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

Chapter 62 Naoejin "Talent Market"

With Uesugi Kagekatsu gone, Naoe Kanetsugu and Sanada Nobuyuki will continue to discuss the specifics.

After some discussion, it was finally decided that the Uesugi family would provide the Sanada family with 1,500 young men to go to Shinano to renovate the Nakano residence.

It is obvious that these 1,500 young men are the same group that the Uesugi family previously abducted from Mizuchi and Takai districts.

As for women and children, Nobuyuki Sanada didn't need them for the time being, so he didn't mention it.

But Naoe Kanetsugu wasn't stupid. He already knew that Sanada Nobuyuki had come for this group of people, so he stopped pretending and laid his cards on the table, saying, "There was really no other way to deal with the situation in Mizuchi and Takai districts before. I hope Lord Genzaburo can understand our family's difficulties."

"In addition to these able-bodied adults, women, children, and the elderly will also be returned at that time."

For the Uesugi family, the Sanada family's actions already constituted giving them enough benefits. They had given away the able-bodied men, and the old, weak, and sick would not be of much use.

Anyway, they wouldn't fetch much money selling them, and keeping them is not only useless but also a waste of food. It's better to simply satisfy Sanada Nobuyuki and consider it repaying this favor.

Who knows, Sanada Nobuyuki might even have to be grateful to his main family.

As expected, upon hearing Naoe Kanetsugu's words, Sanada Nobuyuki immediately replied, "These are just trivial matters. Given the relationship between our main family and the Uesugi family, there's no need for such formalities."

"My family is truly grateful to Lord Naoe for returning these people."

In fact, if the "tax-free zone" proposal failed to sway the Uesugi family, Sanada Nobuyuki still had one trump card up his sleeve.

But who would have thought that the Uesugi family must be desperately short of money to agree without a second thought?

Fortunately, it saves Sanada Nobuyuki from having to go through all that trouble again.

"Lord Genzaburo, these people will return to Shinano in five days."

"But let's make it clear beforehand that the Sanada family must prepare their own rations. Our family's grain is all reserved for the upcoming battles," Naoe Kanetsugu specifically instructed.

Sanada Nobuyuki naturally wouldn't object. The harvest was about to begin, and there was no shortage of food at the moment.

"When I was going up and down the mountain just now, I saw a castle town nearby at the mountainside. I wonder if that is Naoetsu?"

Naoe Kanetsugu nodded. "It is indeed Naoezu."

"I have long heard that Naoe-tsu is a place of great commercial prosperity. May I visit it?"

"Since Lord Genzaburo is in such a good mood, and since I have nothing urgent to attend to today, how about I accompany him?"

Sanada Nobuyuki understood that Naoe Kanetsugu was worried that he would "wander around," so he quickly replied, "It would be best if Lord Naoe could lead the way, please."

"please."

Going up the mountain is easy, but coming down is hard; Sanada Nobuyuki truly experienced this today.

The mountain path was rugged, and perhaps because it had just rained, the road was extremely slippery. It took almost an hour to descend the mountain.

Naoezu is located at the foot of Kasugayama Castle, with the Sea of ​​Japan to the north, and was the commercial center of Echigo Province.

Sanada Nobuyuki had previously visited Kyoto and Kiyosu Castle, and had seen many castle towns along the way, so Naoezu did not impress him much.

Compared to the Gyeonggi region, Echigo is still too remote.

"How about it? Naoezu's scale is pretty good, isn't it?" Naoe Kanetsugu said proudly as he walked ahead.

This is the culmination of many years of hard work by the Uesugi family, and the result of the painstaking efforts of Naoe Kanetsugu and others.

Nobuyuki Sanada could only nod in agreement.

"Although it is still far from Sakai Port, Naoezu is the place where our family's hard work is concentrated in the entire Hokuriku region." Thanks to the Oda clan's conquest of the Kaga Ikko-ikki, the Uesugi family's ships can now dock in Kaga for supplies, and maritime trade is much more prosperous than during the time of Uesugi Kenshin.

The two chatted as they strolled around, with Nobuyuki Sanada constantly observing the various shops and goods in Naoezu.

Now that he has his own territory, making money naturally becomes the top priority, and Sanada Nobuyuki wants to see if there's anything he can learn from.

After wandering around for half a day, Nobuyuki Sanada discovered that there was no "Naoezu Talent Market" and that the entire castle town was just a normal marketplace.

Cargo ships frequently docked, followed by unloading and cargo transportation in one smooth process, with everything proceeding in an orderly manner.

"It's getting dark. How about Lord Genzaburo rests at my humble abode for the night?"

“My wife, Atsune, is quite a good cook. It’s a good opportunity for me to show my hospitality.” Naoe Kanetsugu suddenly stepped in front of Sanada Nobuyuki.

Looking at the rows of houses emitting black smoke ahead, Sanada Nobuyuki realized that it was probably an area "not open to the public," so he tactfully said, "Then I'll have to bother you." Naoe Kanetsugu's residence was located in a secluded courtyard at the foot of Mount Kasuga, with several apricot trees planted at the entrance.

"Ah Chuan, I'm back!"

Naoe Kanetsugu had just taken off his straw sandals when he rushed inside, calling out the name of his wife, Ofune, as he went.

Soon, Ah Chuan, who had heard the noise, came out from the inner room.

"Oh, we have a guest."

"How rude of me, this humble servant is A-Chuan. I greet this sir." A-Chuan greeted him with a smile and proper manners.

Sanada Nobuyuki quickly introduced himself, "I am Sanada Genzaburo of the Sanada family of Shinano. I have come to greet you, madam."

"Please take a seat, the food will be ready soon."

"Lord Sanada is in luck; he'll have lobster tonight, which his retainers just caught."

Naoe Kanetsugu quickly gestured for Sanada Nobuyuki to sit down.

Before long, the maids brought in the dinner. One of the maids went straight to Sanada Nobuyuki and bent down to put down a wooden box.

Nobuyuki Sanada was also hungry at this moment, so he quickly opened the wooden box.

A bowl of rice, a bowl of jellyfish skin (dried jellyfish that has been soaked, shredded, and served cold), a dish of dried plums, two small fish, and a lobster are neatly arranged in the box.

"Wow, this is truly a feast!" Nobuyuki Sanada couldn't help but exclaim.

A-Fun smiled sweetly, "I'm glad that Lord Sanada is satisfied."

These days, let's not even talk about ordinary people eating coarse grains and wild vegetables.

Even the samurai lords ate rather plainly. Most samurai's meals consisted of a bowl of rice, a small dish of side dishes, a dried fish, and a dish of miso. Only samurai with a certain level of knowledge and skill could enjoy this.

In comparison, tonight's dinner was indeed far too lavish.

This also shows that Naoe Kanetsugu was doing really well in the Uesugi family.

At that moment, Nobuyuki Sanada noticed an empty seat next to him. Just as he was about to ask if there were any other customers, Nobushige Sanada strode in from outside.

"Brother!"

"How did you come?"

Seeing Sanada Nobushige rushing in, Sanada Nobuyuki casually replied, "Of course I came to see you."

"How are things going? How's life at the Uesugi household?"

Sanada Nobushige went straight to his seat and sat down, appearing very casual. It was clear that Sanada Nobushige was a frequent visitor and quite familiar with Naoe Kanetsugu and his wife.

"Lord Uesugi and Lord Naoe have been very kind to me. Look, I've gained a lot of weight since I was in Shinano," Sanada Nobushige replied with a grin.

Unexpectedly, A-Fun, who was standing to the side, was displeased. "Genjiro, haven't I taken care of you?"

"Hehe, I almost forgot about Mrs. Chuan."

"Wow, more eel to eat!" With that, Sanada Nobushige immediately started eating.

Sanada Nobushige had nothing to do all day at the Uesugi residence, so he spent his time practicing military strategy, which showed that he was really hungry.

Naoe Kanetsugu did not express any dissatisfaction with Sanada Nobuyuki's clumsy behavior. Compared to the deep and unfathomable Sanada Nobuyuki, Naoe Kanetsugu appreciated the straightforward Sanada Nobuyuki more.

"Lord Genzaburo, please." Naoe Kanetsugu said, and began to eat.

As Sanada Nobuyuki picked up his chopsticks, he casually remarked, "Is the Uesugi family short of money?"

　Regarding the Uesugi family's human trafficking:
　　When the Uesugi clan went to war, they would often send a large force as a small pack animal to carry provisions for the passing army.

　　Sometimes they would plunder enemy villages along the way and kidnap people, but they were usually sold for a relatively low price, typically a few dozen or a hundred coins per person.

　　This was a "windfall" during wartime and was not the main source of income for the Uesugi family.

　　So the Uesugi family did engage in human trafficking (which was common in Japan's Sengoku period, and every daimyo did it), but it wasn't as outrageous as some online accounts portray, making the Uesugi family seem like they were from northern Myanmar. That's simply not the case.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)