A tour of Japan's Warring States Period

"Kantaro, your father asked you to serve me, but I cannot support the sailors under you."

Xiaoheita couldn't help but be overjoyed after watching the Anzhai Navy's drill yesterday. It was great that a samurai of this caliber came to join him. But if you think about it for a moment, naval forces at home and abroad in ancient and modern times are all money-burning things. My little income will definitely not be able to support the four to five hundred Anzhai navy.

"Well, you can't disobey your father's orders." Anzhai Qingyasu came from a famous samurai family, and he never thought about money. There is never a shortage of daily expenses, and the concept of money is not too important.

What's more, their navy has long been accustomed to a life of money when they own a ship. As soon as the ship stops on the Seto Inland Sea channel, won't the tolls come rushing in? Where do you need to consider how to get money?

"My lord, Yamauchi, is the Prime Minister of the world. He is now a general who has become famous all over the world. How about I serve as your intermediary and serve my Highness."

Kohei's abacus was so great that he first recommended people to Yamauchi Yoshiharu, saying that he would not cultivate private followers. Then, the navy must still be able to move along the far river and the sea. He is Ejiri Castle, and Anzai Kiyoyasu will definitely do his best in the end.

Although this is not a master-slave relationship, it can completely cultivate a close enough relationship. In the future, if the two parties form an alliance, their influence in the Yamauchi family will be greatly enhanced. Yamauchi Yoshiharu held a collegial discussion, and more people could help Xiaoheita speak up.

"Is this the only way?" Anzhai Qingkang seemed a little reluctant. After all, he and Xiao Pingtai had been together for the past two days, and he also felt the kind and caring temperament of Xiao Pingtai, who was good at caring for soldiers and civilians. To put it bluntly, Xiaopingtai doesn't have a strong sense of respect and inferiority in his bones, so he doesn't treat those who are inferior to him harshly, making others mistakenly think that he is a tolerant and kind person.

"For today's plan, this is the only way to live up to the great trust of Settsu." Koheta said sincerely, Anzhai Kiyoyasu had no choice but to nod and accept.

So the two agreed to rest for a day or two. Koheita would first send a letter to Yamauchi Fuchu Castle, and then hit the road again, giving Yamauchi Yoshiharu a buffer time.

Koheita temporarily entrusted Ejiri's security to Kanai Meigoro and Ogasawara Nagamasa, and entrusted the government affairs to his uncle Tsunayoshi. Anyway, the summer harvest is over, and nothing major will happen in the area for a while. Therefore, Xiao Pingtai can take a trip to the mountain without having to worry that no one will handle the affairs.

The streets from Yamauchi to Ejiri underwent large-scale renovations only twice under the leadership of Koheita. Coupled with the increasingly prosperous trade routes, the entire street slowly began to transform from mud roads to rammed earth paved gravel roads. Of course, this project was completely carried out in sections, and not even a tenth of it was completed. The streets still look dead, not much has changed.

Fortunately, both Anzhai Qingkang and Xiao Pingtai had pack horses to travel with them, and horse hooves were much stronger than human feet. However, if horses are soaked in mud for a long time, the horses' hooves will also become infected. If they are not in a hurry, everyone will not be willing to drive like this for days.

When I returned to the mountains, I naturally stayed at Xiao Pingtai's house, and the appearance of the house remained the same. Still old and weak, women guard the door of the house. Anzhai Qingyasu was not surprised by this normal situation of the samurai family. Those who played with boats also had to patrol the sea day and night, and from time to time they had to go to land to participate in battles. On the surface, you may see them as pirates, and they are said to be the free sons of Setouchi, but in fact they are busier than the samurai Ashigaru who specialize in foot combat.

Yamauchi Yoshiharu had already been notified by Koheita two days ago. Now that Koheita and his party had arrived, he naturally summoned them immediately.

There was a reason why he was so anxious. In the past, the Ise Kingdom in Kaidou would not attack Ejiri. Mikawa and Suruga were the territories of the Imagawa clan, their allies. Coupled with various reasons, the Yamauchi clan's navy never took shape. Now that the Takeda clan has Suruga in their hands, they have almost completely captured the power of Suruga's navy.

The day when the Yamauchi clan and the Takeda clan will fight may come at any time. The Takeda clan can advance by land and water together to attack Yuanjiang, but the Yamauchi clan does not have enough naval power to prevent this from happening. This put the plan to reorganize the Yuanjiang navy, which had been delayed for five or six years, on the front page of the Yamauchi family and became a top priority.

Although the Suruga navy has been affected by war and internal strife, it is still a huge force of nearly 3,000 people. The level of more than 200 large and small warships is only surpassed by Boso Okamoto's navy.

Yamauchi Yoshiharu's goal is very clear, either don't do it, or if you do it, you can't be worse than others! Then the level of the Toga navy must reach the same level as the Suruga navy to ensure that it can compete with the Takeda clan's navy whether in frontal combat or behind-the-scenes harassment.

And Anzhai Qingkang's arrival was just like giving him a pillow when he was sleepy. It is very difficult to start from scratch, but it is not so difficult to go from ten to one hundred. What's more, the navy is a waste of money, and Yamauchi Yoshihiro, a miser, still has a little money. He was very happy to pay for this kind of knife tip.

Naturally, he also wanted to test Anzai Kiyoshi. In addition to Koheita's recommendation, he also asked for the knowledge of Kanai Meigoro and Shimizu Yoshizuna. After confirming that although Anzhai Kiyoyasu's level was definitely not as good as his father who was famous in the Kinai region, he was at least hundreds of times better than those who couldn't play navy, Anzhai Kiyoyasu successfully became an official.

And what's the price tag for him alone? The annual salary is 500 Guan, plus 25 people support rice. He was directly assigned to the flag family and served as a ship-holding general. And what is the price of his navy of four to five hundred people? Returning to Yuanzhou Beach, the thirty sails were set free of charge.

What concept? In the future, all the tolls, transaction taxes and other money that need to be paid by thirty ships every year for returning ships to and from the coast of Yuanjiang Kingdom will be transferred to these pirates for collection and use. Let them have separate accounts and enjoy the right to tax.

It's equivalent to ten merchant ships raising one customs ship, which is at least twice as good as their Anzhai navy. This group of pirates will never be dissatisfied. After they settle down, Yamauchi Yoshiharu will slowly recruit and bribe them, divide and disintegrate, and in the end, these hundreds of people may all work with Yamauchi Yoshiharu.

Of course, in fact, even if Yamauchi Yoshiharu has no one under his command, he will not simply hand over all the naval forces to Anzai Kiyoyasu. The tallest among the shortest, Shimizu Yoshizuna has obtained a full thousand kanmon. He was appointed as the bowman of the ship. In addition to Ejiri's dozen or so boats, he was also asked to go to Ise and pull another ship back. At the same time, we can purchase sailors, iron cannons, bows and arrows. This amount of money is a bit tight.

Xiao Pingtai thought to herself that you guys, on the surface, use people without suspicion and don't use people with suspicion. But there are no fewer means to be used, just like Hatamoto and Riki, who are directly subordinate to Yamauchi Yoshiharu under Koheita, have never been less. Anzhai Kiyoyasu looks good on the surface, but in fact he has a deputy who directly belongs to Yamauchi Yoshiharu.

But now that Anzhai Qingkang's matter has been settled, Xiaopingtai has settled down to a marriage. When I patted my butt and prepared to go back to Ejiri, I was actually called down by Yoshiharu Yamauchi and Kiyoyasu Anzai at the same time.