Chapter 2

On March 10, 1548 (Tenshō 17)

■Musashi Province, Tachikawa District, Katsunuma Castle

My older brother's daughter was born and named Fue. Even as an infant, she already shows all the makings of a beauty. However, with Uesugi Kenshin's siege of Odawara just twelve years away and the countdown to the extinction of the Mita family in fifteen years, I can't afford to be complacent.

Many reincarnated people have divine powers or amazing cheat skills, but I don't have any such mystical abilities. I studied history in university and dabbled in science as a hobby, reading a lot of books across various genres. I have knowledge, but no practical achievements to show for it.

Putting aside my monologue, I know how to make guns, but I can't make them myself. I need to hire a swordsmith like the one who made the Tanegashima, but in the rural areas of Kantō, there are mostly itinerant blacksmiths, and almost no swordsmiths. There should be swordsmiths like the ones employed by Takayama Castle or the Sagami tradition in Kamakura, but I can't hire the enemy's swordsmiths, and even if I could, it would be a surefire way to leak secrets.

Thinking about it, Takayama Castle doesn't even exist yet. The nearby Takatsuki Castle is the main castle of the Ōishi clan, which is Yui Castle (Jōfukuji Castle). Relying on vague memories is dangerous.

Regarding gunpowder, I know how to make artificial saltpeter from my hobby research. Since Mōri Motonari ordered the production of saltpeter from the soil of old houses and stables in 1557, it might be gradually becoming known, but I should be a pioneer in Kantō. Perhaps I can collect large amounts of saltpeter raw materials without arousing suspicion.

Still, can I persuade them? If they ask where I learned such methods, I won't have an answer. If I say I heard it from a traveling monk, it might work. But methods like saltpeter hills or cultivation are too novel. There's also the method of soaking mugwort in urine to accumulate nitric acid in the roots and fermenting the mugwort to obtain nitric acid, but someone might eat it. The roots of mountain burdock contain a lot of nitric acid, so this mountainous area could be a treasure trove of saltpeter, but what should I do?

Regarding silkworm droppings, one of the raw materials for saltpeter, sericulture is thriving in Ome and Hachioji, so I can get as much as I want. If I want to produce gunpowder, whether using ancient methods or cultivation or saltpeter hills, I can mass-produce it in five years, but the problem is how to explain it to my father and the others.

As for guns, I know the method of making a gun barrel by heating and welding iron plates while wrapping them diagonally, which I saw in a science book. If I have a blacksmith, I can try to make a prototype. Our family's territory has plenty of flint, so we can make flintlock guns instead of matchlock guns, but no one will take a seven-year-old seriously, and I might just be considered creepy.

Being a concubine's child and a spare, I don't get much attention. If I make a mistake, I might be taken as a hostage by the Hōjō and abandoned, or even killed. Even in the Hōjō clan, Ujiharu didn't mistreat the adopted brothers of the Ōishi clan he took over, but Ujikuni, who went to the Fujita family, deceived and killed his adopted brothers. Hostages of traitors are likely to be executed.

Furthermore, the eldest son of Ōta Sanrakusai, Ujiyasu, married a daughter of the Hōjō and had a child, but he died in the Sanpōzan Battle, and Ujiyasu's son took over the Ōta clan. I suspect Ujiyasu wasn't killed in battle but was eliminated by the Hōjō when he was no longer useful. The Hōjō tend to take over families and eliminate those who are no longer useful, so being a hostage would be a death sentence.

If I were the child of a strong mother like Myōniji of the Yura clan, I could feel safe, but the world doesn't work that way. What a dilemma.

Well, there's nothing I can do. I'll think about it a bit more. The easiest thing to do right now is to make cement. In Okutama, there's limestone, and if I burn and crush clayey limestone at around 1,000 degrees, I can make early-type cement. I might be able to pass it off as an accidental discovery while playing.

I want to make guns, cannons, landmines, grenades, cement, and saltpeter, but without resources or hands, it's all just pie in the sky. Writing it down is difficult with washi paper, ink, and a brush. I miss notebooks and pencils. Oh, right, I can make white chalk from seashells and blackboards by coating boards with a mixture of stone powder and black lacquer. This level of luxury should be allowed, so I'll have them made right away.

Surprisingly, the people of Hidahara and Okuchichibu in Okutama travel to each other through mountain paths. It turns out our influence extends deep into Chichibu, and we might even get control of the areas near the Koyagase and Chichibu gold mines. However, if we dig too much, we might attract the attention of the neighboring Takeda clan.

If I could hire the Kurokawa group, we could extract gold, silver, and lead, which would greatly strengthen our forces. However, the local government is in a sorry state. The Kurokawa group is not directly under the Takeda clan, but the risk of secrets leaking to the Takeda is high.

However, if I teach the Kurokawa group the amalgamation method or even the cupellation method, which they might not know, and develop our gold mines, we could split the profits and secure a significant source of funds. The Takeda are still recovering from their defeat at the Battle of Ueda, so they are unlikely to focus on us. However, our lord, Kantō Kanrei Uesugi Kenshin, is at war with the Takeda, so we can't curry favor with them.

It's frustrating that my knowledge is useless. One option is to serve Uesugi Kenshin, but the snow is deep and the region is conservative. I don't want to serve our enemy, the Hōjō, and serving the Takeda might be interesting, but I don't want to be a target in the Battle of Nagashino.

What should I do? Maybe I should become a monk. According to my attendant, Kinsuke's father, Kyūbu Shōhō, he initially said he would send his fourth son to a temple, so I could join Kaizenji or Tennenji.

Another option is to go to the western provinces and sell myself, but at seven years old, I can't move. If I were twelve like Kinsuke, I could move. I'd rather do experiments than train at a temple. If my father moves, it will be dangerous, but I'll deal with it when it happens. Que sera, sera.

Since the Mita family has connections with poets in Kyoto, I could live there, but Kyoto is chaotic. I might die in a fire or during a war. Perhaps a place like Sakai would be safer.

Well, I'll start small. "Little by little" is what a famous Kansai comedian said. I'll start with the blackboard, white chalk, mugwort saltpeter, ancient methods, and cement. I'll ask Kinsuke's father for help, and it should work out.

"Kinsuke, come here for a moment."

"What is it, young master?"

"I need to ask your father for something."

"Yes, what is it?"

"I want him to make something like this."

"What is this?"

"I heard from a traveling monk that this is used in Ming."

"Hmm, a board you can write on and erase."

"Exactly, it's very convenient."

"Understood, I'll tell my father."

"Thanks."

"Hai."

■Inside Katsunuma Castle, Kyūbu Shōhō's room

While Kyūbu Shōhō, a senior retainer of the Mita family, was conducting official business, his son Kinsuke came in.

"Father."

"What is it, Kinsuke? You're supposed to be with the young master."

"Yes, the young master asked me to prepare this."

While saying this, Kinsuke showed the detailed design drawings written by Yoshirō, and Shōhō was taken aback. While it was common to draw pictures with ground seashells (gofun) and brushes, the method of burning seashells, grinding them into powder, mixing them with water, and hardening them, as well as the blackboard, were completely new.

"Hmm, this is—"

"Father, what do you think?"

"Hmm, I'll have a craftsman make a prototype. Please tell the young master to wait."

"Yes."

After Kinsuke left, Shōhō immediately went to the town to order a prototype from a craftsman.

A few days later, the craftsman, who was used to making lacquerware in the mountainous area, made the blackboard but was puzzled by the rough finish. The white chalk was made by burning and grinding clamshells.

When Shōhō tried the prototype, he was impressed. It was much more user-friendly than brushes, and the ability to erase with a cloth meant it was more economical than paper. The lacquer used was scrap, and the white chalk was made from discarded shells.

"Hmm, this is wonderful. I must tell the lord."

Shōhō immediately took the prototype to Tadahide, the lord's deputy.

"Lord, may I?"

"Kyūbu, what is it?"

"Please look at this."

Tadahide looked at the blackboard and white chalk with curiosity.

"This tray is unfinished and rough, it must be very cheap."

Tadahide was completely mistaken.

"Lord, this is a writing tool."

"How do you use it?"

Shōhō demonstrated, and Tadahide was greatly surprised.

"Amazing, if you can write and erase as much as you want, this will be very useful. Where did you get this? Is it from China?"

"Lord, this was made in the town."

"Kyūbu, did you have it made?"

"I had the craftsman make it, but the design was drawn by Yoshirō."

Tadahide was surprised to hear that Yoshirō had thought of it.

"Really, Yoshirō came up with this?"

"Kinsuke said he learned it from a traveling monk who said it's already used in Ming."

"Hmm, it's amazing that he can think so clearly at just seven years old."

"What should we do?"

"Hmm, let's not send him to a temple. Kyūbu, please watch over him."

"Hai."

Without Yoshirō's knowledge, the flag for becoming a monk was lowered.

Note: In this era, Tama District was divided into Tachikawa District and Tama District.