What Does a Super Weak Minor Lord in the Sengoku Era Aim For? - Chapter 10

Eiroku 3rd Year, January 5th – Yamanaka Manor – Ogin

“This place is as lively as a festival…”

I was asked by Rokuzaemon, the village chief, to come to the Yamanaka Manor to help with cooking. The village women and elderly who came with me carried various household supplies.

The once quiet and empty manor of the lord was now bustling with people. Outside the manor, young men were sweating despite the cold, working on construction.
Workers and materials were arriving one after another from various villages.

The village administrators were busy recording everything in their ledgers, directing where to place the incoming goods. In the open space, stacks of lumber, cedar bark, straw, and rope were piling up.

“Oh, Ogin! Thanks for coming. We’ll set up a cooking area in the second enclosure soon, but for today, just make do over there.”

It was Juzo-dono, now the head of the Shimizu family and called “Karo-sama” (chief retainer). When he was younger, he was kind of cute, but now he’s just a well-seasoned middle-aged man.

Fufufu…

My job here is to feed the workers. I heard that the lord has declared he will greatly expand his territory.
That’s why Shimizu-dono and Kitamura-sama agreed to this commotion.

Everyone in the villages is rallying to fulfill the lord’s ambitions.

“Men, carry stones, set up the hearth, and boil water in the large cauldron. Women, wash rice, chop potatoes and greens—get everything ready! The men working here are doing hard labor and will be starving soon. Get to it!”

The rice and firewood were stored in the manor—Karo-sama said to use them for now. As expected of six villages’ worth of tribute rice, there’s plenty.
The lord and Karo-sama are quite generous to release it like this.

Then I’ll make sure that as long as everyone works here, they’ll eat better than they would at home. Food is the source of strength.
If they know they’ll be fed, they’ll work with peace of mind.

“If you need anything, tell me or Meki. Though, we might not be able to get it right away, so make do however you can.”

So, in other words, we have nothing. That much is obvious.
There’s not even a proper kitchen yet—they’re still clearing land for it.

We need bowls and chopsticks to eat. Rice balls and pickles can be served on leaves or bamboo husks, but for soup, we need bowls.

Maybe Gisemon, the potter, has defective pieces he can spare? Kusaku, the woodworker, can also make good bowls.

I’ll ask Karo-sama to negotiate. Ideally, everyone should bring their own bowls and chopsticks. Chopsticks can be made from twigs or bamboo, so that’s no issue.
For bowls, maybe we can use bamboo sections for now…

“Ogin, you’re making my meals, are you?”

“Fukisaku-ji, only those who work hard get to eat.”

“Leave it to me! I’ll work hard day and night!”

“Just work during the day, old man. You should sleep early at night.”

“Ain’t that the truth! Gahahaha!”

“Ogin-nee-san, have you been crying because you miss my ‘thing’?”

“The only one I miss is my late husband, Oyakata.”

“I see, well, I’m loyal to my wife too.”

“Guess we’re the same, huh?”

“Gwahaha!”

Everyone I know is working cheerfully. We’ve given up on New Year celebrations, but with this festival-like atmosphere, no one seems to mind.
It’s better than sitting at home in the cold, doing nothing but getting hungry.

Oh, here we go—it’s turning into a real festival! The Narukawa entertainers have come to liven things up.
As expected from professionals, they’re talented! Everyone’s getting excited—it’s a great mood.

A cartload of defective pottery from Sonoda Village arrived. Misshapen bowls, cracked ones, odd-colored ones—even some plates broken in half.

Well, it’s better than nothing. If anything, they’ve got character…

This is actually kind of fun.

Alright, let’s cook up a feast! 

Time to sing a work song!

Same Day – Juzo Shimizu

The villagers responded well to the sudden call-up during New Year’s.

Far more people gathered than expected, and the place has turned into a festival. The excitement is spreading, drawing in even more people—it’s a virtuous cycle.

We need to clear land, expand the area, and build huts. The rapidly increasing troops will need a training ground. We also need workshops for making weapons.

Even if we recruit soldiers, we don’t have enough weapons. Even a single arrow costs money. In battle, we’ll need thousands.
We have no money, so we must make them ourselves.

We’re gathering arrow bamboo and bird feathers. If feathers are scarce, we’ll use bamboo leaves as a last resort. The arrows don’t need to be perfectly straight—we can just heat and bend them roughly.
As long as they fly forward once, that’s enough.

The lord said bamboo spears are good enough for the soldiers.

A row of six-foot-long bamboo spears, thrusting and knocking enemies over—that alone is effective.
Just make sure to use dried, lightweight bamboo for easy handling.

I watched them training with those spears, and… yeah, getting hit by that would knock someone out cold.

We’ll split thick bamboo—madake and mōsō bamboo—and use them as armor. Line up split bamboo pieces, and we’ll have cheap armor that can block arrows and blades.

Arrows aren’t the only thing—we’re also making bows. Hunters and joiners with skilled hands are crafting prototypes. They should be finished soon.

Blacksmithing is also crucial. We’re sending young men to help at the smithy to mass-produce arrowheads and spears.
Eventually, we’ll set up a forge inside the fortress.

And of course, feeding everyone involved is the most important part. Fortunately, we have Ogin—a perfect woman to lead the cooking operation.
She’s efficiently managing the elderly and the women.

Still… she’s as voluptuous as ever. So alluring…

Mufufu…

No, no, this is no time for such thoughts.

I have plenty of work to do. After all, I’m the chief retainer.