Chapter 69

"Damn it! Shigetaka Shibata!"

On this day, Koki was unusually agitated.

He rarely criticized others in public, but today he was openly denouncing Shigetaka Shibata.

Seeing this, Kyouko and Seiki became worried and spoke up.

"Mitchan, what's wrong all of a sudden? It's not like you just started disliking that war-obsessed old man."

"Yeah, that old man with his stench of old age has been a pain for a while now."

Both of them spoke harshly, but Shigetaka was disliked not only by Koki but also by the people of the Tsuda family.

'A meddlesome and poisonous woman,' 'a cowardly samurai who has never been to war.'

Being criticized in such a way, it was impossible for the two to have any good feelings towards that person.

"That bastard..."

"Yeah, that bastard? What about him?"

"I don't like how he monopolizes the products of Echizen!"

"Oh, that's it..."

Kyouko had thought as much but secretly agreed with the sentiment.

"Of course, it's the snow crabs. And the sweet shrimp."

"The other seafood can be obtained in Ezo and Tohoku, so the problem is that."

Koki, after thoroughly denouncing Shigetaka, decided to work with Kyouko and Seiki to solve the problem.

Cursing Shigetaka wouldn't bring any profit, so he decided to use his efforts elsewhere.

"Crabs can be obtained via Ezo, right?"

"Seiki, the crabs available in Ezo are hairy crabs and snow crabs, not the ones I want."

"Oh, right, the types of crabs are different."

The fishing grounds for mitten crabs in Japan are in the Sea of Japan, and to obtain them, one would have to go through Shigetaka.

They could be found near Canada on the Pacific side, but the distance would be a problem.

Koki couldn't afford to exhaust the Tsuda navy, which had just expanded, just for crabs.

But would that Shigetaka willingly sell him the snow crabs?

No, Koki didn't think so.

"Then, why don't you ask Lord Kenshin?"

"No, Seiki. What about that?"

Kaga and Echigo were also prime fishing grounds for snow crabs, but the problem was that the Uesugi family was still a potential enemy.

It would be strange for the Tsuda family to suddenly enter Echigo.

Even if Kenshin had no ill intentions, it was unclear what his vassals would think.

"Considering the transportation time, there's also the issue of freshness."

"But, isn't that the case with Echizen too? Echigo is actually closer."

However, to go to Echigo, one would have to cross the mountains.

Koki thought, "There might be issues with the freshness of the snow crabs and sweet shrimp."

"Yes, it would take a lot of time by land, and even by sea, it would be a considerable detour."

"We can't build a canning factory in Echigo either."

"It's over... the crabs... the snow crabs..."

Bringing vehicles and refrigerators into the territories of the Uesugi and Shibata families was dangerous, so Koki and his group decided to endure with Ezo crab cans for the time being.

They couldn't enjoy fresh Sea of Japan delicacies until their relations improved further.

"But, I feel we can get along better with the Uesugi family than the Shibata family."

"Brother, the Shibata family is technically our ally..."

"In reality, they are like enemies. Sigh... I want to eat beach-boiled crabs."

Koki was remembering the time he ate beach-boiled snow crabs at the New Niigata port on the planet Neo Niigata.

It was a moment of bliss.

"There's no choice, I'll have to give up for now..."

The plan to obtain snow crabs from Echigo was temporarily abandoned, but a few days later, Koki and Seiki were still obsessed with sweet shrimp and snow crabs.

When something is on your mind, you can't help but want to eat it.

"Beach-boiled snow crabs... sweet shrimp sashimi..."

"Brother, I want to eat them too."

Koki and Seiki were at a loss, but then they came up with a brilliant idea.

Not really that brilliant, but they decided to ask Kenshin as a last resort.

"Still, freshness is crucial for snow crabs and sweet shrimp."

"Therefore, we won't hesitate to go on a business trip."

A few days later, Koki and Seiki were at a mansion near the Three Countries Mountain in the domain of Iemasu in Kozuke.

The official purpose was to negotiate trade with a vassal of the Takigawa family, but inside the mansion, the cooks were busy preparing, and no trade negotiations were taking place.

"Brother, my plan to 'Maintain the Freshness of Snow Crabs and Sweet Shrimp' is as follows."

"Wow..."

Seiki's naming lacked any sense, but the plan itself wasn't bad.

From the Three Countries Road, the Tsuda family's carriages and personnel would go to Kashiwazaki to buy sweet shrimp and snow crabs.

Of course, they had obtained Kenshin's permission in advance and had sufficient guards, so they should return safely.

The carriages were equipped with tanks to transport live snow crabs and refrigerators to store sweet shrimp.

Since live sweet shrimp don't have that sweetness, the plan was to maintain their freshness in the refrigerator and bring out the sweetness during the journey.

"Perfect, I'm scared of my own talent."

Seiki was intoxicated by his own plan.

He, like Kenshin, had not outgrown his chu-ni disease even in his mid-thirties.

"I'm impressed that my brother is willing to go out just for snow crabs and sweet shrimp."

"The allure of snow crabs and sweet shrimp is that deep."

The other vassals and cooks were also surprised to see Seiki, who had never gone out before, going on a trip.

"That's not important. I wonder when the snow crabs and sweet shrimp will arrive?"

"The preparations are all set."

The snow crabs would be boiled, tempura, and hot pot.

The sweet shrimp would be sashimi, sushi, fried, and tempura.

The cooks were ready, and all they needed was the ingredients to enjoy a luxurious meal of sweet shrimp and snow crabs.

"Lord! Lord Seiki!"

"Oh! They're here!"

"Great!"

Upon receiving the report from a vassal who was keeping watch outside, the two went out of the mansion and saw several carriages coming from the mountain road on the Echigo side.

It seemed that all the carriages had arrived safely with the sweet shrimp and snow crabs.

"Great."

"Seiki, let's eat a lot of crabs."

"Sure!"

As Koki and Seiki were rejoicing, an unexpected event occurred.

A group of samurai on horseback followed the carriages, and the person on the lead horse was someone Koki recognized.

"Lord Kenshin?"

"What? Why?"

It was understandable for Seiki to be surprised.

They had indeed received a favor for buying the sweet shrimp and snow crabs, but they had not been told that Kenshin would come here.

"For us, shrimp are only known as boiled in armor. I thought I would learn the cooking methods from Lord Tsuda. And, it would be a treat for me as well."

"..."

Koki and Seiki were taken aback by Kenshin's words.

To enjoy the sweet shrimp and snow crabs they had worked hard to obtain without being invited was as black as their lord Nobunaga.

Kenshin was not their lord, but...

"Everyone, Lord Tsuda will treat us to crab and shrimp dishes."

"(Brother! The sweet shrimp and snow crabs will be eaten by the Uesugi army!)"

"(What an unreasonable situation!)"

Upon realizing that Kenshin intended to take his vassals and guards as well, Koki and Seiki thought, "Geniuses are self-centered..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Humans become silent when eating crabs.

The Uesugi lord and his vassals ate the sweet shrimp and snow crab dishes in silence.

Koki and Seiki also ate the sweet shrimp and snow crabs to keep up.

The Uesugi vassals ranged from cute young men to battle-hardened warriors who looked scarier than yakuza.

If they fought normally, Koki and Seiki would be killed instantly, but now it was about who could eat more sweet shrimp and snow crabs.

Koki and Seiki increased their eating speed to avoid losing.

"(These guys don't even know the word 'moderation'!)"

Koki felt a sense of crisis at Kenshin's eating speed.

Since the Tsuda family had paid for the expenses, they needed to eat as much as possible to make it worth it, but the Uesugi side had many people.

Kenshin, followed by his successor Kagekatsu, Kanesada Higuchi, Kagekuni Yamaguchi, Masahide Saito, Masahiro Mizuhara, Yataro Kojima, Nagatomo Kawada, Kiyozane Kurokawa, Yoshinori Takekuma, Kagechika Yamamoto, and Kageyasu Nakajo.

These were the distinguished members who supported the Uesugi family, but Koki and Seiki were not in a position to care about that.

No, they needed to eat as much sweet shrimp and snow crabs as possible.

This was a battle for Koki and Seiki alone.

"(Damn, we're at a disadvantage in numbers.)"

"(Brother, we have to eat! Eat until our bellies burst. Don't think about the consequences. Humans can survive even if they skip a meal or two.)"

"(Right, let's eat!)"

Koki and Seiki ate the sweet shrimp and snow crabs in silence, determined not to let all their hard work go to waste.

Kenshin also ate in silence, consuming more than one could imagine.

The Uesugi vassals, knowing that a free meal should be eaten when available, ate with incredible speed.

In the Uesugi family, they lived frugally in normal times, but when a battle was near, Kenshin himself would serve a large feast.

Koki thought that this habit of not hesitating to eat a free meal had been ingrained in them.

"(Brother, we couldn't win against this number.)"

"(We ate our fill. Let's be satisfied with that.)"

All the sweet shrimp and snow crabs they had purchased were cooked and consumed by everyone.

The leftover crab soup and miso soup made from the sweet shrimp heads were also finished.

The Tsuda family's cooks, surprised by the silent eating of Kenshin and his vassals, quickly started cleaning up.

"Well, I learned a lot. New cooking methods for the sea delicacies of Echigo. I found it very useful."

"Hmm..."

Koki thought, "I could have written all that in a letter later."

It seemed that Kenshin had come just to eat the sweet shrimp and snow crabs, and even brought his vassals.

The vassals, after finishing the sweet shrimp and snow crabs, were introduced by Kenshin and thanked for the meal, but Koki and Seiki felt unsatisfied.

Of course, they didn't say anything out loud, as it would be too scary.

"(Brother, he introduced us to his vassals?)"

"(Let's just think that he did.)"

They decided to think that way to forget the unfairness of the meal.

Otherwise, the mystery would only deepen.

"Thank you for the meal. I brought a gift as a token of appreciation."

Although all the sweet shrimp and snow crabs they had purchased were eaten, Kenshin seemed to have the common sense to bring a gift when invited to a meal.

"In the Uesugi family, we eat this during battles. We also eat it on celebratory occasions. It's a treat."

The gift from Kenshin was bamboo rice cakes and zongzi.

They didn't seem to match the sweet shrimp and snow crabs, but Koki decided to think that Kenshin had put effort into bringing a valuable gift.

"Thank you very much."

Thus, the unexpected gathering to eat sweet shrimp and snow crabs ended, and Koki and Seiki reaffirmed that they needed to make access to the Sea of Japan more convenient.

"Sweets are a separate stomach. The bamboo rice cakes are delicious."

"The zongzi is also good with kinako."

On their way back to Edo, the two enjoyed the bamboo rice cakes and zongzi as dessert.

"Did you see the Tsuda brothers?"

After parting ways with Koki and Seiki, Kenshin spoke to his vassals on horseback.

"They didn't look very impressive."

The old vassal Masahide Saito made a dismissive comment about Koki and Seiki's appearance.

"Shingen, Ujiyasu, and many other lords in Kanto and southern Tohoku thought the same and were defeated in battle."

At Kenshin's words, everyone exclaimed, "Ha!"

"Defeating the current Tsuda family is almost impossible. Even avoiding defeat is difficult. Therefore, from now on, the Uesugi family must ban external battles. Pay special attention to the borders. An accidental skirmish could lead to the downfall of the Uesugi family."

At Kenshin's near-command, the vassals all nodded in agreement.

Kenshin, who had evaluated Koki and Seiki more highly than their actual image, was unaware that the two were being scolded by Kyouko at Edo Castle.

"Snow crabs! Sweet shrimp! You ate them all by yourselves!"

"That's not true! Lord Kenshin was there, so it was work!"

"Yeah, what my brother said."

"Next time, take me with you!"

Unfortunately, even the feared Koki and Seiki were completely overpowered by their wives and sisters-in-law.