Kotaro, no, he has changed his name now. Because he works hard and works hard, he was also sent to dig gold mines here in Yuxi.
During the gold mining in Yuxi, he was also very hard-working, active in work, and willing to endure hardships, so he also received recognition from the above.
Not long ago, Tong Yuan, the magistrate of Yinshan County, officially gave surnames to those Japanese who went to Yuxi to work and worked hard. Xingtaro was given the surname Niu. At the same time, Xingtaro also found his foreman when he was digging gold mines and asked him to help him.
He renamed himself Niu Gengtian, which means he is as diligent as a plowing cow.
Now that he had his own surname, and also had the same name as the Ming Dynasty people, Niu Gengtian felt that he was completely different from the Japanese people around him.
Now he no longer wears the clothes and shoes of the Japanese. Instead, he has learned to wear the clothes and shoes of the Ming Dynasty like the Ming Dynasty people. Even his hair is the same as that of the Ming Dynasty people. He is no longer the leader of the month before.
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At the same time, when speaking, he also tried his best to speak in Ming Dynasty dialect. During the gold mining in Yuxi, he came into contact with many Ming people and could already speak a lot of Ming Dynasty dialect.
There are many Japanese people like Niu Gengtian. Many Japanese people in Yinshan County are learning from the Ming Dynasty people. They wear the clothes of the Ming Dynasty people, speak the Ming Dynasty dialect, eat large pieces of meat and drink tea from large bowls like the Ming Dynasty people.
In the past, the most enviable samurai were those samurai wearing kimono, with samurai swords on their waists, and swaying on wooden clogs, but now things are different.
The most enviable people are those Ming Dynasty people, so everyone does the same and follows them to learn.
Of course, this is not just the Japanese in Yinshan County, but also the Japanese in the entire Japanese country.
The news has spread that Japan and the Ming Dynasty have officially signed a vassal state treaty. From then on, Japan will be a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty for generations.
Even the emperor will no longer be called the emperor from now on, he can only be called me the king, and the Japanese king has also been given the surname Dongfang by the Ming Dynasty, so it has also brought about a new trend of learning and imitating the Ming Dynasty.
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This is especially true here in Yinshan County.
Because it no longer belongs to the Japanese state, it belongs to the Ming Dynasty.
The Japanese here are different from the Japanese in other places. They are from the Ming Dynasty, so many times, the Japanese in Yinshan County tend to hold their heads high against the Japanese in other places and feel that they are superior to others.
As for the Japanese like Niu Gengtian who have acquired Han surnames and Han nationality, and can also speak the Ming dialect, their status is even higher. Often when walking on the street, there is no one else in their eyes except the Ming people.
Of course, this was not just because the Ming Dynasty gave the Japanese a harsh lesson and convinced the Japanese, but also because the lives of the Japanese in Yinshan County had undergone earth-shaking changes.
A huge silver mine was discovered here in Yinshan County. Emperor Hongzhi, the prince, Liu Jin and military generals jointly founded Yinshan Mining, and large-scale silver mining was carried out in Yinshan County.
At the same time, because of the special characteristics of Yinshan County.
It is an important point on the route from the Ming Dynasty to Huanghuangzhou, and it is also a place on the Japanese side that belongs to the Ming Dynasty, so the Ming court attaches great importance to Yinshan County.
A large amount of money was allocated to build the huge Yinshan Port here in Yinshan County. At the same time, cement roads were built here in Yinshan County and the new Yinshan County Town was built.
There is also Yuxi, which is currently under the jurisdiction of Yinshan County.
All of this requires a large number of manpower. As for recruiting them all from Ming Dynasty, it is obviously inappropriate, and the salary is very high, which is not worthwhile.
So basically recruiting people here in Yinshan County not only saves time, but also reduces costs.
In the Beijing-Tianjin area of the Ming Dynasty, the monthly cost of recruiting a worker has now risen to nearly four taels of silver, and it must also include three meals a day and accommodation.
But here in Yinshan County, to recruit these Japanese, you only need to give them three meals a day and one tael of silver a month.
Under such conditions, all the Japanese in Yinshan County went crazy. They worked hard and were afraid that their boss would not hire them and they would miss such a good opportunity.
Yinshan County used to be very poor like other places in Japan.
This is especially true for ordinary Japanese people.
The richest places in the Japanese country are the Guanzhong and Guandong regions, which are a few plain areas with many fields. Yinshan County is different. It is mainly mountainous and has very little cultivated land.
For ordinary Japanese people, they work hard all year round and even have enough food is a problem. In many cases, they only get one rice ball a day.
After all, the situation of the Japanese at this time was similar to that when Liu Jin had just crossed over. Even because the Japanese country was an island country, the materials here were even more scarce and life was more difficult.
Now you are recruiting workers, you have three meals a day, and you will be given fish and meat for every meal. If you get tired of the rice, you can change it to a slim one, and you will still get one tael of silver a month. Under such conditions, the Japanese in Yinshan County are extremely excited.
Anyway, it’s all work, and now not only can I have enough to eat, but after all, by the end of the year, every household will still have a few taels of silver.
Niu Gengtian took his wife and children walking on the hard and spacious cement road towards Yinshan County, preparing to purchase a batch of new year's goods and celebrate the new year beautifully.
He worked hard and went to Yuxi to mine gold. When he came back, he got his own silver all at once. His pocket suddenly bulged and his back was straight.
"Xingtaro~"
At this time, an acquaintance saw Niu plowing the field and couldn't help but say hello to him.
However, Niu Gengtian didn't bother to pay attention and pretended not to hear.
"Xingtaro~"
The other party was slightly startled, then came to Xintaro and shouted.
"My name is no longer Xingtaro. I have my own surname and Chinese name. From now on, I will be called Niu Gengtian."
Niu Gengtian rarely said displeasedly.
"Sorry~Sorry~"
"Master Niu Gengtian~"
When the other party heard this, he immediately bowed his head and said.
"Hmm~"
Niu Gengtian nodded with satisfaction and then said, "What's the matter?"
"Master Niu Gengtian, I heard that after next spring, you will go to Yuxi to dig gold mines again. I wonder if you can take me with you?"
Kojiro nodded and bowed, and said with a flattering look on his face.
Word has spread here in Yinshan County that those who go to Yuxi to dig gold mines have been given surnames by the county magistrate. More importantly, everyone who goes to dig gold mines has earned a lot of money. Compared with those in Yinshan County
It's much more profitable to mine silver here.
"Take you with me?"
Ushi Gengtian glanced at Kojiro slightly and said, "Let's take a look. I'll let you know when there is a shortage of people."
"Thank you Mr. Niu Gengtian, thank you Mr. Niu Gengtian~"
Kojiro immediately couldn't help but thanked him repeatedly.
"Hmm~"
Niu Gengtian nodded with satisfaction. He liked this feeling very much, the feeling of being superior.
With his own surname and Chinese name, according to the rules of the Japanese country, he also belongs to the nobility, because only nobles can have their own inherited surname.
Of course, here in Yinshan County, surnames seem to be becoming less and less valuable, and there are many people who are given surnames.
However, for those Japanese who have not yet received a surname, they are still superior.
"Yinshan has changed so much~"
Niu Gengtian couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the Yinshan County that had undergone tremendous changes.
The seaside is the busy Yinshan Port. In the huge port, large ships are moored, and the pier is busy. The spacious cement road connects Yinshan Port and Yinshan County, and also extends to the place where Iwami Silver Mine is located.
, which greatly facilitates transportation and silver mining.
"Yeah, it's changed a lot~"
Niu Gengtian's wife Meiko also nodded with emotion. Not only did Yinshan County change greatly, but their lives also changed greatly.
Soon, he came to Yinshan County with his wife and children.
The entire Yinshan County is very lively and busy.
There are all kinds of shops, the sound of sales coming and going, and the flow of people coming here to buy new year's goods.
The Japanese in Yinshan County are rich, and their pockets are bulging. They will naturally spend a lot of money during the Chinese New Year, and it is similar to the Beijing-Tianjin area. Here in Yinshan County, silver mines, Yinshan Port, etc. are also all inland.
Annual holidays are announced one after another.
In the winter, when everyone was free and had money, Yinshan County underwent earth-shaking changes. Naturally, almost everyone in Yinshan County liked to flock here to the county seat.
This made the entire county become extremely lively.
The special geographical location of Yinshan County also determines that Yinshan County is also very rich in materials. Not only are there goods from various places in the Japanese country, there are also a large number of goods from the Ming Dynasty, from North Korea, and even from Nanyang.
Many merchants from other parts of the Japanese country would come to Yinshan County to do business, which further prospered the market in Yinshan County and made the place extremely noisy.
"Buy couplets~"
“You must buy couplets during the Chinese New Year~”
"People in the Ming Dynasty will post couplets and hang red lanterns during the New Year, and we want to buy them too."
Niu Gengtian walked leisurely on the street, looking at the lively and busy scene. He bought a lot of things, including food and clothing.
However, he always felt that he had forgotten the most important thing, until he came to the shop opened by the Ming people and saw the red lanterns hanging at the door of the shop and the newly posted red Spring Festival couplets.
He couldn't help but slap his head suddenly, and finally thought of what was missing, the red festive couplets and red lanterns.
"Why are you buying that thing? It can't be eaten or worn."
Meiko next to me said with some incomprehension.
"What do you, a woman, know?"
"Our family now has its own surname, and it is a Han surname, which is different from ordinary people. If we want to be an authentic Ming Dynasty person, we should learn everything."
Niu Gengtian immediately scolded him, and then started to look for Spring Festival couplets and red lanterns.