The scorching summer is gradually gone, but the power of the autumn tiger is no less powerful than that of midsummer, and the sun-dried earth remains the same.
After the summer harvest, the drought in Kanto has become a reality, and the wheat harvest in Echigo is nearly 40% less than in previous years.
Joetsu, in the imperial government hall. Yoshihiro Shiba and Teruhora Uesugi sat separately at the top of the table, listening to the followers' reports on the disasters in various places.
Although the rural leaders of Guizhou were uneasy, due to the dispute between Uesugi and Shiba over buying and grabbing grain, the Echigo samurai group was well prepared for the disaster and remained calm.
The Wu Family Group can remain calm because wheat has not been Japan's main food crop since ancient times.
Japan has many mountains and little land, and the rivers between the hills and plains are mostly short, shallow and fast, which is very suitable for growing rice.
In particular, the geographical environment of central China, the Nara Basin, and the Kyoto Basin, where the Wa tribe originated, is even more suitable for the growth of rice and the cultivation of civilization.
But as the He clan expanded northward and took over the land of Kanto, the situation was different.
Kanto is located in the northeastern part of Honshu Island. It has a drier and colder climate than the central basin, and is actually more suitable for growing wheat.
However, the emperor's subsequent efforts to promote wheat farming were unsuccessful, mainly due to two aspects.
On the one hand, there is a lack of planting technology.
Since ancient times, farming has been a technical activity. The emperor's court introduced wheat seeds from the mainland, but Japanese farmers were not good at growing wheat.
Farmers depend on the weather for their livelihood, so how dare they use their precious land to experiment with new grains? If the harvest fails, will they starve to death? It is best to plant rice that you are familiar with.
On the other hand, the craftsmanship of Japanese masons is very poor.
Because a qualified stone mill cannot be built, wheat cannot be ground into flour. As a result, stone mills could only be imported from the mainland to meet the flour needs of a few nobles.
Compared with unhulled brown rice, directly cooked couscous is more difficult to swallow, making eating a painful experience.
Therefore, although Japan introduced wheat seeds very early, its promotion has been slow to proceed.
After the emperor's court collapsed, the samurai regime continued to collect rice as military rations, and the promotion and cultivation of wheat seeds came to a halt.
Until now, the amount of wheat grown is only about one-tenth of that of rice. Farmers can only grow a small amount of wheat, cook it directly into unpalatable wheat rice without grinding it, and survive hard.
There is a saying in Qi Min Yao that winter wheat dung in the fields.
Various parts of Japan have long been accustomed to burying wheat in winter and transplanting rice seedlings in spring. The summer harvest is wheat for farmers, not rice that the Wu family cares about, so they will naturally not panic.
Practitioners from all over the country came forward one by one to bow and report the local situation. Most of the rice collected by the martial arts family every year is used as military rations, waiting for orders from high-ranking martial arts families to mobilize military service for war.
Because Sibo Yiyin's grain purchase plan is progressing smoothly, military families everywhere are not too worried that this bad harvest will affect the supply of military grain, and people's hearts are stable.
Teruhora Uesugi nodded with satisfaction, but Yoshigoshi Shiba sighed secretly. Are people at peace? It's just that the villagers are not regarded as human beings.
The Wu family clearly distinguishes the noble and the humble, and the people's hearts they talk about are the people's hearts of the Wu family.
Who cares about the life and death of the villagers below? They were just talking animals, and they didn't even think it was a problem in their minds.
Yiyin was a little lost in thought. One of the monks who had just finished reporting fell to the ground and saluted, but he didn't get a response from him. He suddenly sweated on his head, thinking that he had made an omission somewhere.
Uesugi Teruhu asked softly.
"Mr. Qianxin, do you think there is something wrong?"
Yiyin was awakened by her voice, looked at Shengxing who was already sweating profusely, and shook his head.
"It's nothing, I just thought of something else. You did a good job, go down."
Only then did the monk dare to let out a sigh of relief, and quickly kowtowed and returned to his seat.
Terutora Uesugi smiled.
"Does Duke Qianxin think about things on the front line?"
Shiba Yiyin didn't want to mention his compassion that overflowed from time to time, so he nodded.
“Yes, the summer and autumn harvests are not long apart, and various places in Echigo are preparing for mobilization after the autumn harvest.
I don’t know if the Numata leader’s side is going well and whether they can stabilize the local situation before the army arrives after the autumn harvest. "
Teruhora Uesugi chuckled.
"Kawada Nagauchi sent back military reports on his actions in the past few days. I looked at them and saw that there was nothing wrong with them.
She has a calm temperament and works steadily. This Numata Jodai, I want her to continue doing it and not change it for the time being.
What do you think? "
Shiba Yiyin nodded.
Kawada Nagachichi sent troops decisively and quickly captured Numata Castle, making a good start for the Kanto strategy. Uesugi Teru's face was bright, and she admired the Omi faction commander even more for her.
Numata Castle was the first stop for the Echigo army to enter Ueno Country and even the Echigo Plain. Its location was extremely important and could not be missed.
Originally, Kawada Nagachichi only temporarily led the castle, waiting for the arrival of the army before making plans. Now that she has proven her ability, Uesugi Teruhu asks for it, and Shiba Yoshigage has no reason to refuse.
He thought for a moment and asked.
"There is no problem with Numata Jodai giving it to her, but what does Numata Kenyasu say?
The Numata Territory has been taken, and we have been holding it and not letting it go. Can she accept it? "
Teru Uesugi snorted coldly.
"Numata Castle is the foothold for our army to enter the Kanto Plain, and it is related to the success or failure of the Kanto Strategy. How dare I leave the army's retreat to a fool who can't even stabilize his family fortune by killing two women.
I have ordered Kenyasu Numata to move to Shoda City. I asked her not to interfere with Numata City for the time being. We will wait until the dust of the Kanto Strategy settles. "
Shiba Yoshigami smiled bitterly and shook his head, Uesugi Teruhora was preparing to swallow Numata's territory.
The Guandong Strategy is not something that can be completed in a short time. The eight states of Guanzhou are vast and not easy to conquer.
Kenyasu Numata lost control of the Numata Territory. After a few years, who will still remember this Numata Family Governor? The Numata retainers themselves have probably forgotten about her, right?
As long as the Uesugi family ensures that the knowledge and behavior below remain unchanged, who will care about this empty-headed family governor.
When the time comes, Uesugi Teruhora changes his position, and the Numata retainers group wants to get out because of this immoral and incompetent family governor. Is it possible to have trouble with Uesugi Teruhora?
It's just that the Echigo army just entered the Kanto Plain and devoured the Numata Territory alive. It was really ugly. What would the Ueno samurai think?
Sibo Yiyin wanted to open his mouth to persuade, but just as he opened his mouth, he suddenly remembered something and closed it tightly again.
What qualifications does he have to say that Teruhora Uesugi looks ugly when he eats? Sanada Nobushige is even more disgraceful in Azuma County. How dare he criticize others?
Shiba Yiyin sighed.
In the name of welcoming the return of the Yamauchi Uesugi family, Sanada Nobushige exterminated the local samurai who were close to the Hojo family, and also established some kind of anti-rebellion committee.
The anti-rebellion movement in Azuma County caused a stir, which attracted the attention of surrounding samurai families. Nagano Yasumasa wrote a letter asking if this matter was the result of Uesugi Teruhora's instruction.
Terutora Uesugi was also kind and helped the Kanto Secretariat handle the matter, and directly replied with a yes.
