Shiba Yoshigami recovered his thoughts and said to Ina Chuji gently.
"Li Jiaji praised you so much in the letter that I couldn't believe it.
Since you are the attendant she sent to serve me, I will test you. "
The ruling structure of the Wu family is a feudal system. The retainers of retainers are not the retainers of the master, and there is a layer of subordinate relationship in between.
The lord sent retainers to assist his samurai family, which was called Yuli, such as Takenaka Shigeharu sent by Oda Nobunaga to Hashiba Hideyoshi.
Retainers sent vassals to serve as princesses and were called vassals, such as Ina Chuji, who was sent by Maeda Toshiie to serve Yoshigan.
Ina Chuji waited with bated breath to see the prestigious Shiba Ken Nobukong. Looking at his appearance that was more handsome than the legend, she was so nervous that her hands and feet were cold.
But Toshiie Maeda had already set up the ladder for her to climb up, and she didn't want to let it slip at the critical moment.
So, answer seriously.
"Please give me instructions from the Imperial Palace."
Yiyin waved his hands and smiled.
"Relax, I don't know how to eat people.
Toshikahime said that you are proficient in water conservancy. What do you think of the farming of the Echigo Plain? "
Since ancient times, farming and water conservancy have not been separated into families. If water conservancy experts don’t know how to farm, wouldn’t it be a joke if the seedlings are drowned?
When Ina Chuji saw Yoshigan asking her about her old profession, she perked up and said.
"It's terrible to go back to the palace."
Yiyin saw that her ordinary appearance suddenly seemed to shine with light. Is this confidence in her own ability?
"Oh? What's wrong?"
Ina Chuji said solemnly.
“When I was in Mikawa, I heard that the Echigo Plain was vast and fertile, and it was said to be the second largest in the Eastern Kingdom after the Kanto Plain.
Although I only had a cursory glance when passing by this time, a lot of land power was indeed wasted. "
Yiyin sat up straight and asked with a serious expression.
"how to say?"
Ina Chuji said.
"The Echigo Plain is blocked from the Kanto Plain by mountains. In winter, the sea wind is too strong to enter the interior, so we have to wander around the Echigo Plain. This causes heavy snowfall and a bitter cold like the Ou land in the north.
Along the way I saw only fields covered with heavy snow, but few ditches for diversion.
I dare to ask the imperial office, is the ground muddy when the snow melts in spring, making it difficult to walk? "
Yiyin nodded.
"Auspicious snow shines in a good year, so this disadvantage can be tolerated, right?"
Ina Chuji shook his head.
"The imperial office only knows one, but not the other.
The heavy snow has not yet melted to keep the fields warm. The snow water can warm and nourish the soil and also kill pests. If turned into water conservancy, it can be of great use, but it requires human guidance.
Echigo is close to the sea, and the spring is as cold as the severe winter. If the snow water in the fields is not guided, it will freeze in the ground and hinder spring plowing.
Frozen soil is difficult to plow, which not only wears out farm tools, but also delays farming, resulting in half the effort with half the effort. "
Yiyin nodded, he knew this. Although the land in the Echigo Plain is fertile, farming is difficult, which is why the unique and tough folk customs were formed.
Generally, places with fertile land are suitable for survival, and the people have relatively gentle personalities. Like Owari Mino, the Bushi Ashigaru were not considered strong soldiers among the Sixty-Six Kingdoms.
But the strange thing about Echigo Country is this.
On the one hand, the land is fertile and the products are rich, enough to build a strong military. On the other hand, farming is not easy, and the people compete for land and water, and they are extremely tough. Echigo's military bravery is also famous in Kanto.
Yiyin asked with interest.
"If we improve water conservancy, can we change Echigo's spring farming, which is troubled by snow?"
Ina Chuji shook his head.
“How can human power compete with heaven and earth?
What I can do is use ditches to divert water and store water, improve the frozen soil caused by the spring cold, and reduce the difficulty of farming. "
Yiyin nodded in approval.
This medieval era is not the industrial era that can transform the environment like Yiyin's previous life. Farming using human and animal power is very hard.
If water conservancy construction can improve the difficulty of spring plowing, it will be a great improvement.
At this time, Yoshigami became a little interested in Ina Chuji, who was sent by Maeda Toshiie.
This ordinary-looking and confident woman talked freely, and Yiyin decided to give her a chance to express herself.
Yiyin applauded.
“You speak well, but I don’t know if you can do what you say.
Echigo has a special tax law. Of the tax burden of six public and four citizens, two cents of grain will be returned to the local area as the cost of building local transportation and water conservancy.
I intend to send you to the second public tax rebate review and planning for the Echigo Plain water conservancy construction in Shimotsu.
Are you willing to try it? "
Ina Chuji's ability allowed Yoshigan to see an opportunity to intervene in Echigo's taxation without being feared.
Judging from her self-report, there is great potential for water conservancy in the Echigo Plain, which can further improve the quality of farming.
Nakashita Etsu, where the Echigo Plain is located, is exactly the area that Yoshigan can influence.
The Joetsu Takata Plain is the base of the new Uesugi family, and the interests of the Uesugi retainers there are complicated. Yiyin is inconvenient and unwilling to get involved.
But the second public tax rebate was taken advantage of for the first time, and he was very upset.
Although he has called for the formation of a tax rebate review group, he has left the pot to the Echigo Take family himself. But we can still find ways to add obstacles to Naoe Keizuna and make the distribution more intense.
The upper, middle and lower echelons formed a review body, and it would never be possible to fairly return the tax burden received. The new Uesugi retainers group would definitely take the lion's share.
It is said that the public taxes are reused for local construction, but most of the rough warriors will directly divide the money and food for home use. Ji Ji is a good fighter, but how many people know how to do construction?
Yiyin inserted Ina Tadashi into the public tax rebate committee to plan water conservancy construction for the Echigo Plain in Nakashita Etsu, which can improve the quality of farming in the coming year.
Regardless of whether the output will increase, the difficulty of farming will be reduced, which is enough to make the Zhongxiayue warrior family eager to try.
Originally, the problem was settled by dividing the money among the upper, middle and lower levels. The Uesugi retainers relied on the confidence of the master's family to eat more and get more, so everyone tolerated it and let it go.
But if Zhongxiayue Water Conservancy has a clear plan and money and food are really needed to build it, will the Zhongxiayue Wu family still tolerate it? When it comes to their own interests, the Wu family has always been ruthless.
In particular, China and Vietnam also have the Uesugi Hikari family headed by Saito Asanobu, and the Ryō Nagao family headed by Uesugi Kagenobu. They are also beneficiaries of water conservancy construction.
Yoshihiro put a catfish into the tax rebate committee to stir things up. Don't let the Uesugi retainers get the big picture easily. There will be a lot of trouble.
This time something went wrong with the tax rebate, Yiyin was forced to pay to settle the matter, and he was holding a bad breath in his heart.
I didn't understand it at the time. I thought Naoe Kagetsuna was sensible and knew how to get things done. Looking back and thinking about it carefully, it felt wrong.
This bastard forced him to give in step by step. In the end, Yiyin had to hold his nose and pay for the peace, and he had to think of her kindness.
What a damn old fox!
The matter of the tax rebate for the two public servants has passed, and Yiyin has come to his senses now, but it will not help.
The ability shown by Ina Chuji made Yoshiyin decide to send her to the tax return review committee to try out.
On the one hand, look at Ina Chuji's quality and see if she is really capable. On the other hand, it would be nice to let out a bad breath and cause some trouble for the Uesugi retainers.
