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

Chapter 149 Drain them dry!

The next morning, Nobuyuki Sanada walked out of the house, leaning against the wall.

Chika followed behind him with a smile, occasionally trying to help Nobuyuki Sanada, but Nobuyuki Sanada waved her hand and refused.

Suzuki Kotaro and Obata Kumachiyo, who were practicing martial arts in the courtyard, glanced over and quickly turned their heads away. Suzuki Kotaro even glared at Obata Kumachiyo, signaling her not to look any further.

Nobuyuki Sanada sighed inwardly.

Having not practiced for several days, my skills have become rusty, and I was careless last night.

Chika Ikeda covered her mouth and chuckled as she watched Nobuyuki Sanada's embarrassment, but a hint of affection shone in her eyes as she looked at him.

She couldn't explain why she accepted Nobuyuki Sanada in such a short time.

Perhaps it was a perfect match. After Mori Nagayoshi's death, Sanada Nobuyuki filled the void.

"Lord."

"Are you really alright?" Chihiro Ikeda couldn't help but ask, watching Nobuyuki Sanada struggling to move.

Sanada Nobuyuki's face fell, but he still tried to remain calm and said, "It's alright. I was careless yesterday. I will definitely get my revenge today."

"Then I'll be watching with anticipation."

"Okay, clean it thoroughly."

"How annoying." Chiaki Ikeda blushed. It would be one thing to say such things at night when no one was around, but why say them in broad daylight in front of people?

Nobuyuki Sanada won a game back and immediately straightened his back.

"Kotaro!"

"Kumachiyo!" Nobuyuki Sanada called out to the two people not far away, and Kotaro Suzuki and Kumachiyo Obata quickly ran over.

Senichi Ikeda tactfully retreated back inside, and then Nobuyuki Sanada continued, "Have Genjiro and the others returned?"

"Not yet." Suzuki Kotaro shook his head.

Obata Kumachiyo added, "Sato-sama has returned."

"Okay, you guys continue practicing."

"what!"

After signaling the two to continue, Sanada Nobuyuki left his residence and headed to the main keep of Naegi Castle, where Sato Kentada was working in the palace.

Sato Kentada seemed to be focused on his work and did not notice Sanada Nobuyuki's arrival.

Sanada Nobuyuki did not disturb Sato Kentada and went straight to the head seat to sit down.

After waiting for almost fifteen minutes, Sato Kentada finally put down his pen.

Looking up, he saw that Nobuyuki Sanada was already seated, and Kenji Sato quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"How is the situation inside the territory?" Sanada Nobuyuki asked casually.

Sato Kenji raised his head and slowly said, "After more than ten days of statistics, we have now preliminarily compiled a list of the landless people."

"As agreed with our lord beforehand, these people have now begun to build the river embankment of the Kiso River, and the houses on both sides of the riverbank have also begun to be built."

"The people are very enthusiastic and full of energy."

"The remaining 800-plus able-bodied men were organized into foot soldiers, and Lady Ke'er was in charge of their training. After their training, they will also participate in the construction of the river embankment."

"Lord Yamagami and Lord Genjiro are currently conducting land surveys in Ena County. In addition to Kushihara and Meichi villages, land surveys are also being carried out in other areas at the same time." Sato Kentada quickly gave Sanada Nobuyuki a brief introduction to the recent work situation.

As Sanada Nobuyuki listened, he was also making his own calculations.

The territory of Huina County is, to put it another way, somewhat of a double-edged sword.

The land is definitely a bad piece of land, but it still has development potential. Moreover, after the Toyama family withdrew, this territory is essentially a "power vacuum" area, making it easy for the Sanada family to rule.

However, this requires effective governance over a long period of time.

When will the river embankment be completed?

"At the current pace, it should be preliminarily completed before the end of the year."

What about the land inspection work?

"It can be completed before August."

Through the question-and-answer session, Nobuyuki Sanada gained a general understanding of the situation in Ena County.

At the same time, Nobuyuki Sanada also acknowledged Kenji Sato's work ability and encouraged him, saying, "You did a good job while I was away. You will continue to serve as the acting governor of Ena District."

"There are two villages outside the city; these will be your places of practice from now on."

Sato Kentada was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly bowed in gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, my lord. I will do my utmost to serve you."

"There's no need for such formalities." Sanada Nobuyuki looked calmly at Sato Kentada, and then said earnestly, "My Sanada family has just become a daimyo. Although our strength is not as great as that of other daimyo, we have plenty of opportunities for promotion and salary increases."

"As long as you work hard, Chengdai and Zhixing are just the starting point. As for how far you can go, that depends on yourself."

"Understood!" This was the point that Sato Kentada valued when he joined the Sanada family.

Compared to other daimyo, the Sanada family rose to power the latest, but their territory was quite large. Such a suddenly rising power must have been full of opportunities.

He used to be just an ordinary samurai in Mino Province, but as long as he can achieve something, it's hard to guarantee that he won't have a place among the important retainers of the Sanada family in the future.

"Our family's future focus will still be on the Shinano and Kanto regions. It's impossible to cover everything in Ena County. You'll have to take on that responsibility from now on."

"Tell me, what kind of support do you still need from our family?"

Sato Kentada lowered his head and pondered for a long time before finally speaking, "I dare to ask my lord to do three things."

“Speak,” Sanada Nobuyuki slowly uttered two words. “First, my lord must exempt Ena County from one year’s land rent and implement benevolent policies within the territory,” Sato Kentada said nervously.

Nobuyuki Sanada reached out and tapped lightly on the table, still sparing with words, "Reason."

“Ena County is really too poor.” Sato Kentada sighed and recounted what he knew in detail.

In the last decade, Huina County has been plagued by natural disasters, diseases, and wars, making life unbearable for the farmers and warriors living there.

Already poor, coupled with years of war, many villagers and soldiers often had to borrow money to pay land rent and annual tribute in order to complete their tasks.

So-chon was essentially a "tax-farming system," where each So-chon village had a fixed amount of annual tribute, land rent, and other miscellaneous taxes.

Previously, the Toyama family, who ruled Ena County, did not care about the specific circumstances of Somura; they only collected a fixed amount of taxes.

Under normal circumstances, it would be fine. The "virtuous people" with more land in the village could contribute a little more to meet the annual tribute and land rent requirements.

However, during these ten years, the people of Huina County were truly destitute, with almost every household having some form of debt.

These loans wouldn't be a big problem if they were repaid, but in Huyna County, this vicious cycle of year after year has turned them into a bad debt.

The farmers owed the village of So, the village of So owed the magistrate, the magistrate owed the samurai and the temples, and so on, one layer after another.

If the annual tribute is collected as in previous years, this mess will continue, which will undoubtedly be a disaster for the stability of Huina County.

In this situation, there are only two solutions.

1. The Sanada family implemented a benevolent decree, exempting the family from debts within their territory.

2. The Sanada family reduced land rent and annual tribute, giving the overburdened farmers a chance to breathe.

"If we implement the decree of benevolent governance, will there be much resistance?" After understanding the situation, Nobuyuki Sanada asked.

Given the current situation in Ena County, the Sanada family really has to do something.

"As long as our lord can exempt us from this year's tribute, there will be no resistance."

"Why?"

Sato Kentada quickly replied, "I have already done a preliminary count, and most of Sōmura's loans were obtained from the magistrate."

“If only the debt is forgiven, the village chief and the farmers will be happy, but the officials will not be able to survive.”

“If the lord allows the officials to collect this year’s annual tribute without having to hand it over, it can make up for the officials’ losses, and naturally no one will be dissatisfied,” Sato Kentada patiently explained.

Nobuyuki Sanada stood up from his seat and slowly walked towards Kenji Sato.

"Kanemon, you've thought this through very well."

"The farmers, the villagers, and the officials have all been taken care of, but what about me?"

"As the daimyo of Ena County, how am I supposed to support those newly recruited foot soldiers and samurai if you do this?" Sanada Nobuyuki didn't care about the difficulties the magistrate might be facing.

As the person in charge of collecting taxes, the acting official often managed more than ten villages at the same time. His salary was not low, and there were various other ways to make extra money.

If an ordinary samurai could become a deputy governor, his status and living conditions would improve dramatically. Not only would he be able to take a break from his job, but he could even support maids and pageboys.

If someone really didn't want this cushy job, there would be plenty of people vying to do it.

Faced with Nobuyuki Sanada's questioning, Taketada Sato was speechless.

Indeed, he considered everyone, but he overlooked Nobuyuki Sanada.

From a purely professional standpoint, Sato Kentada did nothing wrong, but he clearly forgot that he was loyal to Sanada Nobuyuki, not the farmers and magistrates within his domain.

Thinking of this, sweat immediately broke out on Sato Kentada's forehead.

"I have only one request for the peasants within my territory: as long as they do not launch an uprising, the annual tribute and land rent shall be collected in full."

Nobuyuki Sanada had only one principle: squeeze them dry!

Sustainable exploitation is the way of a samurai to survive. Otherwise, if I run out of money, how will I support my army? How will I fight?
"As for the acting officials, do you think it's so easy to get their salaries from their own families?"

“Virtuous policies can be implemented, but annual tributes cannot be exempted. If the officials are dissatisfied, make them resign immediately; there are plenty of samurai in Shinano lining up to take their places.”

"Understood." Sato Kentada nodded while wiping his sweat.

"Don't worry, you didn't say that out of selfishness, the main family won't blame you." Seeing that Sato Kentada's face had turned pale with fright, Sanada Nobuyuki quickly comforted him.

Sato Kentada could only continue nodding.

"What about the other two things?"

Sato Kentada quickly adjusted his mindset and then mustered his courage to continue, "The second matter is that I have heard that the Sanada family has promulgated the Separate Province Law in Shinano. I request that you, my lord, also implement it in Ena County."

"I have read through the contents of the Sanada Laws overnight, and its provisions are extremely relevant. It is truly a law rarely seen in the world." Perhaps worried that he might have inadvertently offended Sanada Nobuyuki, Sato Taketada also began to flatter him.

Sanada Nobuyuki naturally wouldn't refuse this suggestion. "And the third one?"

"Thirdly, if the lord is to leave, could a capable general or a relative be appointed to oversee Huina County?"

"Our lord has only recently taken control of this area, and his authority has not yet extended to the entire territory. If our lord is not here, I am worried that the people below may have disloyal thoughts."

After Sato Kentada finished speaking, Sanada Nobuyuki finally showed a satisfied smile.

Compared to the previous two points, this is what Sanada Nobuyuki most wanted to see. It shows that Sato Taketada does indeed have a certain degree of loyalty to him. Leaving someone that Sanada Nobuyuki can trust to be stationed in Ena County can not only keep order in the area, but also effectively monitor the situation within the territory.

In other words, Sato Taketada had someone watching him, which put Sanada Nobuyuki at ease.

Although Sanada Nobuyuki placed full trust in Sato Taketada, it would be unreasonable to entrust an entire prefecture to him without keeping one of his own people.

"Whom do you want the main family to keep?"

(End of this chapter)