Back in Mino, I rode the same horse that Masakatsu Bee had given me three years earlier, and the previous owner of the horse was Mitsuyasu Kato.

It is said that except for Kato Kotai, the samurai who knew me in Mino were either killed in battle by my hands, or they were attached to Masakatsu Besuka...... Given that Mitsuyasu Kato is living in Inabayama Castle as a hostage, I am absolutely sure that I will enter Mino safely.

The territory of the Wasuka family is located next to the Kiso River, and from Kusai Village, to the former and Watani villages of Minogawara-gun, is the village of Maeto and the village of Watokita. Massaji Watanabe, who received me at the beginning, was a samurai who led the two hundred koku of Kitamura.

There hasn't been much fighting between Mino and Owari lately. There are some small battles, but they are basically concentrated in the line around Inuyama Castle and Sumamata, and there has always been nothing to do here, so it is rare to set up a ferry.

"Are you from the Kawashi, please?" I asked the ferryman to pay for the bridging.

"Sort of!" He replied.

"Sort of...... What do you mean? ”

"A few years ago, after the Kawa annexed to the territory and then slowly settled ashore. And those of us who beg for a living on the water, although we are not from the Kawanami people, sometimes we also pretend to be the Kawabine people...... Anyway, His Highness Wasuka doesn't care much. "This man is quite honest.

"Then do you know where His Highness Wasuka lives?" I asked.

"His Highness seems to be the samurai-sama of Owari......" he looked at me suspiciously.

"I've always traveled everywhere, and a few years ago I was under the care of His Highness Bee Suka. Now that it's hard to get around, I want to visit it. But the last time I left, His Highness Wasuka didn't have a territory, so now ......" I spread my hands.

"Oh, that's the case...... he looked at the wooden box on my back and the hat on my head, and believed my words, "His Royal Highness Wasuka lives in Mitsui Castle in Mitsui Village!" ”

"I can't thank you enough!" I thanked the boatman and got on my horse.

When I came to Mitsui Castle, I took off my hat and said to Ashigaru, who was guarding the door, "Please inform His Highness Wasuka that the deceased of Tosa Province has come to visit." ”

"It's His Highness Kira!" Ashigaru, who was guarding the door, shouted in surprise.

"What, do you know me?" I tried to remember, but I didn't seem to remember this person.

"Yes...... When His Royal Highness Kira first arrived, the villain was a person from the former village of Lord Masaji, and because he was not old enough, he was not able to enter the gun array later...... The villain will immediately report for His Highness! He bowed respectfully and ran quickly into the city.

After a while, Masakatsu Wasuka greeted him. After a long distance, Masakatsu Wasuka shouted repeatedly, "Oops! Your Royal Highness Xuanjing, welcome! I didn't expect you to come to Mino! ”

"Yes, His Highness Zhengsheng, it's been a long time." Seeing that Ashigaru, who was guarding the door, followed me, I was not polite, unloaded the wooden box on my back, and handed it to him along with the hat.

"Please come in and talk about it!" Masakatsu Wasuka beckoned me into the main hall of the castle.

As I walked, I looked at the new city. Just now outside, I found that the scale of this city is okay, it can be said that it is not like a wealthy family who has just obtained 11,000 stone territory can build it, not to mention that there are 4,000 stone of it is the Zhixing of Maenono Nagayasu. However, from the inside, although the building is relatively atmospheric, the decoration is insufficient, and in some places it is not even complete.

"When was this city built by His Highness Zhengsheng?" I asked.

"At the end of the year before last, I improved it a little more last year." Wasuka Masakatsu replied.

"It seems that His Highness Zhengsheng has great ambitions!" I laughed.

"Hehe, His Royal Highness Xuanjing also saw it?" Wasuka Masakatsu also smiled and nodded, "Yes, I just want to leave a proud belongings for that kid at home." Therefore, I am going to spend three years of income to build such a city. ”

"By the way, I heard from the Li family that your family's Mrs. Song gave birth to a boy?"

"Yes, yes! Just three months after you left, it was called Hikoemon. Wasuka Masakatsu laughed. Hikoemon is the common name of his son-in-law of the Beesuka family, and his own nickname is also Hikoemon, and Koroku is just another name.

"That's congratulations...... But to build such a city, the family's usual use is a little tight, right? After all, with only a territory of seven thousand stones, it still has to feed so many people......"

"It will be fine in two years. Even if you are a little poor, it is more stable than begging for a life on the river before," Wasuka Masakatsu was very content, "Don't hide it from His Royal Highness Xuanjing, I have actually reclaimed more than 1,000 stones of land in the past two years...... If you work hard for another two years, you may be able to become a wealthy family with 10,000 stones! ”

"That's a good thing to say." I nodded.

"Let's talk about His Highness Xuanjing!" Wasuka Masakatsu poured sake for the two, "Last time, I learned about your service to Nobunaga from His Highness Maeda, and then I heard that you led a team to break through the main camp of Imagawa Jibu, and it really deserves to be His Highness Xuankei...... How can the current territory be 10,000 stones, right? ”

"How can there be so many...... 3,500 stone only. ”

"What! That's a lot of credit...... Nobunaga is so mean, His Highness Xuankei! Wasuka Masakatsu indignantly said indignantly for me.

"It doesn't matter, anyway, I don't rely on territory to get by." I held up the bowl to him and drank it down.

"That's what you say?" Masakatsu Wasuka was very surprised.

In his opinion, the income of a samurai is basically based on the size of the territory.

It makes sense for him to understand this. Although Mino is rich in land, it does not have many commercial traditions due to its geographical location. Unlike Owari, the little monkeys of the Forsythia family know how to exchange the Yongle money for kapok needles and sell them all the way.

So I decided to teach him a lesson: "If you only rely on the territory, how can His Royal Highness Nobuhide be one of the three commissioners of the Yamato Mori family, and the territory is only 50,000 koku, how can he suppress the entire Owari and have dealings with Mino and Mikawa?" ”

"This ...... I really didn't think about it! Wasuka Masakatsu shook his head in confusion.

"Just say me! The income of the province is only a little more than a thousand. However, I helped His Highness Danzheng to establish a money seat, and I can get 10% every year, and last year's share was about 1,000 yuan; I opened a ministry house in Cheongju, which is now under the care of His Highness Maeda, and can have a net profit of 2,000 kan per year; I pursued Tsushima, and several ministries cooperated with the merchants, and the profit of the month of last year was about 600 kan; In addition, the Hattori Party will send me 20% of the water transportation profits every month, and last year it was 100 yuan, and a few days ago it also sent a New Year's gift of 500 yuan......"

I deliberately snapped my fingers in front of him, and with each finger press, he looked surprised. When I mentioned the Hattori Party, he couldn't help but ask, "His Royal Highness Xuanjing still cooperates with the Hattori Party?" ”

"It's not cooperation for the time being, it's they who ask me...... His Highness Masakatsu must have dealt with them, right? I asked.

"I've dealt with the Kiso River before...... Maybe I'm talking too much, it's a very cunning person, if you want to cooperate, please be careful. Wasuka Masakatsu solemnly reminded me.

"The leader of the Hattori Party, Yusada, admires you and says that you are a person worth associating." I say.

"Alas, don't mention it!" Wasuka Masakatsu twisted his face and waved his hand, as if there was something unbearable, "It is said that the Mikawa people who farm the land are honest, and the Owari people who do business are cunning, and that's really the case...... I think I've got some brains, but I'm just an honest guy after all. ”

Seeing him like this, I couldn't help but laugh. At first he tried to stop me from making fun of me, but he couldn't help but laugh to himself.

"Actually, I came this time because I have something to ask His Highness Zhengsheng." After laughing, I said solemnly.

"Please do your best, I'll do my best!" He also replied solemnly.

"Please ask His Highness Masakatsu to reorganize the Sichuan and the people, and control the Kiso River system together with me and the leader of the Hattori Party!"

"Control the Kiso River system?"

"Yes. If you control the Kiso River system, the income will be very considerable. As far as the Hattori Party is concerned, the income from water transportation in the previous year reached 11,000 yuan...... After the cooperation, I had the policy of Tsushima, the Hattori Party had business relations, and His Highness Masakatsu had contacts along the coast. I can guarantee that the annual income of Kawanami will not be less than 7,000! ”

"His Royal Highness Xuanjing's words, I, Masakatsu, am naturally trustworthy......" Wasuka Masakatsu hesitated a little, "but cooperate with Hattori Tomosada...... His power is so great, I'm afraid that we together will not be his opponent. In that case, sooner or later you will suffer. ”

"It doesn't matter, as long as I'm still Tsushima and have the relationship with the Tsushima Fifteen Party, Hattori Tomosada won't dare to do anything excessive...... His Royal Highness Zhengsheng said that, underestimating both me and himself. ”

"Then, I Zhengsheng will follow His Highness Xuanjing." Masakatsu Wasuka made up his mind.

……，……

There are a lot of things to do in Tsushima, and I can't leave for too long. After negotiating the matter with Wasuka Masakatsu, I met with the former leaders of the Kawa Nagasu and the Maeno Nagayasu brothers, and then declined their retention, and returned to the territory along the way we came.

Two days later, the three parties met near Minohashima Island at the agreed time and set the rules for cooperation. In addition to the Dutch ships and the navy, two from each side are appointed to the general position, one is responsible for commanding and the other is responsible for carrying out. The income is calculated monthly, and in addition to the public expenditure, the remaining income is distributed according to the ratio of 433, and then each party is responsible for distributing the income of its own personnel. I take 40% of my revenue because I control Tsushima, the largest source of customers. The Kawa and the people only sent one person from Pinguchi Riding, and we did the work for him. One is that they trust me very much, and the other is that they don't have anything decent to follow. It was Tsubouchi Riding, and the order given to him by Wasuka Masakatsu was also "mainly based on the people of His Royal Highness Xuanjing".

Regarding the reorganization and expansion of the Kawanami people, Saito Geiryu does not seem to have paid much attention. In the matter of the water army, the Saito family has always paid little attention to it. For many years before, the water transportation of the Mino section of the Kiso River was controlled by the Kawanami people, and the Saito family had no intention of intervening and co-opting at all.

I can roughly guess what Hattori Tomosada thinks. He should have felt that Chuan Jizhong had made him a gunman before, and it was not difficult to deal with it now; And I have just arrived in the territory, and the naval army has just been formed, so maybe I can't even grasp the loyalty of the personnel, and the combat effectiveness is not worth mentioning. He is in a great predicament, and he has asked me to take the opportunity of the alliance to suppress the interior, and if he stabilizes the interior in the future, he may be able to get the dominance of the entire joint naval army.

But will he really be able to do it......

My 300 sailors are basically unemployed vagrants from Tsushima. Among these people, there are people from Owari, Mino, and Ise, and a small number of people who have even come from further afield, and a considerable number of them are from declining samurai families. After the co-optation, I gave them the best treatment and at the same time imposed strict management. It didn't take long for them to quickly outcompete the other two sides in combat power, gradually occupying most of the subordinate positions.

I chose them for three reasons. First, after eliminating these people, the security of Tsushima Town can be greatly improved; The second is that these people basically have no foundation in Owari and can completely control it for me; The third is that the manpower of the territory can be retained, reducing the burden of military service on the people.

In addition, I also distinguished the Owari people among them, and secretly ascertained their general backgrounds and backgrounds one by one. I found out that eleven of them were actually sent by Takigawa Kazuyi, but I don't know if this is what Nobunaga meant, or is Takigawa Kazuyi's own assertion? So I simply kicked them all away, selected those who did not have a Takigawa background into a group, and then took the initiative to ask Nobunaga for combat guidance, and he sent people into the navy, and all the several low-ranking samurai he sent were incorporated. In this case, Nobunaga would not be wary, and Takikawa would not be given a chance to intervene.

The mission of the Metsuke team is to eliminate the annihilation of the Saji Navy and the Shima Nine Ghost Army, but I plan to make them familiar with the business, and then secretly investigate and win over the people in the Hattori Navy Army. According to my understanding, the salary paid by the Hattori family is not high, and for doing the same work, the income of the people in his family is less than half of that of my family, and the gap is the same as that of temporary and regular workers in many units now...... In this way, the people of his family will naturally be envious of our treatment, and there will be a lot of room for co-optation in the future.

After half a month of running-in, the operation of the United Water Army is on the right track, and after penetrating deep into the territory of Meinong, the sale and transshipment of bulk goods have brought more income than usual, and high commercial profits have rolled in. The total income in the first month was more than 1,400 yuan, in the second month it was more than 1,800 yuan, and in the third month it exceeded 2,000 yuan.

If the monthly income stabilizes at the level of the third month, then I will receive an income of nearly 10,000 guan for the whole year, which is equivalent to 32,000 stone territory.

After three months, both Masakatsu Wasuka and Tomosada Hattori are very respectful to me.

During this time, the task of the project team was to familiarize themselves with the business and did not make any small moves.

At the beginning, when the Metsuke group was first established, Hattori Yusada was quite wary, but the situation was stronger than people, and he had to accept it. Seeing that there was nothing unusual about the Mufu group, he should have relaxed his vigilance a lot.

It's just that Nobunaga also gave them a mission, which is to spy on Mino's intelligence. I can only cooperate with this as much as I can. Sometimes, when the fleet entered the Nagara River, Nobunaga's men could even go straight to the town of Inoguchi under Inabayama Castle.

Nobunaga was very satisfied with the fact that he was able to reap a bumper harvest in both tax and intelligence. He doesn't seem to hold much of a grudge against Hattori Tomosada anymore. I heard that Takigawa Kazuyoshi proposed to deal with the Hattori Party several times, but Nobunaga did not make any response.

I'm also happy with the current state of the trolls. I have the greatest position in the navy, I control Tsushima as a center of trade and transshipment, I can command the Wasuka side almost completely, Iwamatsu Noriyoshi I sent has established the highest prestige among the navy, our men are strong in combat and have the best treatment, and our minister Yamauchi Kazutomi is the most powerful...... All these factors combined, and I quickly occupied a great dominant position in the United Naval Army, and Hattori Tomosada was almost helpless about it.

But he is even more reluctant to cancel the cooperation or turn his face, the profit after cooperation is no less than that of his own alone, and he no longer has to worry about his subordinates rebelling, because there are two other parties suppressing to ensure the stability of the entire water army. Even if he is in charge of the shopkeeper and doesn't care about anything, he can still earn a lot of money every month.

Now he is like an opium smoker, knowing that his power is in the way, but he really can't let it go. And because I've always been so sensible and honest, he seems to be more and more willing to trust me.

"His Royal Highness Xuanjing should be trustworthy!" He probably thought so. Recently, I've gradually put my energy into enjoyment.,Three side rooms in a row.。

"Maybe I can get Nobunaga to accept Hattori Tomosada." I was thinking like this, but I was still ready to turn my face with him......;