan to place the Newchi family, renamed the Tsuda family, in the Kanto region.

"But there is a Kanto Kanrei..."

The Kanto Kanrei referred to Uesugi Terutora, who recently called himself Kenshin. In this era, warriors believed that by becoming a monk and taking a dharma name, they would go to heaven, which Mitsuharu found puzzling.

"He is not in the Kanto region now. He is on an expedition to Etchu."

The Uesugi army was a powerful force that rivaled the Takeda army. They were strong in battle, but this was because Echigo, like Kai, was poor. They had money from the Hokuriku water transport centered in Niijima, the embezzlement of the Aizu domain, and the silver mines they owned, but they often suffered from food shortages due to wetlands and cold damage.

Echigo, with its climate, could not support double cropping, so they repeated a cycle of going on expeditions in autumn and returning in spring. The soldiers earned their living through battles outside.

"Kenshin's position as Kanto Kanrei is a means to expand his power. Shingen was the same, and all the daimyo are like that. Mitsu, you seem to be quite different from other warriors."

Many people advised Nobunaga to eliminate Mitsuharu as he was dangerous. Therefore, to weaken their influence, he ordered the confiscation of part of Owari and Kii as a substitute for new territories, but Mitsuharu accepted it without objection.

If the Kanto invasion proceeded, Ise was also planned to be confiscated by the Oda family, but Nobunaga did not expect Mitsuharu to object. It seemed he was preparing for it in advance.

"I will take Ise."

Ise, which had been developed since Mitsuharu started using the name Newchi, was a rich territory that had been pacified, including temples and shrines. If its wealth became theirs, the people would easily betray the Uesugi or the Hojo. Kibei thought this way.

"Also, there is the issue of the Koga Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshi氏."

The Shogun Yoshitada did not recognize Ashikaga Yoshi氏, who was a puppet of the Hojo family and married to the daughter of Hojo Ujiyasu. This was also the reason for the Kanto expedition. The assassination of Ashikaga Fuji氏, who was supposed to become the official Koga Shogun, by the Hojo family also led to the order to attack the Hojo family.

Mitsuharu did not find it a significant reason, but it was a reason that people could accept.

"He wants to get involved in everything, doesn't he?"

Masahiro thought that he was enthusiastic about avenging a distant relative he had never met. However, Yoshitada only gave orders and did not act himself.

"Everyone is preparing for the big operation."

"Be careful not to overwork yourself."

Mitsuharu began preparing for the Kanto invasion, increasing his army and gathering many people.

In this era, many people were captured in battles and sold as slaves. In Kyushu, it was even common to sell slaves to foreign countries.

Mitsuharu bought a large number of these slaves and also started raising and educating orphans. Many people moved to Suruga after learning about the transfer of the Newchi family.

These large groups of people, gathered with money, were planned to move to the Kanto region with the army leading the way. This was inspired by the person who developed Edo and made the Kanto region more prosperous than the Kansai region.

"Mits-chan, I will command the separate unit."

Many former vassals of the Imagawa and Takeda families were employed, but there were few trustworthy high-ranking officers. In the operation, a separate unit was needed in addition to the main force commanded by Mitsuharu, so Kyouko, who was training the army while raising children, volunteered.

"Don't engage in single combat."

"Such an outdated..."

Kyouko, a former elite soldier, would not do such reckless things. She was the one who shaped the Newchi army's concept of heavy firepower. She would not hesitate to specialize in long-range combat to reduce friendly casualties and achieve great results.

"Will the lady command the separate unit?"

"Are you dissatisfied?"

"No, the ones favored by the lady would not oppose."

Masahiro, who was not particularly skilled in martial arts and could not beat Kyouko even if he tried, did not object.

The sight of new recruits challenging Kyouko, thinking she was a woman, and being thoroughly defeated had become a regular event in the Newchi army. The other vassals of the Newchi family would confirm, "As expected," while watching.

Kyouko was also skilled with firearms and used a metal rod as tall as herself to fight like a demon. She was also skilled in commanding the army and taught the vassals military knowledge they had never heard before. As a result, most of the vassals believed that Kyouko was the true ruler of the Tsuda family.

"So, if I get divorced, I will definitely fall from power."

Mitsuharu did not deny this, and everyone seemed to accept it.

"The preparations are going smoothly, but will it work out?"

"Kibei-dono, there is no need to worry."

In a meeting to discuss the Kanto conquest and subsequent development, Kibei expressed his doubts, as it was a large-scale military operation unlike anything he had experienced with the Takeda family.

"I understand your concern. What is needed for such an operation is accurate information, right?"

"Yes."

In fact, a detailed map of the Kanto region was being made using unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. From small mountain paths to hidden fields owned by local samurai, everything was known to the Tsuda family, putting them at a significant disadvantage from the start.

"But what about the internal affairs of the Hojo family and other families?"

"Kibei-dono, I am in charge of intelligence, but a new person has joined the Tsuda family. Lord Tanaka."

"Lord Tanaka?"

At Masahiro's urging, a man over two meters tall with an unusual appearance entered.

"He was in charge of intelligence for the Hojo family. His name is Tanaka Ichiro."

Of course, Tanaka Ichiro was a pseudonym. His real name was Fuma Kotaro, though Masahiro and Mitsuharu wondered if that was his real name.

"Now, Fuma Kotaro, will you work as a senior vassal of the Tsuda family and participate in this meeting, or will you remain loyal to the Hojo family until the end?"

"There is no need to ask, my lord."

Fuma Kotaro sat in the seat prepared next to Masahiro. He was in charge of the ninja in the Hojo family, but the status of ninjas in this era was low, barely better than livestock or slaves.

Kyouko advised Mitsuharu to recruit him with good treatment.

"Officially, he will be a senior vassal of the Tsuda family, but his true identity is..."

It was like a spy movie Kyouko had seen before. Fuma Kotaro would serve as a senior vassal of the Tsuda family. His subordinates, including the top, middle, and lower-level ninjas, would also serve in the same capacity. In the Tsuda family's vassal list, they would be listed as unremarkable soldiers and low- to mid-level commanders, with the status of formal samurai.

When they acted as ninjas, they would use their original names.

"The Tsuda family will conquer the Kanto region and begin large-scale development. We need to establish an information network across the country and deal with enemy spies and saboteurs. We need to expand the intelligence organization and educate new recruits and successors, so it will be busy. Information is the most important thing. I will provide treatment commensurate with the role."

Fuma Kotaro, who knew the value and use of information and possessed knowledge and skills unknown to him, was greatly impressed by Kyouko.

He realized that the Tsuda family offered many opportunities and dreams that he could not achieve in the Hojo family.

"These are the conditions."

When he saw the amount of his stipend, Kotaro was