Otani Yoshitsugi was stunned, shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Maeda was the chief military officer in his family and was loyal to his master. The war in Omi affected the safety of Shiba Kon, so he could not just sit back and watch.
The less the master is nearby, the more prestige the Spo family has to show in order to suppress discussion internally and deter prying eyes externally.
But fighting is all about logistics.
The food and grass for long-distance operations is ten times that of that for transit operations, and five times that of transit operations. Even if you just mobilize the troops and take them out for a walk, you will have to eat two meals for physical exertion.
Japan is so barren that most people never have enough to eat in their entire lives and live half-starved.
Only during the spring plowing and harvesting season when physical strength is needed, they are given dry wheat rice. On weekdays, they can make porridge to survive. Who dares to waste food and eat dry rice?
This is not the case when the army is marching out. If you don't eat enough and your strength is exhausted, you will die suddenly on the way. The hungry army will definitely mutiny.
Iga Country participated in the Kinku War last year, and although it gained a lot, its entire family fortune was depleted. Without external input, it was unable to produce much food for the war.
It's just a matter of eating.
Iga and Koga have been at odds with each other for many years, and they dislike each other. Why do there so few wars happen?
Because I can't afford it.
The battle between two ninjas that outsiders think is a one-on-one or three-on-three duel in the mountains and forests.
This kind of romantic thing will not happen in a real war.
In mountainous operations, the field of vision is limited and the roads are not smooth. If a large army is dispatched, it is very likely that a small team of several people will use the terrain to trap them and even cause a large number of casualties.
Therefore, both sides use small teams to infiltrate and fight, which is extremely cruel. The vision is limited, which will double the consumption of projectile weapons.
Bows and arrows are the mainstream, and the ninjas are also the first armed group to equip iron cannons on a large scale. Projectile weapons are all consumables, which means they are a waste of money.
The conflict between the two ninjas stems from interests. They are both evil samurai who pursue intelligence and assassination. They are enemies in the same industry.
But because of the dispute over the employment wages of the Wu family, they launched a large-scale mountain battle, burned money, ate food and killed people? Are you sick?
Just scold a few words, they are just here to make a living. If they have the strength, they will not make money and fight useless wars.
In the same way, if Maeda's interests want to launch a war to contain the Rokkaku family, they must break through the mountainous area of Minami-Omi Koga County in order to harass the Rokkaku family's rear.
This requires a large amount of food and military equipment to be consumed. In other words, without a large amount of materials, you can't fight in the mountains.
This is the truth, but Otani Yoshitsugi cannot refute Maeda's interests.
Whether it is rescuing the governor or coordinating the Asai family of Kitaomi, it is a strategic matter, and she agrees with it.
But skill can't make a meal without straw, so Maeda typed her words, leaving her speechless.
I have a lot of heart, but I don't have enough strength.
Maeda glanced at the venue seemingly unintentionally. Everyone in the village bowed their heads and remained silent, showing low morale.
She squinted her eyes and said nothing, looking into the distance, her pupils out of focus, as if she was thinking about something.
After a while, laughter burst out from his throat, which stood out among the silent crowd.
"Since we lack supplies and can't fight them out, then guard the Koka Pass and let them fight us."
Otani Yoshitsugi frowned.
"Impossible. The Jiahe people are not crazy. How could they do such a thankless thing?"
The Koga clan is a rather strange existence in Minami-Omi. It belongs to the outsiders of the Rokkaku family and does not enter the territory.
The samurai family in Koka County formed a faction of its own, and 21 of the fifty-three families submitted letters of allegiance to the Rokkaku family.
The autonomous group in the county headed by these twenty-one people is called the county Zhongsu.
The three Kashiwagi families, the nine Kitayama families, the six Nanshan families, the three Shonai families, and the fifty-three Koka families belong to the twenty-one groups of these four groups and jointly govern Koka County.
To put it simply, it is a Chinese group composed of fifty-three villages.
The Rokkaku family also wanted to incorporate Koga County into their territory, but Koga County is very mountainous, and the Koga clan are all ninjas who are good at fighting in the mountains.
Several expeditions failed, and later under attack from the shogunate, the Rokkaku family governor also fled into Koka County and was protected by the local people.
Only then did twenty-one persons gain status, and a contract between king and subject was barely reached.
In the Rokkaku family, the Koga clan is relatively independent. They cannot be recruited for military and food services, and Rokkaku Yoshineko has to spend money to use them.
Unless the Iga army attacks, the Koga people will not start a war.
What the Rokkaku family wants is the wealthy land of Omi in the Northern Expedition, and they don't bother to pay attention to the remote and poor countryside of Iga, let alone spend money to recruit the Koga clan to send troops.
As long as Maeda's interests do not invade Koga County, they will not be able to coordinate Kitanomi's efforts to draw the attention of the Rokkaku family.
Therefore, Otani Yoshitsugi felt that she was having a whim.
Maeda glanced into the distance, seeming to be answering Yoshitsugi Otani's question, or talking to himself.
"I promised my lord that I would guard the Spokane lands for him until he returns.
I will not let him down, I have never let him down!"
She stood up, her back straight, and looked at Yoshitsugi Ohtani.
"Otani-hime! Are there any members of the Minamiomi samurai family under your command who belong to Koka County?"
Otani Yoshitsugi was stunned and shook his head.
"Koga County will not join the territory and will not recruit troops and food services.
Although life in the mountainous area is poor, they are not exploited by the Rokkaku family. How could the samurai family leave their hometowns and come to serve under me.
What exactly do you want to do?"
She had an ominous premonition in her heart. Maybe this problem was the reason why Maeda called her from Minami-Iga.
Maeda's eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty red light, and he smiled with his white teeth exposed.
"It's okay. Let's stick to the original plan. You guard the Kadaikou leading to Ise Country and protect my rear."
Otani Yoshitsugi squinted his eyes, feeling increasingly nervous, and asked again.
"What exactly do you want to do?"
Maeda no longer looked at her, but stared at the places under his command.
"Can't we fight without money and food? I would like to try.
My mother is busy with spring plowing. After the busy farming season is over, she will be in charge of Kokaguchi and I will personally lead the team across the border.
Don’t Jiahe Zhong have money, food, and military equipment?”
Her face at this time made several people who were originally members of Iga Yuye feel chilled, and they suddenly remembered that time.
This gentleman came to Yuye alone, went into the mountains alone and killed an entire family of rebellious people. He swore an oath with bloody heads and smeared his face, and coerced everyone in Yuye into sending troops.
The hearts of several people were beating fast. They glanced at each other, and their hearts suddenly went crazy.
Maeda said slowly.
"The Koga people will come, they will definitely come to Kokaguchi to fight with me.
Because, I will lead a team into their villages.
Burn their houses, trample their fields, kill their children, old and young, and steal their food and armaments."
Otani Yoshitsugi said angrily.
"Are you crazy? They will fight you tooth and nail, and you will form an undying blood feud with the Koga ninjas!
They will hunt you for life, as well as your children and relatives, they are ninjas!
Assassinations will fill the rest of your life, making you live in vigilance and fear forever until the moment of death!"
Maeda looked at her calmly, making her feel cold all over.
"Then let them come. I have promised the Lord, and I must do it! I will never let him disappoint me! Absolutely not!
The Koga Fifty-Three Family? The Nomura family has a family of forty or fifty, so that’s two thousand people?
Not many, just kill them all."
Otani Yoshitsugi only felt her scalp numb. She believed that she was loyal to Shiba Yigen and could give her life for him.
But under Maeda's indifferent attitude, she smelled a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
That is the purest and strongest emotion, and Maeda is willing to do anything for that person's benefit.
