Japan's Sengoku Period: The Sanada Clan's Ambition

Chapter 141 Only someone like this could I possibly meet?
Meinong, outside Jinshan Castle.

The Hida River, which originates in Hida Province, flows from north to south and merges with the Kiso River outside Kanayama Castle.

In a village located at the confluence of two rivers, a middle-aged man sits comfortably under a willow tree, taking a nap.

Beside him, a boy of about twelve or thirteen was wielding a wooden knife under his watchful gaze, with the man occasionally offering instructions.

Inside the house, a woman in her thirties was washing clothes.

It appears to be a very ordinary family of three.

Is Kanemon here?

Suddenly, a shout came from the doorway, and the man stood up and walked out of the house.

"Oh, it's Lord Kagami! Please come in quickly." The man was clearly surprised to see Kagami Gensei standing at the door, but he quickly recovered and warmly invited Kagami Gensei into the house.

Kagami Motomasa didn't stand on ceremony and followed the man directly into the courtyard, then took off his straw sandals under the eaves and went into the house.

Because guests had arrived, the woman and the boy went to the kitchen, leaving the indoor space open.

After entering the house, Nobuyuki Sanada kept looking around. It was an inconspicuous rural courtyard with only three rooms and a small courtyard.

As for the man in front of me, he was unremarkable in appearance, and I couldn't recall him at all.

While Nobuyuki Sanada was sizing up the other man, the man was also looking at Nobuyuki Sanada.

He knew Kagami Motomasa, but this was the first time he had met Sanada Nobuyuki.

"Lord of the Ministry of Personnel, who is this gentleman?"

Kagami Motomasa slapped his forehead and quickly explained, "This is Lord Sanada Hyogo of the Sanada family of Shinano."

"Lord Hyogo, the man standing before you is Sato Kanemon, whom I have mentioned before."

Sanada Hyogo-no-kami?
Sato Kentada quickly realized that this was none other than Sanada Nobuyuki, who had gained fame in Mino in the past two years.

"So it is Lord Hyogo in person. I am Sato Kanemon. Please forgive my rudeness."

"It's alright." Sanada Nobuyuki raised his hand to signal Sato Kentada to stand up, then said with a smile, "I learned about Kanemon from Jinjiro. I heard that you were once a retainer of the Saito family?"

"Ha!" Sato Kentada nodded quickly.

Sato Kentada was a samurai of the Sato clan of Mino Province, serving under Saito Toshiharu, the lord of Kajita Castle.

Saito Toshiharu followed Oda Nobutada to his death during the Honnoji Incident, and Sato Kentada then began to serve Saito Toshiyoshi.

Saito Riki and Saito Riji were both sons of Saito Dosan. Saito Riji's mother was Fuka Yoshino, and he was a full sister of Saito Yoshitatsu. Saito Riki, on the other hand, was born to Lady Omi and was a sibling of Kicho.

After Oda Nobutada was granted the title of Mino, the Saito clan served as his retainers.

After Honnoji Temple, the situation in Mino changed drastically.

Saito Toshiaki clashed with Mori Nagayoshi, who had returned from Shinano. Although he defeated Mori Nagayoshi, he soon fell ill and died.

Taking advantage of the situation, Mori Nagayoshi annexed Saito Toshiaki's territory. Many of Saito's retainers chose to submit to Mori Nagayoshi, but Sato Kentada chose to flee and live in seclusion in a village outside Kinzan Castle.

"I wonder what brings Lord Sanada here?" Sato Kentada already had a guess in mind, but decided to ask for clarification before proceeding.

Sanada Nobuyuki bluntly stated, "Jinjiro recommended you to me, saying that you are a very capable samurai, so I came to see you."

"Lord Sanada, although Kanemon is not well-known in Mino, he is exceptionally capable and extremely skilled in general tasks such as building castle walls and constructing castle towns."

"Previously, Kanemon was responsible for the repair and renovation of many castles within the Saito clan's territory."

“Kanemon’s abilities are exactly what Lord Sanada urgently needs right now,” Kagami Motomasa added from the side.

Nobuyuki Sanada did not object; he did indeed need such grassroots construction talent, especially after he planned to build the embankment of the Kiso River.

However, he wasn't particularly familiar with Kagami Motomasa, and knew nothing about this Sato Kentada, so it was impossible for him to launch a recruitment based on just a few words from Kagami Motomasa.

The Sanada family is now a powerful daimyo in Shinano Province with hundreds of thousands of koku of rice. Although it may seem a bit hollow, they are still the rulers of a country, and not just any nobody can get in.

“Jinjiro highly praises your talent, and I do need some manpower to help my family govern Ena County.”

"I wonder what Kanemon thinks is the most urgent thing our family should do after taking over Ena County?"

Upon hearing this, both Kagami Motomasa and Sato Taketada understood that Sanada Nobuyuki was testing their abilities.

Under the encouraging gaze of Kagami Motomasa, Sato Kentada pondered for a moment before tentatively replying, "I believe that the Sanada family needs three preconditions to govern Ena County."

"Which three?"

Sato Kentada slowly said, "First, we need to improve the Kiso River embankment by constructing water conservancy projects. Every year, the Kiso River floods, causing large amounts of farmland to be submerged, which is a major obstacle to the development of agriculture in Ena County."

"Secondly, the Sanada family's territory is in Shinano, which is adjacent to Ena County, but the two places are mostly mountainous and difficult to travel."

"Road repair is also of utmost urgency, whether for opening up trade routes or facilitating the passage of the army."

"Third, vigorously develop castle towns and absorb the population within the territory for centralized management."

“Huina County has a scattered population and has been plagued by frequent wars in recent years. Many farmers have lost their land. These people must be properly resettled to prevent unrest.”

"With farmers having land to cultivate and artisans having businesses to do, things like the previous uprising in the remote mountains will naturally not happen again."

Sato Kentada spoke eloquently, and all three points he made directly addressed the crux of Ena County. From this alone, it's clear that Sato Kentada has a very thorough understanding of the situation in Ena County.

Now, Nobuyuki Sanada looked at Taketada Sato differently; this guy was quite interesting.

"If I were to appoint you as the acting governor of Ena County, how would you handle these issues?" Sanada Nobuyuki asked, suppressing his excitement.

Sato Kentada's words have already demonstrated his abilities; at least it shows that he is very knowledgeable about Ena County and Mino. But Sanada Nobuyuki is more curious to know just how strong this person's abilities really are.

A leader needs more than just the ability to identify problems; they also need the ability to solve them.

This is the final test. If Sato Taketada's answer satisfies Sanada Nobuyuki, then he will definitely not let this person go. "The problem with the river embankment is not in its construction but in its maintenance. No matter how well it is constructed, if it is not properly maintained, it will not withstand the erosion of the river over the years."

“Maintaining the river embankment requires a long period of manpower and resources, but Huyna County is a poor place and cannot afford to make long-term investments in the river embankment.”

"Therefore, I believe that the residents along the riverbank can be relocated to the two sides of the river embankment and resettled, and that a series of miscellaneous taxes such as the 'building fee' can be waived."

“Residents live along the riverbank, and in order to ensure that their houses and property are not damaged, they will naturally maintain the riverbank on their own initiative.”

"In this way, the Sanada family can ensure the stability of the river embankment without having to conscript laborers or spend money."

After Sato Kentada finished speaking, he specifically looked at Sanada Nobuyuki's face, only to find that Sanada Nobuyuki's eyes were somewhat eerie, as if he wanted to swallow him whole.

“Continue,” Nobuyuki Sanada said, his gaze fixed intently on Taketada Sato.

Sato Kenji swallowed hard and continued, "As for road construction, that's even simpler."

"There was originally no road in the world, but as more people walked on it, a road was formed."

“As long as the Sanada family can attract enough merchants to travel between Shinano and Mino, the merchants will flock there because it will be profitable, and the road problem will be solved.”

"As for the resettlement of the people, the able-bodied men can be absorbed into the ranks of foot soldiers. These are people who do not own land. The Sanada family only needs to provide a small stipend to obtain a standing foot soldier."

"The relocation of the elderly, women, and children to the castle towns of Naegi and Iwamura not only brought population to the castle towns but also increased trade demand."

"The development of castle towns".

"No need to say anything more!" Nobuyuki Sanada stood up abruptly, startling Kenji Sato and Motomasa Kagami.

"Kan'emon, would you be willing to serve our clan?"

Sato Kentada replied, flattered, "If Lord Sanada were to come to my door in person, wouldn't it be too presumptuous of me to refuse?"

"My name is Sato Kanemon Kentada, and I am willing to serve my lord!"

Sanada Nobuyuki immediately helped Sato Kentada up excitedly, saying, "I am not happy to have Ena County, but I am happy to have Kanemon!"

To encounter such a talented person in this remote and impoverished place was incredibly lucky; Sanada Nobuyuki was overjoyed.

After hearing Sanada Nobuyuki's words, Sato Kentada felt a sense of "a scholar will die for one who understands him." When had he, a low-ranking samurai, ever received such courtesy and praise from someone of this caliber?

From the very beginning, when Sato Taketada learned of Sanada Nobuyuki's identity, he was already prepared.

He was just an ordinary samurai who had lost his master, so for Sanada Nobuyuki to personally visit him, accompanied by his friend Kagami Motonari, must have been to recruit him.

Kagami Motoharu was a legitimate retainer of the Mori family, and it was impossible for him to betray his master and switch sides so easily; the moral pressure would be too great.

But Sato Kentada was different; after Saito Toshiyoshi's death, he became a man without a master.

In his situation, he could either become a ronin and travel to various countries in search of work opportunities, or stay in Mino and wait for the daimyo of Mino to recruit him.

Now that Nobuyuki Sanada has extended an invitation to him, and has personally come to his door with great sincerity, he certainly won't refuse.

Moreover, judging from what Nobuyuki Sanada said, he would stay in Mino and have the opportunity to govern a district. Such a job that is "high-paying and close to home" is simply too good to pass up.

As for the high difficulty of the work, that's not the key point at all.

If the job wasn't difficult, the Sanada family could have just found anyone to do it; he wouldn't have been assigned this task.

"Congratulations, Kanemon! Now that you've become a retainer of the Sanada family, your talents will finally have a place to be displayed." Kagami Motomasa also offered his congratulations from the side.

The two had a good relationship, and Kagami Motomasa was very happy to see his friend being valued by Sanada Nobuyuki.

"Kanemon, do you have any requirements regarding your salary?" Sanada Nobuyuki continued to ask.

Sato Kentada shook his head. "Give me whatever salary you deem me worthy of. There are only three people in my family. Surely you wouldn't let us go hungry?"

"Hahaha!" Nobuyuki Sanada laughed and patted Kenji Sato on the shoulder. "You're quite an interesting person."

"Therefore, you will temporarily serve as the acting official of Huina County, with a salary of 200 shi."

"The towns of Miaomu and Yancun are also under your management."

"Once the territory is stable, you will be in charge of the land survey. After all the work is completed, I will then grant you the Zhixing Land, how about that?"

Nobuyuki Sanada is completely unfamiliar with Ena County at the moment and can only make arrangements for Kenji Sato after he has become familiar with the territory.

Sato Kentada had no objection to this; the 200 koku stipend was more than enough for his family to live on.

"Rest assured, my lord, I will do my utmost to govern Ena County well," Sato Kentada said firmly.

"very good!"

"I will be leaving Mino for Osaka. After I leave, the retainers of our main family in Ena County will be under your command for the time being."

"If you don't have enough manpower, I will allow you to recruit within your territory."

"Ha!" Sato Kentada sensed trust from Sanada Nobuyuki's words.

At the same time, an invisible pressure also fell on his shoulders.

As a newcomer, if he couldn't achieve anything, even if Sanada Nobuyuki didn't say anything, Sato Taketada himself would have no face to stay in the Sanada family.

　Sato Kentada: Commonly known as Kanemon, a retainer of the Saito family of Mino Province. He went into seclusion after the Saito family was annexed by Mori Nagayoshi.

　　A few years later, he was recommended by Mori Tadamasa to serve Toyotomi Hideyoshi and became the Fukami Magistrate of Fushimi Castle.

　　He later served Tokugawa Ieyasu and was in charge of building Sunpu Castle.

　　He is a skilled construction expert who excels in general construction; in other words, he is a civil engineer with exceptional professional skills.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)