The scorching summer is gradually passing away, but the power of the autumn tiger is not weaker than that of midsummer, and the sun-dried earth remains the same.
After the summer harvest, the drought in Kanto has confirmed the harvest failure, and the wheat harvest in Echigo is nearly 40% less than in previous years.
Joetsu, in the imperial government hall. Shiba Yoshigan and Uesugi Teruhora sat separately at the top, listening quietly 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 Samurai Group can remain calm because wheat has not been Japan's main food crop since ancient times.
Japan has more mountains and less land, and the rivers between the hills and plains are mostly short, shallow and fast, making it 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, so it is actually more suitable for growing wheat.
However, the emperor's court later failed to promote wheat farming, mainly due to two aspects.
On the one hand, there is a lack of planting technology.
Farming has been a technical activity since ancient times. 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? Wouldn't they starve to death if the harvest fails? It's best to focus on growing the rice you are familiar with.
On the other hand, the craftsmanship of Japanese masons is very poor.
Because qualified stone mills could not be manufactured, wheat could not 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 delayed.
After the emperor's court collapsed, the samurai regime continued to collect rice for military ration, and the promotion and cultivation of wheat seeds came to a standstill.
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 without grinding it, and cook it directly into unpalatable wheat rice, making it difficult to survive.
There is a saying in the art of Qi Min: Winter wheat dung in the fields.
All parts of Japan have long been accustomed to burying wheat in winter and transplanting rice seedlings in spring. What is harvested in summer is farmers' ration wheat, not rice that the samurai family cares about, so naturally they will 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 warriors every year was used as military rations, waiting for orders from high-ranking warriors to mobilize military service for war.
Because Sibo Yiyin's grain purchase plan was progressing smoothly, military families everywhere were not too worried that this bad harvest would affect the supply of military grain, and people's hearts were at peace.
Teruhora Uesugi nodded with satisfaction, but Yoshigan Shiba sighed secretly. People are at peace? It's just that they don't regard the villagers as the leader of Guizhou.
The Wu family clearly distinguishes between 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 are just talking animals, and they don't even think this is a problem in their minds.
Yiyin was a little lost in thought. The one who had just reported the report bowed to the ground, but did not get a response from him. He suddenly sweated on his head, thinking that he had made an omission somewhere.
Teruhora Uesugi 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 cultivator 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 was overflowing from time to time, so he nodded.
"Yes, the summer and autumn harvests are not long between each other, and various places in Echigo are preparing for mobilization after the autumn harvest.
I don’t know if things are going well for the Numata leader and whether they can stabilize the local situation before the army arrives after the autumn harvest.”
Teruhora Uesugi chuckled.
"Kawada Nagauchi sent back a military report on his actions in the past few days. I looked at it and saw that there was nothing wrong with it.
She has a calm temperament and works steadily. I want her to continue doing this Numata Jodai and not change her for the time being.
What do you think?"
Shiba Yiyin nodded.
Kawada Nagachichi dispatched troops decisively and quickly captured Numata Castle, making a good start for the Kanto strategy. Uesugi Teruhora's face was bright, and she admired the Omi faction general who had made a face for her even more.
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 army to arrive before making plans. Now that she has proven her ability, Uesugi Teruhu asks for it, and Shiba Yoshigan has no reason to refuse.
He thought for a while 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?"
Teruhora 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 Castle, and I asked her not to get involved in the matter of Numata Castle for the time being. We will wait until the dust of the Kanto Strategy has settled."
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 the Numata family governor? The Numata family retainers themselves may have forgotten her, right?
As long as the Uesugi family ensures that the knowledge and behavior below remain unchanged, who will care about this empty-handed superintendent.
When the time comes and Uesugi Teruotora changes his position, the Numata retainers group will get out because of this immoral and incompetent family governor. Is it possible that they will have a falling out with Uesugi Teruhu?
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 him, but just as he opened his mouth, he suddenly remembered something and closed it tightly again.
What qualifications does he have to say that Terutora Uesugi looks ugly when he eats? Sanada Nobushige is even more outrageous in Azuma County, does he have the nerve to say so to 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 made waves, attracting the attention of surrounding samurai families. Nagano Yamasa 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.