Chapter 75
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1570, late June
A week has passed since Shizuko welcomed many animals. She named the male Turkish Angora cat Tama and the female Hana. Naming the elephant turtle and the peacock was put off due to the large number of animals. Shizuko observes the German Shepherds frequently to see if they are stressed by isolation, even though some dog diseases can remain dormant for months depending on the type. Fortunately, the German Shepherds are running around energetically in the spacious land and do not appear to have any signs of illness. Shizuko thought that as long as things continued like this, there was no need to worry.
Tama has become friends with Wittman and Kaiser, and Hana has become friends with Barty. Now they sleep together in a row. The order is Wittman, Tama, Kaiser, König, Adelheid, Litter, Lutz, a little further away Hana, and Barty. Tama’s tail occasionally hits Kaiser’s belly, but Kaiser doesn’t seem to mind. Hana and others were sleeping with their bellies exposed. For dogs and cats, sleeping with their bellies exposed is a sign that they have no sense of vigilance. It is evidence that they are completely at ease without any external enemies. However, to Shizuko, Hana’s sleeping posture looked like that of a person who was drunk.
“It’s fine that they get along, but is it okay for them to take over the entire room?”
Shizuko strokes the chin of the sleeping Kaiser, while feeling amazed. Kaiser immediately shows a pleasant expression and wags his tail vigorously. Shizuko wonders if the others will have the same reaction, and she strokes the chins of Wittman and König. Although Barty has the least reaction, when Shizuko strokes his chin, all the wolves show a pleasant expression and wag their tails.
“Oh, I wonder if there’s a spot that feels good for wolves too?”
While thinking it’s an interesting discovery, Shizuko continues to stroke their chins. Tama wakes up with a cry. After stretching, he looks around several times. When he realizes that everyone is sleeping, Tama whimpers lightly once and then leaves the room.
“So carefree.”
Shizuko is surrounded by a peaceful atmosphere with the animals. However, there is a tense atmosphere around Nobunaga, Tokugawa, Hisamasa, and Asakura. Hisamasa is working on renovating a castle near Mino, and Asakura is buying military supplies and conscripting soldiers. Nobunaga informs Ieyasu about the Asai campaign and leaves the organization of the army to Mori Yoshinari, focusing on domestic affairs. As the season enters the rainy season, it is necessary to check if there is a need to change the plans based on the road maintenance situation. The road maintenance for military use was completed at a rapid pace, but the road maintenance for commercial routes, which also serve as commercial routes, has not yet been completed. In order to achieve stable finances, the development of commercial routes is as important as the invasion of Omi Province.
Nobunaga checks the documents that he had put off confirming. When he has gone through about half of the documents, the entrance is quietly opened.
“Brother, are you available now?”
The one who opened the entrance was Oichi. After Nobunaga glanced at Oichi, he nodded slightly and returned his gaze to the documents. Oichi sat down in front of Nobunaga and bowed deeply.
“First of all, thank you for helping us in a dangerous situation. My husband is still feeling down, but I’m sure he is grateful to you, brother.”
“I just brushed off the sparks that were flying. That’s all.”
Nobunaga answers with an attitude that suggests it’s not a big deal. Although it seems like a blunt attitude, Oichi understands that Nobunaga is hiding his embarrassment. She smiled slightly, but didn’t say anything more.
“…Brother, what will happen from now on?”
Oichi murmurs anxiously. Nagamasa has already been expelled from the Asai family framework. He is no longer a countryman of Omi Province, but just Nagamasa of the Asai family. He currently has followers, but eventually they will leave Nagamasa. When that happens, he will truly be alone.
“What I do won’t change. I will protect my brother-in-law and kill Shinkurō. That’s all.”
“You have changed. In the past, my brother would never say such words. Your words were always looking far ahead.”
“I haven’t changed. If you say that I have changed, it’s because you have changed.”
“No, well… I think you have definitely changed.”
Oichi, with a perplexed expression, continues speaking while pointing to a certain place.
“In the past, my brother would never do something like putting a cat on his shoulder.”
As Oichi pointed out, a Turkish Angora cat that Shizuko had given to him was sitting on Nobunaga’s shoulder. It relaxed and leaned its whole body on Nobunaga’s shoulder, stretching its legs straight. Nobunaga completely ignores the cat sleeping with a foolish expression. He even seemed to be paying attention to the cat.
“It’s adorable.”
Nobunaga responds to Oichi’s remark with a dignified attitude. Oichi’s understanding catches up, and the cat wakes up from its sleep. After rubbing its face with its front paws, it skillfully licks Nobunaga’s hand with an affectionate voice.
“Someone is here!”
“Yes! Right here!”
As soon as Nobunaga calls out, a pageboy quickly rushes in. Although slightly out of breath, Nobunaga continues speaking without paying attention.
“Torajirō wants food. Prepare it immediately!”
“Huh? Haha!”
The pageboy, who momentarily had a foolish expression, quickly composes himself, bows to Nobunaga, and rushes to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Torajirō, completely ignoring the human commotion, rolls around on the tatami. Nobunaga smiles and strokes Torajirō’s back, then turns his face towards Oichi.
“Both the lord and Bizen-no-kami are mentally exhausted, so they keep thinking about unnecessary things. Come and clear your mind in my resting place. The person eavesdropping there knows the location.”
“Oh, I’ve been found out.”
The sliding door opens quietly, and Nohime, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, enters.
“Well then, Oichi, let’s go.”
Nohime grabs Oichi and drags her away without waiting for her response. Confused by the sudden turn of events, Oichi is dragged along by Nohime without resistance.
“Um, Nohime-sama…”
“Leave the lord alone. He’s going to have a heart-to-heart with Torajirō.”
“Um, well then, brother, excuse me.”
While being dragged by Nohime, Oichi says her farewell to Nobunaga. As she bows, the sliding door closes quietly.
Since being protected by Nobunaga, Nagamasa’s decline has been nothing short of tragic. A month ago, he was the head of the Asai family, which ruled over Omi Province. Now he has been expelled from the Asai family. He only has Endō Naotsune and his close friend Mitamura as retainers, and there are no soldiers other than those who take care of his daily life. It is clear to anyone that Nagamasa has no chance of making a comeback.
“He is my brother-in-law, even if it’s just a matter of duty. I cannot abandon him.”
Nobunaga prepared a splendid samurai residence and new clothes for Nagamasa, and protected him with great respect. In response to the letter of Nagamasa’s handover request sent by Hisamasa, Nobunaga tore up the letter, beheaded the messenger, and refused all demands. Nagamasa expressed his gratitude and thanks to Nobunaga, but he is seriously troubled by being in opposition to his father.
“However, your husband’s state of depression is terrible. He may have many thoughts, but now is the time to show some spirit, don’t you think?”
Nohime’s observation was somewhat correct. Some retainers who had defected from Nagamasa were not only disappointed with his deteriorating position, but also with his depressed state. If Nagamasa had shown a little more enthusiasm for a comeback, his situation might have been alleviated.
“…Yes, I think the retainers were also disappointed. However, my husband is grateful to those who stayed.”
“That’s right. We must cherish loyal vassals.”
“Yes.”
“We will arrive at our destination soon. Take your time to calm down there.”
A few moments later, Nohime and the others arrive at their destination, Shizuko’s place. When they get out of the palanquin, Nohime takes a deep breath.
“It still smells like soil here.”
While saying such a rude remark and stretching, Nohime walks towards their destination as if it were her own familiar home. On the other hand, Oichi and the others are surprised by the strict security and follow Nohime with a fearful attitude. Immediately, Nagamasa and Oichi receive a baptism. The Wittman family, who noticed the unfamiliar visitors, watches their actions from a distance. It’s not just the Wittmans. The hooded crows, eagles, and black and red kites on the roof overlook Oichi and the others.
“No need to worry. They are just cautious of newcomers.”
Nohime laughs off the concerns of the always-ready-to-draw-sword Naotsune. While others are filled with vigilance, she walks with a dignified attitude.
When Nohime visits Shizuko, she is secluded in the newly constructed workshop. The workshop is not an agricultural workshop, but a woodworking workshop. The reason for building the workshop is to make mock-ups. When explaining new tools, it is easier for everyone to have a unified image if there is a physical representation rather than just a drawing on paper. Especially for brand new tools, craftsmen have a hard time imagining the shape from paper, which consumes unnecessary time. Making mock-ups became a necessary task to eliminate the gap in imagination between Shizuko and the craftsmen, and to reduce unnecessary work, especially when requesting the development of large tools.
“Is it almost done?”
“Well, I think this is enough as a mock-up. Is there any problem?”
Currently, Shizuko is making a rubber-powered screw ship as a mock-up. Of course, this will not be used as the power source for a fishing boat. Rubber deteriorates quickly. And it lacks the strength to be used as a power source.
“If we can manually turn the screw, it will become a reasonably fast fishing boat.”
Shizuko’s image is to apply the structure of a bicycle and use a chain and gears to turn the screw. It is less laborious to use a screw propeller to rotate the water at a low speed and generate lift to obtain propulsion force compared to manually rowing a wooden fishing boat. However, there are problems such as the attachment of aquatic organisms to the screw propeller and about 1/3 of the energy of the drive shaft not contributing to the propulsion force. Nevertheless, the screw propeller is excellent as a power source, so it is adopted as a standard in almost all modern ships.
“But why do we need to make a screw fishing boat? I think it’s fine to use a rowing fishing boat, right?”
Mitsuo murmured. As Mitsuo pointed out, it doesn’t make much sense for a fishing boat to be equipped with a screw propeller. On the contrary, the structure becomes more complex, and there is a possibility that repairs will be expensive in the event of a malfunction.
“Well, that’s true. But when the power source becomes an internal combustion engine in the future, if the screw propeller is already common sense, it can be easily adopted.”
“I see. If the screw propeller is common sense, it’s just a matter of changing the power source.”
“Since internal combustion engines require crude oil, it is impossible to reproduce them in the Warring States period, but if it’s a steam engine, I know the structure so I can make it. However, in order to use a steam engine as the power source for a ship, a screw propeller is a prerequisite. Well, steam engines are inefficient though.”
“Hmm, I see. Looking at it this way, there is meaning in the transition of things.”
“Well, unless something like this happens, it’s meaningless to know.”
“Because it’s meaningless, it can also be called a hobby. Humans waste most of their time on meaningless things, so I don’t think there’s any need to belittle oneself.”
“Ahaha, I’m grateful to hear you say that.”
Shizuko noticed that Ashimitsu, who was doing other work, was not joining the conversation. Wondering what he was doing, Shizuko turned her face towards his workbench. There, Ashimitsu was happily spinning a toy gun he had made himself with one hand, like a little boy. Seeing him in that strange pose, Shizuko decided to leave him alone.
“Is the conversation over?”
“Ashimitsu-san, you seem to be having fun. By the way, what is that?”
Ashimitsu smiled mischievously in response to Mitsuo’s question. Shizuko, who thought the switch had been turned on, quietly moved behind Ashimitsu to avoid being noticed by the two.
“Mitsuo, if you’re a man, you should know. Men always find romance in weapons. This is a model gun I made. Its name is Winchester M1873 Carbine. It is one of the masterpieces made by Winchester and is also known as the ‘gun that conquered the West.’ It has a magazine capacity of 14 rounds, operates with a lever action, has a total length of 125.2cm, a barrel length of 76.2cm, weighs 4.3kg, was designed in 1873, and was manufactured between 1873 and 1919. It was used by gunmen and cowboys. It looks good if you can spin-cock it.”
“Um, um, well, I understand that it’s amazing, so please calm down.”
“What need is there to hold back? It’s only natural for a man to have a longing for guns. I’ll make one for you too.”
Mitsuo was taken aback by Ashimitsu’s explanation. When he looked around for help from Shizuko, he saw Shizuko swinging something behind Ashimitsu.
“Hyah!”
With a cute voice, Shizuko struck Ashimitsu’s head hard with the butt of the toy gun. It seemed quite painful, and Ashimitsu held the spot where he was hit with his palm and glared at Shizuko with teary eyes.
“It’s fine to be enthusiastic, but please do it in a way that doesn’t bother others.”
“I will handle it appropriately.”
“Well, well, it’s good if you can stay calm. But Ashimitsu-san, you’re unexpectedly wild.”
“No, Ashimitsu-san is not a gun enthusiast. He just fell in love with a scene in a movie where an actor riding a bike shoots a shotgun while spin-cocking, and he put everything from the design plans into his head. So, to be clear, he can only make this gun and nothing else.”
“I once imitated a movie, and it was a good memory that I ended up being taken care of by the police.”
“Even if it’s private property, if a guy wearing sunglasses is riding a bike and waving a toy gun around, anyone would report it.”
“Haha, Ashimitsu-san is surprisingly wild.”
“The protagonist of that movie is the very embodiment of the way of life I aspire to.”
As they continued their conversation, the three of them began to feel hungry. Thinking it was a good time, they started cleaning up without anyone saying so.
“I can’t wait. Steamed sake clams, grilled abalone, simmered turban shell, and deep-fried sea cucumber.”
Gorou, who had obtained fresh seafood, spoke and wanted to show the results of what he had learned. Today’s lunch, including the recipes, was all orchestrated by Gorou. Therefore, Shizuko and Mitsuo only knew what kind of dishes Gorou would serve. They were all looking forward to the delicious dishes that would be presented based on Gorou’s hard work.
“The main dish is a luxurious tendon bowl topped with shrimp and Japanese horse mackerel tempura. In modern times, you would have to pay a fortune to eat this, but here we can eat it to our heart’s content. It’s even better with sake.”
“There is no greater pleasure than food. Now that the cleanup is done, let’s enjoy our lunch.”
It was not until some time later that they realized that Nohime had visited them at a timely moment and that she had brought along a troublesome guest.
The lunch that day was solemn like a funeral. The food itself was delicious, but because there were unfamiliar people among the four of them, they ended up being reserved and hesitant towards each other. The conversation was also intermittent. Nohime, who had set up the occasion, muttered, “It’s a failure,” and after that, she didn’t say a word and focused on eating. Keiji and the others, who usually went for seconds, also finished their meals and quickly left, feeling tired of the atmosphere of the lunch. Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) declined to join the lunch, citing “the atmosphere becoming delicate.” Shizuko thought he was actually running away.
“I apologize. I thought it would be a change of mood for everyone, but it seems that Bizen-no-kami-dono is in a worse mood than expected.”
Nohime apologized for making the atmosphere awkward. She thought that exposing them to a different atmosphere would change their feelings, but realizing that it was a naive idea, she decided not to cause any more unnecessary commotion and immediately returned to Gifu with Oichi and Nagamasa.
Shizuko and Mitsuo changed their mindset and decided to redo the cooking presentation a week later. Instead of Nohime and the others, Tsuruhime and Shiba participated in the lunch. There was no cause for a heavy atmosphere, so everyone had a pleasant time during the lunch.
After lunch, Shizuko and Ashimitsu moved to the workshop.
“It reminds me of a chemistry experiment. But this, it wasn’t a dangerous chemical, right?”
Stirring the contents of the beaker made by a glass artisan, Shizuko muttered quietly. The liquid inside is a certain substance that, although low in toxicity, requires careful handling.
“There is no mercy in war. But even so, I am restraining myself. After all, in this era, even if I refine TNT, I won’t be arrested by the police.”
“The Japanese police are excellent in such matters. They have created a system that will always expose you if you try to mass-produce it, which I think is a very good thing.”
“Otherwise, there would be terrorists everywhere. Basic knowledge of making explosives can be obtained by reading high school textbooks.”
“Well, that’s true. But for this one, I think we’ll need to use quite a bit of potassium nitrate. Is that okay?”
Shizuko and Ashimitsu are conducting various extraction processes for chemical substances, and most of them require potassium nitrate. A large amount of black powder is also necessary, but Shizuko is slightly worried whether Ashimitsu has permission to freely use them from Nobunaga.
“No problem. I have obtained permission from Lord Oda. After all, there is no opportunity to use a large number of matchlock guns. And it seems that there is an excess of it with Shizuko’s method. In exchange for teaching you something other than matchlock guns, permission to use a large amount has been granted.”
“Using a large amount… but are there other uses for black powder?”
Shizuko, who strongly associates black powder with matchlock guns, couldn’t think of any other uses for black powder. Ashimitsu smiled slightly and gently placed his hand on Shizuko’s head.
“Shizuko doesn’t need to know. I will dirty my hands alone. I have no hesitation in killing someone who is trying to fight fair and square with dirty hands. If the opponent uses dirty hands, I won’t hesitate to crush them with even dirtier hands. And even before I met Shizuko, my hands were probably already stained with blood. So, even if the dirt increases now, I don’t mind.”
Ashimitsu’s voice, speaking gently, made Shizuko almost nod. But she tightened her resolve and quietly, but firmly, shook her head.
“…No, that’s not right. It’s not right to push the responsibility onto someone else and be the only one in a safe place. Even if everyone forgives me, I won’t forgive myself. I’m sure I have to fight in a battle. To dirty my hands.”
“Shizuko…”
Shizuko, who has never killed anyone before, didn’t think that it would continue like that forever. Someday, she would have to kill someone. But she had been avoiding and evading that “someday.” However, she realized that she could no longer run away, that it was time to make a decision. Whether to dirty her own hands and continue fighting, or to continue pushing the act of dirtying hands onto others and running away.
“And… I may not realize it, but I think I have killed many people. I know that what I have created is not only used during peacetime.”
“……”
“Don’t make that face, Uncle Ashimitsu. I understand because I’ve studied history. Peace is a state where the balance of power is maintained. Wars start when the enemy attacks without warning. If we stop thinking for ourselves, everything will be too late. Without realizing that… the Japanese at that time (….) were possessed by naive delusions that if we threw away our weapons, the enemy would too.”
“….Yes, that’s right. Even assassinations should be done after informing the target. If there’s an opportunity, they will take advantage of it and come to assassinate.”
“Easy humanitarianism and peace movements actually fuel the ambitions of invaders. Yes… my parents’ generation should have known that. Peace movements are tactics to deceive the enemy and launch advantageous invasions. Peace is just the preparation period until the next war breaks out.”
“Don’t choose the means for the sake of the goal. Justice is determined by the winner, evil by the loser. If you make the opponent into evil, even the most cruel bullying can be justified.”
Shizuko nods at Ashimitsu’s words.
“If it’s possible to avoid hurting someone, that’s the best. But there are times when we can’t say that. That’s why I don’t intend to involve Uncle Ashimitsu in dirty work.”
“Understood. If Shizuko has that determination, I won’t say anything more. But as someone who has already gotten his hands dirty, I’ll give you a warning. The burden will be much harder than Shizuko can imagine. So if it gets tough, rely on me.”
While patting Shizuko’s head, Ashimitsu thinks to himself. This girl is indeed kind and strong.
“Well, the conversation is over. Let’s make lots of surprise toys for now.”
That’s why Ashimitsu doesn’t hesitate. He will protect Shizuko by any means necessary. Even if it means being branded a coward for carrying out those actions, he will not stop.
(It’s so difficult not to intervene. But it’s unthinkable to show weakness at this level. This girl once melted my stubborn heart and taught me the warmth of others. Compared to Shizuko’s struggles back then, what I have to do is easy.)
Due to Hisamasa’s coup and the invasion of Mino by the Asakura clan, it became inevitable for Nobunaga to engage in battles against the Asakura and Asai clans. After Nobunaga issued the order for the “Invasion of Omi Province,” which was practically a retaliatory campaign, Hisamasa and the Asakura clan began purchasing military supplies from merchants and forcibly collecting them from rural areas to prepare for war. However, Hisamasa’s purchases did not go as smoothly as expected. The reason was that the Omi Province merchants’ union, which had been supporting Nagamasa, became reluctant to trade. They were concerned that openly opposing Nobunaga would jeopardize their business, so they became hesitant to trade with Hisamasa. However, when Nobunaga learned of this, he summoned the members of the Omi Province merchants’ union to Gifu and assured them that trading with Hisamasa would not worsen their relationship with him.
“You don’t need to hold back with me, feel free to sell plenty to the Asakura clan. If necessary, you can even buy goods from my territory.”
The messengers from the Omi Province merchants’ union were perplexed by Nobunaga’s words, but he continued speaking without concern.
“If Hisamasa and the Asakura clan complain that they lost because they couldn’t buy weapons due to Oda’s pressure, it will be troublesome for me.”
The messengers from the Omi Province merchants’ union finally understood that Nobunaga had no objections to trading with Hisamasa.
Later, the Omi Province merchants’ union agreed to trade with Hisamasa, but the prices were higher than usual. However, this was simply following the principle of business to “buy low, sell high.” Almost half of the goods that were brought in were not understood by anyone, and they wondered why such a large quantity was being collected. Nevertheless, the merchants silently gathered the goods and sold them to Shizuko.
“Hehehe, as expected of Lady Shizuko. You’ve bought a lot, haven’t you?”
Kyujiro, with a dubious smile, looks at the goods being brought into the warehouse together with Shizuko.
“How about spices from the Nanban?”
“It’s difficult for things that they consider valuable. However, we are gradually collecting well-known medicinal herbs.”
Shizuko has trade routes with China, India, tropical Asia, and Portugal. Through these routes, she imports various herbs and crops, but it still takes time to obtain them. So she has entrusted the task to multiple people, staggering the time for each person to make the requests. It costs more, but it is the best option to ensure a reliable supply.
“So… is the trade with India still difficult?”
“I’ve been talking to the Nanban people, but it seems they don’t understand the value. They also mentioned that it’s difficult to find buyers. Well, let them search to their heart’s content.”
“Yes, please find them as soon as possible. I’m sure they exist, Damascus swords.”
Damascus swords are swords made in Damascus, Syria, using Indian Wootz steel, which has a wood grain-like pattern. Damascus steel is also known as Wootz steel, which was developed and manufactured in ancient India. While it is also used to refer to steel that is layered and forged with different metals to create patterns, this is different from the original Damascus steel, and the true manufacturing technique of Wootz steel has been completely lost. However, the technique was lost only in the 19th century, so during the Sengoku period, there is hope for the production of Wootz steel. However, since the manufacturing method of Wootz steel was passed down through oral tradition, it is quite difficult to find someone who can produce it. Normally, it would require a considerable amount of money, but Kyujiro’s persuasive skills seem to have been effective in exploiting the Portuguese merchants.
“I understand. Well, by the end of summer, I will show you some results.”
“Please.”
Shizuko was seeking Wootz steel ingots and Damascus swords. In Shizuko’s time, most of the famous swords and spears had disappeared. For Shizuko, who had only seen them in photographs preserved through digitization, being able to see the actual famous swords and spears and even have them under her control was truly a dream come true. While she was also interested in civilian technology, the Sengoku period was, after all, an era of war. She couldn’t help but be strongly drawn to armor, swords, and spears.
Regardless, the purpose is not just to collect. Just as Nobunaga collects tea utensils to demonstrate that he is a suitable ruler, having legendary swords with a lineage makes it easier to gather retainers when they are needed. In other words, it allows me to demonstrate that “I have the power to receive a sword bestowed upon me by Nobunaga.” No one gathers around someone without power. Because they won’t benefit from it.
“The invasion of Omi Province is about to begin, so it might get a little tough.”
“That’s right. I also need to prepare for the battle. Well then, excuse me.”
As soon as he said that, Kyujiro quickly disappeared into the crowd. Shizuko was amazed at his speed, and as she exhaled softly, she returned her gaze to the warehouse and muttered with a distant look on her face.
“Yes… things are about to get difficult.”
Even if Shizuko knew that the Battle of Anegawa was going to happen, she couldn’t just stop it by being prepared. Even if some historical events didn’t happen, Shizuko was somewhat despairing that things were returning to the major conflicts, such as the dissolution of the alliance with the Asakura clan and the hostility with the Asakura clan. If history continued as it was, Mori Yoshinari, who was Nobunaga’s greatest understanding, would lose his life in the Battle of Usayama Castle. That’s not all. If Nobunaga’s brother, Oda Nobuoki, the lord of Kogi Castle, was killed, Nobunaga’s response to the Nagashima Ikko-ikki would become more ruthless. It is said that the reason Nobunaga used even cruel methods against the Nagashima Ikko-ikki was because Nobuoki, who he trusted deeply, was killed.
(I guess I have no choice but to completely destroy the Asakura army in the Battle of Anegawa and make it impossible for them to come out from Echizen.)
I must avoid the death of Mori Yoshinari at all costs. In order to achieve that, it is necessary for the Asakura army to suffer enough damage that they cannot send reinforcements. If it is impossible for the Asakura army to participate, there is a possibility that the Battle of Usayama Castle can be carried out advantageously.
But there is a problem. Asakura Yoshikage has a habit of immediately retreating when the situation becomes unfavorable. This became a hole in the Oda encirclement and became a factor for turning Nobunaga’s pinch into an opportunity. However, this time it will backfire. It is not a problem if Asakura Yoshikage survives. Shizuko actually wanted him, who tends to be reclusive, to continue as the head of the clan until he is betrayed by his own family. But in order to inflict significant damage on the army like this time, it is more convenient to have reckless warriors who launch a reckless assault. Although it is a convenient thing, Shizuko is troubled about what kind of strategy to take.
“Hmm, maybe I should consult with Uncle Ashimitsu about this.”
Shizuko, who thought that she couldn’t come up with a plan on her own, went to the shrine where Ashimitsu lived.
“I see, so Shizuko wants to completely destroy the Asakura army. But you can’t think of a way to do it, is that it?”
After listening to Shizuko’s story, Ashimitsu narrowed his eyes and looked into her eyes as he asked.
“Yeah. Well… if it were you, you would probably use TNT bombs to blow them up, but I’m not really good at that.”
“Even in this era, you can make RDX. It requires the use of dangerous substances for refining, so it would require some sacrifices.”
“Are you planning to collect ammonia and phosphorus from livestock urine? If you do, I would like you to use it as fertilizer.”
“MAP (Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate) method would be more familiar to Mitsuo. It was a secondary income for livestock farmers.”
“By spraying steam on livestock urine, ammonia can be collected. The remaining substance can be used to recover phosphoric acid using the MAP method. By dividing the obtained ammonia in half, one half can be refined into sodium carbonate and ammonium chloride using the Solvay process. The remaining half can be refined into ammonium dihydrogen phosphate by neutralizing it with phosphoric acid, and by adding the byproduct ammonium chloride from the Solvay process and cooling it, ammonium phosphate can be obtained… and sodium carbonate can be used as a material for glass… well, don’t you think it’s quite good?”
“It’s because you can recover carbon dioxide from a lime kiln. In that case, we would need bio-coke as fuel. It has the disadvantage of using a large amount of oil due to the pressure applied by the hydraulic press, but it has the advantage of not running out of materials.”
“If it’s vegetable oil, would it be castor oil? It has a high viscosity and can’t be used for food, so it wouldn’t be a problem to use a large amount. Until now, it has only been cultivated for medicinal use, but if we’re making bio-coke, we might as well cultivate it in large quantities.”
“We’re getting off track, should we get back on topic? Even without modern scientific weapons, it is possible to fulfill Shizuko’s wish with the current resources.”
With those words, Ashimitsu handed Shizuko the materials he had prepared in advance. Shizuko, who received them, read through the materials.
“Is this… for real?”
After finishing reading the materials, Shizuko furrowed her brows and threw a question at Ashimitsu. The things written in the materials could be dangerous if mishandled, but they were not something that would directly endanger lives. Shizuko couldn’t come up with a way to use them to completely destroy the Asakura army.
“We understand them as ‘toys,’ but for them, it’s ‘unknown.’ Now, Shizuko, what should you not do when acting as a group?”
“Um… cause panic?”
“That’s right. In this era, the army is mostly an unorganized group. What do you think will happen if you give them fear and anxiety?”
“The maintenance of the army will become impossible?”
“Correct. Once a military force’s morale is weakened by fear and anxiety, it will collapse in no time. No one wants to die in vain. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but to fulfill Shizuko’s request, we need to make a slight adjustment.”
Ashimitsu put his hand on his chin and pondered. After thinking for a while, he continued to speak while looking at Shizuko.
“For now, let’s go with a method that doesn’t involve using destructive weapons. However, you should understand that a lot of blood will be shed. And there’s no guarantee of success, especially since Asakura is a coward who will run away immediately.”
“I understand that. Many people will probably die. There’s a part of me that thinks it’s a bad thing. But this perspective is from the time I came from, not from the Sengoku period.”
“…”
“Don’t make that face, Uncle Ashimitsu. But well, I probably have a part of me that thinks lightly about it somewhere in my heart, so I can’t easily say ‘I’m prepared.’ So… I’ll tell myself that I pulled the trigger.”
“I will use various means to kill and injure a large number of enemies. And it was Shizuko herself who pulled the trigger…”
“That’s right.”
Shizuko nodded weakly while laughing at Ashimitsu’s words.
Hisamasa hurriedly built fortresses in places like Chohi and Kariyasu near the border with Mino Province. He also strengthened the defenses of Yokoyama Castle and Kamaha Castle. However, due to the schemes of Hideyoshi and Takenaka Hanbei, who were acting on Nobunaga’s orders, Naoie Higuchi of Chohi Castle, Hidemura Hori of Kamaha Castle, and even Minoura Castle defected to the Oda side, causing cracks in Hisamasa’s defense network.
Having successfully created a breach in the defense network of Asai’s main castle, Kotani Castle, Nobunaga arrived at Chohi Castle in less than a day after the scheme. Nobunaga’s swift actions did not even give Hisamasa time to rebuild his defense network. With a slight weakness in his mental state, he couldn’t hide his agitation at Nobunaga’s abnormal behavior, and he failed to reestablish his position.
Understanding that Hisamasa would continue to defend until the arrival of reinforcements from the Asakura clan, Nobunaga suspended the attack on Kotani Castle and switched to a strategy of attacking Yokoyama Castle, which was about nine kilometers to the south. When the Ashikaga side sensed the movement of his main camp, they sent out pursuit troops to launch a surprise attack from behind. However, thanks to the efforts of the rearguard, such as Sassa Narimasa, the Oda army completed their move to Ryuganose in the same day.
Two days after moving to Ryuganose, Nobunaga began the attack on Yokoyama Castle. With the addition of Ieyasu’s main force of 5,000, the combined forces of Oda and Tokugawa numbered 30,000, while at the same time, Hisamasa’s reinforcements of 10,000, led by Asakura Yoshikage, arrived. Hisamasa led his entire army out of Kotani Castle and joined forces with the Asakura army. They advanced to Oyoriyama for the purpose of supporting the rear of Yokoyama Castle. The battle between the combined forces of Oda and Tokugawa and the combined forces of Asai and Asakura began. Not only the local daimyo, but even the shogun and the emperor were watching the progress of the battle.
Meanwhile, Shizuko recruited laborers and began construction of a makeshift zoo with the Kurokuwa group (civil engineering workers). First, they cleared a 4,000 tsubo area and surrounded it with walls to prevent the animals from escaping. The walls were made of white plaster. Plaster walls have excellent fire resistance, but they have the disadvantage of melting when wet. To prevent this, wooden cladding was applied to areas prone to rain, and the walls needed to be repainted every ten to fifteen years.
Once the walls were completed, they began digging a moat inside the walls that would serve as both a water source for the zoo and a defensive measure. Since defense was not the main purpose, the width of the moat was set at 12 ken (about 21 meters), narrower than the usual 15 ken (about 27 meters). The depth was set between 3 to 4 meters to allow for water storage. Furthermore, an earthen rampart was built inside the moat to prevent escape from the inside. After that, they just needed to create the appropriate environments for each animal.
For the peacocks, they prepared aviaries of 10 tsubo and 4 meters in height for each pair, and also installed tunnel-like boxes in the four corners of the aviaries, measuring 50 centimeters in width, 70 centimeters in height, and 90 centimeters in depth. The reason for preparing the tunnel-like boxes was to protect the female peacocks from the aggressive males during the breeding season. Breeding males can become aggressive towards females and sometimes even kill them. To prevent harm to the females, it was necessary to provide escape routes in the form of boxes in the four corners of the aviaries.
In order for the male to propose to the female, he needed to spread his feathers, called “joubitou” in Japanese, which needed to be collected. The feathers that the male peacock uses to propose to the female are often thought to be the same feathers throughout their lifetime, but in reality, they grow new feathers every year. They become the most beautiful from April to June during the breeding season, and then gradually start to shed their feathers from July, until they are completely gone by November. Then, new feathers start to grow around December, and they become the most beautiful again from April to June during the breeding season. Shizuko planned to use the shed feathers as decorative material, but for her, it was just a bonus if she could obtain them.
For the turtles, separate areas were prepared for laying eggs, surrounded by bird-proof nets, and sleeping areas with narrow entrances and soft soil were prepared. Turtles drink as much water as they can, so it was necessary to keep water away as much as possible. While other animals would suffer from dehydration in such an environment, they were built with enough water intake from vegetables, wild plants, and fruits. However, since turtles are sensitive to cold, they needed to be moved to a hut near the hot springs from the end of autumn, as they cannot survive the Japanese winter.
Fortunately, the Shepherds did not show any signs of diseases such as rabies, and they are still running around energetically. Shizuko, who wanted to make them the foundation for breeding and improve the dog breeds, took the Shepherd’s environment into the most consideration. However, they were more interested in new toys than having a large space or a comfortable environment. It goes without saying that the toys were completely worn out within a few days due to the rough welcome from the large Shepherd dogs.
Construction of facilities other than the mansion and castle on a vast area of 4000 tsubo. The intermediaries thought it was a strange civil engineering project, but there was no danger like in a battle, and they could receive money. For the intermediaries who were not bound by land, it was truly a paradise-like workplace. Therefore, to prevent the intermediaries from being too occupied with this safe civil engineering project, Shizuko had stopped recruiting until Nobunaga went to battle. This was because the intermediaries believed that it was better to receive money from civil engineering projects unless they were particularly fond of battles.
Shizuko was not heavily involved in the construction of the zoo and left most of it to the Kurokuwa (civil engineering workers) group. The reason was that she was conducting special training for matchlock guns ordered by Nobunaga. In addition to taking care of Torajiro and overseeing the production of the cat pet house “Neko Chigura,” there were other tasks, but the biggest task was the special training for matchlock guns.
Speaking of matchlock guns, Nobunaga’s famous “sandanuchi” technique used in the Battle of Nagashino is unrealistic. Even if they tried to perform simultaneous firing according to the conductor’s command, the farther the distance, the slower the orders would be transmitted. Moreover, there would be people who would take longer to prepare and others who would finish quickly, resulting in a lot of wasted time. There is a better strategy for the Oda-Tokugawa alliance, which has superior forces, than the ineffective “sandanuchi.” It is to surround the Takeda army and attack them from all sides. No matter how strong the Takeda soldiers may be, they would surrender before the siege due to their small numbers.
It is believed that Nobunaga responded as follows in the Battle of Nagashino. First, he deliberately dispersed his forces and made his main camp appear smaller than the Takeda army to lure Kenshin out. During that time, they captured the Tobi-ga-Su fortress and four supporting fortresses (Nakayama, Kumaya, Ubaga-Kai, and Kimi-Ga-Fusho) and relieved Nagashino Castle. Due to the successful surprise attack by the Sakai ambush unit, the Takeda main force that advanced to Settara was threatened in their retreat, and ultimately they charged at the Oda-Tokugawa alliance’s main camp. In response to the Takeda army’s charge, Nobunaga attacked them from three directions, not with “sandanuchi,” and it is believed that they killed many renowned warlords and brought the Takeda army to a state of collapse. Considering that the Takeda army suffered more than 10,000 casualties, it is more realistic to think that they implemented a semi-encirclement strategy from three directions rather than the ineffective “sandanuchi,” as the author believes.
Going back to the story, Shizuko focused on the training of the matchlock gun unit, conducting rapid-fire training and alternating between the loader and shooter roles, which the Shimazu clan excelled at. Through this training, the firing time of the matchlock gun, which usually took around 40 to 50 seconds, was shortened to just 15 to 20 seconds. The results of the training were excellent, and everyone had improved their skills to the point where they could fire four shots in one minute. However, the alternating firing was still awkward, and Shizuko felt that long-term training was necessary.
“The rest will be decided by the lord. When he returns from the Battle of Okehazama, the Oda army’s matchlock gun unit will also be considerably strengthened.”
If further reinforcement was needed, the development of matchlock guns capable of using Minié bullets would be the best option, but that was being handled by Ashimitsu. Development included tasks such as manufacturing tools for rifling, standardizing Minié bullets, and many others. Especially, since the caliber of matchlock guns was not standardized due to being handmade, it was necessary to design the size of Minié bullets based on the most average caliber.
“Well, let’s leave that to Uncle Ashimitsu. I just need to do what I can do.”
Discarding unnecessary distractions, Shizuko focused on the training of the matchlock gun unit.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
1570, late June
A week has passed since Shizuko welcomed many animals. She named the male Turkish Angora cat Tama and the female Hana. Naming the elephant turtle and the peacock was put off due to the large number of animals. Shizuko observes the German Shepherds frequently to see if they are stressed by isolation, even though some dog diseases can remain dormant for months depending on the type. Fortunately, the German Shepherds are running around energetically in the spacious land and do not appear to have any signs of illness. Shizuko thought that as long as things continued like this, there was no need to worry.
Tama has become friends with Wittman and Kaiser, and Hana has become friends with Barty. Now they sleep together in a row. The order is Wittman, Tama, Kaiser, König, Adelheid, Litter, Lutz, a little further away Hana, and Barty. Tama’s tail occasionally hits Kaiser’s belly, but Kaiser doesn’t seem to mind. Hana and others were sleeping with their bellies exposed. For dogs and cats, sleeping with their bellies exposed is a sign that they have no sense of vigilance. It is evidence that they are completely at ease without any external enemies. However, to Shizuko, Hana’s sleeping posture looked like that of a person who was drunk.
“It’s fine that they get along, but is it okay for them to take over the entire room?”
Shizuko strokes the chin of the sleeping Kaiser, while feeling amazed. Kaiser immediately shows a pleasant expression and wags his tail vigorously. Shizuko wonders if the others will have the same reaction, and she strokes the chins of Wittman and König. Although Barty has the least reaction, when Shizuko strokes his chin, all the wolves show a pleasant expression and wag their tails.
“Oh, I wonder if there’s a spot that feels good for wolves too?”
While thinking it’s an interesting discovery, Shizuko continues to stroke their chins. Tama wakes up with a cry. After stretching, he looks around several times. When he realizes that everyone is sleeping, Tama whimpers lightly once and then leaves the room.
“So carefree.”
Shizuko is surrounded by a peaceful atmosphere with the animals. However, there is a tense atmosphere around Nobunaga, Tokugawa, Hisamasa, and Asakura. Hisamasa is working on renovating a castle near Mino, and Asakura is buying military supplies and conscripting soldiers. Nobunaga informs Ieyasu about the Asai campaign and leaves the organization of the army to Mori Yoshinari, focusing on domestic affairs. As the season enters the rainy season, it is necessary to check if there is a need to change the plans based on the road maintenance situation. The road maintenance for military use was completed at a rapid pace, but the road maintenance for commercial routes, which also serve as commercial routes, has not yet been completed. In order to achieve stable finances, the development of commercial routes is as important as the invasion of Omi Province.
Nobunaga checks the documents that he had put off confirming. When he has gone through about half of the documents, the entrance is quietly opened.
“Brother, are you available now?”
The one who opened the entrance was Oichi. After Nobunaga glanced at Oichi, he nodded slightly and returned his gaze to the documents. Oichi sat down in front of Nobunaga and bowed deeply.
“First of all, thank you for helping us in a dangerous situation. My husband is still feeling down, but I’m sure he is grateful to you, brother.”
“I just brushed off the sparks that were flying. That’s all.”
Nobunaga answers with an attitude that suggests it’s not a big deal. Although it seems like a blunt attitude, Oichi understands that Nobunaga is hiding his embarrassment. She smiled slightly, but didn’t say anything more.
“…Brother, what will happen from now on?”
Oichi murmurs anxiously. Nagamasa has already been expelled from the Asai family framework. He is no longer a countryman of Omi Province, but just Nagamasa of the Asai family. He currently has followers, but eventually they will leave Nagamasa. When that happens, he will truly be alone.
“What I do won’t change. I will protect my brother-in-law and kill Shinkurō. That’s all.”
“You have changed. In the past, my brother would never say such words. Your words were always looking far ahead.”
“I haven’t changed. If you say that I have changed, it’s because you have changed.”
“No, well… I think you have definitely changed.”
Oichi, with a perplexed expression, continues speaking while pointing to a certain place.
“In the past, my brother would never do something like putting a cat on his shoulder.”
As Oichi pointed out, a Turkish Angora cat that Shizuko had given to him was sitting on Nobunaga’s shoulder. It relaxed and leaned its whole body on Nobunaga’s shoulder, stretching its legs straight. Nobunaga completely ignores the cat sleeping with a foolish expression. He even seemed to be paying attention to the cat.
“It’s adorable.”
Nobunaga responds to Oichi’s remark with a dignified attitude. Oichi’s understanding catches up, and the cat wakes up from its sleep. After rubbing its face with its front paws, it skillfully licks Nobunaga’s hand with an affectionate voice.
“Someone is here!”
“Yes! Right here!”
As soon as Nobunaga calls out, a pageboy quickly rushes in. Although slightly out of breath, Nobunaga continues speaking without paying attention.
“Torajirō wants food. Prepare it immediately!”
“Huh? Haha!”
The pageboy, who momentarily had a foolish expression, quickly composes himself, bows to Nobunaga, and rushes to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Torajirō, completely ignoring the human commotion, rolls around on the tatami. Nobunaga smiles and strokes Torajirō’s back, then turns his face towards Oichi.
“Both the lord and Bizen-no-kami are mentally exhausted, so they keep thinking about unnecessary things. Come and clear your mind in my resting place. The person eavesdropping there knows the location.”
“Oh, I’ve been found out.”
The sliding door opens quietly, and Nohime, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, enters.
“Well then, Oichi, let’s go.”
Nohime grabs Oichi and drags her away without waiting for her response. Confused by the sudden turn of events, Oichi is dragged along by Nohime without resistance.
“Um, Nohime-sama…”
“Leave the lord alone. He’s going to have a heart-to-heart with Torajirō.”
“Um, well then, brother, excuse me.”
While being dragged by Nohime, Oichi says her farewell to Nobunaga. As she bows, the sliding door closes quietly.
Since being protected by Nobunaga, Nagamasa’s decline has been nothing short of tragic. A month ago, he was the head of the Asai family, which ruled over Omi Province. Now he has been expelled from the Asai family. He only has Endō Naotsune and his close friend Mitamura as retainers, and there are no soldiers other than those who take care of his daily life. It is clear to anyone that Nagamasa has no chance of making a comeback.
“He is my brother-in-law, even if it’s just a matter of duty. I cannot abandon him.”
Nobunaga prepared a splendid samurai residence and new clothes for Nagamasa, and protected him with great respect. In response to the letter of Nagamasa’s handover request sent by Hisamasa, Nobunaga tore up the letter, beheaded the messenger, and refused all demands. Nagamasa expressed his gratitude and thanks to Nobunaga, but he is seriously troubled by being in opposition to his father.
“However, your husband’s state of depression is terrible. He may have many thoughts, but now is the time to show some spirit, don’t you think?”
Nohime’s observation was somewhat correct. Some retainers who had defected from Nagamasa were not only disappointed with his deteriorating position, but also with his depressed state. If Nagamasa had shown a little more enthusiasm for a comeback, his situation might have been alleviated.
“…Yes, I think the retainers were also disappointed. However, my husband is grateful to those who stayed.”
“That’s right. We must cherish loyal vassals.”
“Yes.”
“We will arrive at our destination soon. Take your time to calm down there.”
A few moments later, Nohime and the others arrive at their destination, Shizuko’s place. When they get out of the palanquin, Nohime takes a deep breath.
“It still smells like soil here.”
While saying such a rude remark and stretching, Nohime walks towards their destination as if it were her own familiar home. On the other hand, Oichi and the others are surprised by the strict security and follow Nohime with a fearful attitude. Immediately, Nagamasa and Oichi receive a baptism. The Wittman family, who noticed the unfamiliar visitors, watches their actions from a distance. It’s not just the Wittmans. The hooded crows, eagles, and black and red kites on the roof overlook Oichi and the others.
“No need to worry. They are just cautious of newcomers.”
Nohime laughs off the concerns of the always-ready-to-draw-sword Naotsune. While others are filled with vigilance, she walks with a dignified attitude.
When Nohime visits Shizuko, she is secluded in the newly constructed workshop. The workshop is not an agricultural workshop, but a woodworking workshop. The reason for building the workshop is to make mock-ups. When explaining new tools, it is easier for everyone to have a unified image if there is a physical representation rather than just a drawing on paper. Especially for brand new tools, craftsmen have a hard time imagining the shape from paper, which consumes unnecessary time. Making mock-ups became a necessary task to eliminate the gap in imagination between Shizuko and the craftsmen, and to reduce unnecessary work, especially when requesting the development of large tools.
“Is it almost done?”
“Well, I think this is enough as a mock-up. Is there any problem?”
Currently, Shizuko is making a rubber-powered screw ship as a mock-up. Of course, this will not be used as the power source for a fishing boat. Rubber deteriorates quickly. And it lacks the strength to be used as a power source.
“If we can manually turn the screw, it will become a reasonably fast fishing boat.”
Shizuko’s image is to apply the structure of a bicycle and use a chain and gears to turn the screw. It is less laborious to use a screw propeller to rotate the water at a low speed and generate lift to obtain propulsion force compared to manually rowing a wooden fishing boat. However, there are problems such as the attachment of aquatic organisms to the screw propeller and about 1/3 of the energy of the drive shaft not contributing to the propulsion force. Nevertheless, the screw propeller is excellent as a power source, so it is adopted as a standard in almost all modern ships.
“But why do we need to make a screw fishing boat? I think it’s fine to use a rowing fishing boat, right?”
Mitsuo murmured. As Mitsuo pointed out, it doesn’t make much sense for a fishing boat to be equipped with a screw propeller. On the contrary, the structure becomes more complex, and there is a possibility that repairs will be expensive in the event of a malfunction.
“Well, that’s true. But when the power source becomes an internal combustion engine in the future, if the screw propeller is already common sense, it can be easily adopted.”
“I see. If the screw propeller is common sense, it’s just a matter of changing the power source.”
“Since internal combustion engines require crude oil, it is impossible to reproduce them in the Warring States period, but if it’s a steam engine, I know the structure so I can make it. However, in order to use a steam engine as the power source for a ship, a screw propeller is a prerequisite. Well, steam engines are inefficient though.”
“Hmm, I see. Looking at it this way, there is meaning in the transition of things.”
“Well, unless something like this happens, it’s meaningless to know.”
“Because it’s meaningless, it can also be called a hobby. Humans waste most of their time on meaningless things, so I don’t think there’s any need to belittle oneself.”
“Ahaha, I’m grateful to hear you say that.”
Shizuko noticed that Ashimitsu, who was doing other work, was not joining the conversation. Wondering what he was doing, Shizuko turned her face towards his workbench. There, Ashimitsu was happily spinning a toy gun he had made himself with one hand, like a little boy. Seeing him in that strange pose, Shizuko decided to leave him alone.
“Is the conversation over?”
“Ashimitsu-san, you seem to be having fun. By the way, what is that?”
Ashimitsu smiled mischievously in response to Mitsuo’s question. Shizuko, who thought the switch had been turned on, quietly moved behind Ashimitsu to avoid being noticed by the two.
“Mitsuo, if you’re a man, you should know. Men always find romance in weapons. This is a model gun I made. Its name is Winchester M1873 Carbine. It is one of the masterpieces made by Winchester and is also known as the ‘gun that conquered the West.’ It has a magazine capacity of 14 rounds, operates with a lever action, has a total length of 125.2cm, a barrel length of 76.2cm, weighs 4.3kg, was designed in 1873, and was manufactured between 1873 and 1919. It was used by gunmen and cowboys. It looks good if you can spin-cock it.”
“Um, um, well, I understand that it’s amazing, so please calm down.”
“What need is there to hold back? It’s only natural for a man to have a longing for guns. I’ll make one for you too.”
Mitsuo was taken aback by Ashimitsu’s explanation. When he looked around for help from Shizuko, he saw Shizuko swinging something behind Ashimitsu.
“Hyah!”
With a cute voice, Shizuko struck Ashimitsu’s head hard with the butt of the toy gun. It seemed quite painful, and Ashimitsu held the spot where he was hit with his palm and glared at Shizuko with teary eyes.
“It’s fine to be enthusiastic, but please do it in a way that doesn’t bother others.”
“I will handle it appropriately.”
“Well, well, it’s good if you can stay calm. But Ashimitsu-san, you’re unexpectedly wild.”
“No, Ashimitsu-san is not a gun enthusiast. He just fell in love with a scene in a movie where an actor riding a bike shoots a shotgun while spin-cocking, and he put everything from the design plans into his head. So, to be clear, he can only make this gun and nothing else.”
“I once imitated a movie, and it was a good memory that I ended up being taken care of by the police.”
“Even if it’s private property, if a guy wearing sunglasses is riding a bike and waving a toy gun around, anyone would report it.”
“Haha, Ashimitsu-san is surprisingly wild.”
“The protagonist of that movie is the very embodiment of the way of life I aspire to.”
As they continued their conversation, the three of them began to feel hungry. Thinking it was a good time, they started cleaning up without anyone saying so.
“I can’t wait. Steamed sake clams, grilled abalone, simmered turban shell, and deep-fried sea cucumber.”
Gorou, who had obtained fresh seafood, spoke and wanted to show the results of what he had learned. Today’s lunch, including the recipes, was all orchestrated by Gorou. Therefore, Shizuko and Mitsuo only knew what kind of dishes Gorou would serve. They were all looking forward to the delicious dishes that would be presented based on Gorou’s hard work.
“The main dish is a luxurious tendon bowl topped with shrimp and Japanese horse mackerel tempura. In modern times, you would have to pay a fortune to eat this, but here we can eat it to our heart’s content. It’s even better with sake.”
“There is no greater pleasure than food. Now that the cleanup is done, let’s enjoy our lunch.”
It was not until some time later that they realized that Nohime had visited them at a timely moment and that she had brought along a troublesome guest.
The lunch that day was solemn like a funeral. The food itself was delicious, but because there were unfamiliar people among the four of them, they ended up being reserved and hesitant towards each other. The conversation was also intermittent. Nohime, who had set up the occasion, muttered, “It’s a failure,” and after that, she didn’t say a word and focused on eating. Keiji and the others, who usually went for seconds, also finished their meals and quickly left, feeling tired of the atmosphere of the lunch. Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) declined to join the lunch, citing “the atmosphere becoming delicate.” Shizuko thought he was actually running away.
“I apologize. I thought it would be a change of mood for everyone, but it seems that Bizen-no-kami-dono is in a worse mood than expected.”
Nohime apologized for making the atmosphere awkward. She thought that exposing them to a different atmosphere would change their feelings, but realizing that it was a naive idea, she decided not to cause any more unnecessary commotion and immediately returned to Gifu with Oichi and Nagamasa.
Shizuko and Mitsuo changed their mindset and decided to redo the cooking presentation a week later. Instead of Nohime and the others, Tsuruhime and Shiba participated in the lunch. There was no cause for a heavy atmosphere, so everyone had a pleasant time during the lunch.
After lunch, Shizuko and Ashimitsu moved to the workshop.
“It reminds me of a chemistry experiment. But this, it wasn’t a dangerous chemical, right?”
Stirring the contents of the beaker made by a glass artisan, Shizuko muttered quietly. The liquid inside is a certain substance that, although low in toxicity, requires careful handling.
“There is no mercy in war. But even so, I am restraining myself. After all, in this era, even if I refine TNT, I won’t be arrested by the police.”
“The Japanese police are excellent in such matters. They have created a system that will always expose you if you try to mass-produce it, which I think is a very good thing.”
“Otherwise, there would be terrorists everywhere. Basic knowledge of making explosives can be obtained by reading high school textbooks.”
“Well, that’s true. But for this one, I think we’ll need to use quite a bit of potassium nitrate. Is that okay?”
Shizuko and Ashimitsu are conducting various extraction processes for chemical substances, and most of them require potassium nitrate. A large amount of black powder is also necessary, but Shizuko is slightly worried whether Ashimitsu has permission to freely use them from Nobunaga.
“No problem. I have obtained permission from Lord Oda. After all, there is no opportunity to use a large number of matchlock guns. And it seems that there is an excess of it with Shizuko’s method. In exchange for teaching you something other than matchlock guns, permission to use a large amount has been granted.”
“Using a large amount… but are there other uses for black powder?”
Shizuko, who strongly associates black powder with matchlock guns, couldn’t think of any other uses for black powder. Ashimitsu smiled slightly and gently placed his hand on Shizuko’s head.
“Shizuko doesn’t need to know. I will dirty my hands alone. I have no hesitation in killing someone who is trying to fight fair and square with dirty hands. If the opponent uses dirty hands, I won’t hesitate to crush them with even dirtier hands. And even before I met Shizuko, my hands were probably already stained with blood. So, even if the dirt increases now, I don’t mind.”
Ashimitsu’s voice, speaking gently, made Shizuko almost nod. But she tightened her resolve and quietly, but firmly, shook her head.
“…No, that’s not right. It’s not right to push the responsibility onto someone else and be the only one in a safe place. Even if everyone forgives me, I won’t forgive myself. I’m sure I have to fight in a battle. To dirty my hands.”
“Shizuko…”
Shizuko, who has never killed anyone before, didn’t think that it would continue like that forever. Someday, she would have to kill someone. But she had been avoiding and evading that “someday.” However, she realized that she could no longer run away, that it was time to make a decision. Whether to dirty her own hands and continue fighting, or to continue pushing the act of dirtying hands onto others and running away.
“And… I may not realize it, but I think I have killed many people. I know that what I have created is not only used during peacetime.”
“……”
“Don’t make that face, Uncle Ashimitsu. I understand because I’ve studied history. Peace is a state where the balance of power is maintained. Wars start when the enemy attacks without warning. If we stop thinking for ourselves, everything will be too late. Without realizing that… the Japanese at that time (….) were possessed by naive delusions that if we threw away our weapons, the enemy would too.”
“….Yes, that’s right. Even assassinations should be done after informing the target. If there’s an opportunity, they will take advantage of it and come to assassinate.”
“Easy humanitarianism and peace movements actually fuel the ambitions of invaders. Yes… my parents’ generation should have known that. Peace movements are tactics to deceive the enemy and launch advantageous invasions. Peace is just the preparation period until the next war breaks out.”
“Don’t choose the means for the sake of the goal. Justice is determined by the winner, evil by the loser. If you make the opponent into evil, even the most cruel bullying can be justified.”
Shizuko nods at Ashimitsu’s words.
“If it’s possible to avoid hurting someone, that’s the best. But there are times when we can’t say that. That’s why I don’t intend to involve Uncle Ashimitsu in dirty work.”
“Understood. If Shizuko has that determination, I won’t say anything more. But as someone who has already gotten his hands dirty, I’ll give you a warning. The burden will be much harder than Shizuko can imagine. So if it gets tough, rely on me.”
While patting Shizuko’s head, Ashimitsu thinks to himself. This girl is indeed kind and strong.
“Well, the conversation is over. Let’s make lots of surprise toys for now.”
That’s why Ashimitsu doesn’t hesitate. He will protect Shizuko by any means necessary. Even if it means being branded a coward for carrying out those actions, he will not stop.
(It’s so difficult not to intervene. But it’s unthinkable to show weakness at this level. This girl once melted my stubborn heart and taught me the warmth of others. Compared to Shizuko’s struggles back then, what I have to do is easy.)
Due to Hisamasa’s coup and the invasion of Mino by the Asakura clan, it became inevitable for Nobunaga to engage in battles against the Asakura and Asai clans. After Nobunaga issued the order for the “Invasion of Omi Province,” which was practically a retaliatory campaign, Hisamasa and the Asakura clan began purchasing military supplies from merchants and forcibly collecting them from rural areas to prepare for war. However, Hisamasa’s purchases did not go as smoothly as expected. The reason was that the Omi Province merchants’ union, which had been supporting Nagamasa, became reluctant to trade. They were concerned that openly opposing Nobunaga would jeopardize their business, so they became hesitant to trade with Hisamasa. However, when Nobunaga learned of this, he summoned the members of the Omi Province merchants’ union to Gifu and assured them that trading with Hisamasa would not worsen their relationship with him.
“You don’t need to hold back with me, feel free to sell plenty to the Asakura clan. If necessary, you can even buy goods from my territory.”
The messengers from the Omi Province merchants’ union were perplexed by Nobunaga’s words, but he continued speaking without concern.
“If Hisamasa and the Asakura clan complain that they lost because they couldn’t buy weapons due to Oda’s pressure, it will be troublesome for me.”
The messengers from the Omi Province merchants’ union finally understood that Nobunaga had no objections to trading with Hisamasa.
Later, the Omi Province merchants’ union agreed to trade with Hisamasa, but the prices were higher than usual. However, this was simply following the principle of business to “buy low, sell high.” Almost half of the goods that were brought in were not understood by anyone, and they wondered why such a large quantity was being collected. Nevertheless, the merchants silently gathered the goods and sold them to Shizuko.
“Hehehe, as expected of Lady Shizuko. You’ve bought a lot, haven’t you?”
Kyujiro, with a dubious smile, looks at the goods being brought into the warehouse together with Shizuko.
“How about spices from the Nanban?”
“It’s difficult for things that they consider valuable. However, we are gradually collecting well-known medicinal herbs.”
Shizuko has trade routes with China, India, tropical Asia, and Portugal. Through these routes, she imports various herbs and crops, but it still takes time to obtain them. So she has entrusted the task to multiple people, staggering the time for each person to make the requests. It costs more, but it is the best option to ensure a reliable supply.
“So… is the trade with India still difficult?”
“I’ve been talking to the Nanban people, but it seems they don’t understand the value. They also mentioned that it’s difficult to find buyers. Well, let them search to their heart’s content.”
“Yes, please find them as soon as possible. I’m sure they exist, Damascus swords.”
Damascus swords are swords made in Damascus, Syria, using Indian Wootz steel, which has a wood grain-like pattern. Damascus steel is also known as Wootz steel, which was developed and manufactured in ancient India. While it is also used to refer to steel that is layered and forged with different metals to create patterns, this is different from the original Damascus steel, and the true manufacturing technique of Wootz steel has been completely lost. However, the technique was lost only in the 19th century, so during the Sengoku period, there is hope for the production of Wootz steel. However, since the manufacturing method of Wootz steel was passed down through oral tradition, it is quite difficult to find someone who can produce it. Normally, it would require a considerable amount of money, but Kyujiro’s persuasive skills seem to have been effective in exploiting the Portuguese merchants.
“I understand. Well, by the end of summer, I will show you some results.”
“Please.”
Shizuko was seeking Wootz steel ingots and Damascus swords. In Shizuko’s time, most of the famous swords and spears had disappeared. For Shizuko, who had only seen them in photographs preserved through digitization, being able to see the actual famous swords and spears and even have them under her control was truly a dream come true. While she was also interested in civilian technology, the Sengoku period was, after all, an era of war. She couldn’t help but be strongly drawn to armor, swords, and spears.
Regardless, the purpose is not just to collect. Just as Nobunaga collects tea utensils to demonstrate that he is a suitable ruler, having legendary swords with a lineage makes it easier to gather retainers when they are needed. In other words, it allows me to demonstrate that “I have the power to receive a sword bestowed upon me by Nobunaga.” No one gathers around someone without power. Because they won’t benefit from it.
“The invasion of Omi Province is about to begin, so it might get a little tough.”
“That’s right. I also need to prepare for the battle. Well then, excuse me.”
As soon as he said that, Kyujiro quickly disappeared into the crowd. Shizuko was amazed at his speed, and as she exhaled softly, she returned her gaze to the warehouse and muttered with a distant look on her face.
“Yes… things are about to get difficult.”
Even if Shizuko knew that the Battle of Anegawa was going to happen, she couldn’t just stop it by being prepared. Even if some historical events didn’t happen, Shizuko was somewhat despairing that things were returning to the major conflicts, such as the dissolution of the alliance with the Asakura clan and the hostility with the Asakura clan. If history continued as it was, Mori Yoshinari, who was Nobunaga’s greatest understanding, would lose his life in the Battle of Usayama Castle. That’s not all. If Nobunaga’s brother, Oda Nobuoki, the lord of Kogi Castle, was killed, Nobunaga’s response to the Nagashima Ikko-ikki would become more ruthless. It is said that the reason Nobunaga used even cruel methods against the Nagashima Ikko-ikki was because Nobuoki, who he trusted deeply, was killed.
(I guess I have no choice but to completely destroy the Asakura army in the Battle of Anegawa and make it impossible for them to come out from Echizen.)
I must avoid the death of Mori Yoshinari at all costs. In order to achieve that, it is necessary for the Asakura army to suffer enough damage that they cannot send reinforcements. If it is impossible for the Asakura army to participate, there is a possibility that the Battle of Usayama Castle can be carried out advantageously.
But there is a problem. Asakura Yoshikage has a habit of immediately retreating when the situation becomes unfavorable. This became a hole in the Oda encirclement and became a factor for turning Nobunaga’s pinch into an opportunity. However, this time it will backfire. It is not a problem if Asakura Yoshikage survives. Shizuko actually wanted him, who tends to be reclusive, to continue as the head of the clan until he is betrayed by his own family. But in order to inflict significant damage on the army like this time, it is more convenient to have reckless warriors who launch a reckless assault. Although it is a convenient thing, Shizuko is troubled about what kind of strategy to take.
“Hmm, maybe I should consult with Uncle Ashimitsu about this.”
Shizuko, who thought that she couldn’t come up with a plan on her own, went to the shrine where Ashimitsu lived.
“I see, so Shizuko wants to completely destroy the Asakura army. But you can’t think of a way to do it, is that it?”
After listening to Shizuko’s story, Ashimitsu narrowed his eyes and looked into her eyes as he asked.
“Yeah. Well… if it were you, you would probably use TNT bombs to blow them up, but I’m not really good at that.”
“Even in this era, you can make RDX. It requires the use of dangerous substances for refining, so it would require some sacrifices.”
“Are you planning to collect ammonia and phosphorus from livestock urine? If you do, I would like you to use it as fertilizer.”
“MAP (Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate) method would be more familiar to Mitsuo. It was a secondary income for livestock farmers.”
“By spraying steam on livestock urine, ammonia can be collected. The remaining substance can be used to recover phosphoric acid using the MAP method. By dividing the obtained ammonia in half, one half can be refined into sodium carbonate and ammonium chloride using the Solvay process. The remaining half can be refined into ammonium dihydrogen phosphate by neutralizing it with phosphoric acid, and by adding the byproduct ammonium chloride from the Solvay process and cooling it, ammonium phosphate can be obtained… and sodium carbonate can be used as a material for glass… well, don’t you think it’s quite good?”
“It’s because you can recover carbon dioxide from a lime kiln. In that case, we would need bio-coke as fuel. It has the disadvantage of using a large amount of oil due to the pressure applied by the hydraulic press, but it has the advantage of not running out of materials.”
“If it’s vegetable oil, would it be castor oil? It has a high viscosity and can’t be used for food, so it wouldn’t be a problem to use a large amount. Until now, it has only been cultivated for medicinal use, but if we’re making bio-coke, we might as well cultivate it in large quantities.”
“We’re getting off track, should we get back on topic? Even without modern scientific weapons, it is possible to fulfill Shizuko’s wish with the current resources.”
With those words, Ashimitsu handed Shizuko the materials he had prepared in advance. Shizuko, who received them, read through the materials.
“Is this… for real?”
After finishing reading the materials, Shizuko furrowed her brows and threw a question at Ashimitsu. The things written in the materials could be dangerous if mishandled, but they were not something that would directly endanger lives. Shizuko couldn’t come up with a way to use them to completely destroy the Asakura army.
“We understand them as ‘toys,’ but for them, it’s ‘unknown.’ Now, Shizuko, what should you not do when acting as a group?”
“Um… cause panic?”
“That’s right. In this era, the army is mostly an unorganized group. What do you think will happen if you give them fear and anxiety?”
“The maintenance of the army will become impossible?”
“Correct. Once a military force’s morale is weakened by fear and anxiety, it will collapse in no time. No one wants to die in vain. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but to fulfill Shizuko’s request, we need to make a slight adjustment.”
Ashimitsu put his hand on his chin and pondered. After thinking for a while, he continued to speak while looking at Shizuko.
“For now, let’s go with a method that doesn’t involve using destructive weapons. However, you should understand that a lot of blood will be shed. And there’s no guarantee of success, especially since Asakura is a coward who will run away immediately.”
“I understand that. Many people will probably die. There’s a part of me that thinks it’s a bad thing. But this perspective is from the time I came from, not from the Sengoku period.”
“…”
“Don’t make that face, Uncle Ashimitsu. But well, I probably have a part of me that thinks lightly about it somewhere in my heart, so I can’t easily say ‘I’m prepared.’ So… I’ll tell myself that I pulled the trigger.”
“I will use various means to kill and injure a large number of enemies. And it was Shizuko herself who pulled the trigger…”
“That’s right.”
Shizuko nodded weakly while laughing at Ashimitsu’s words.
Hisamasa hurriedly built fortresses in places like Chohi and Kariyasu near the border with Mino Province. He also strengthened the defenses of Yokoyama Castle and Kamaha Castle. However, due to the schemes of Hideyoshi and Takenaka Hanbei, who were acting on Nobunaga’s orders, Naoie Higuchi of Chohi Castle, Hidemura Hori of Kamaha Castle, and even Minoura Castle defected to the Oda side, causing cracks in Hisamasa’s defense network.
Having successfully created a breach in the defense network of Asai’s main castle, Kotani Castle, Nobunaga arrived at Chohi Castle in less than a day after the scheme. Nobunaga’s swift actions did not even give Hisamasa time to rebuild his defense network. With a slight weakness in his mental state, he couldn’t hide his agitation at Nobunaga’s abnormal behavior, and he failed to reestablish his position.
Understanding that Hisamasa would continue to defend until the arrival of reinforcements from the Asakura clan, Nobunaga suspended the attack on Kotani Castle and switched to a strategy of attacking Yokoyama Castle, which was about nine kilometers to the south. When the Ashikaga side sensed the movement of his main camp, they sent out pursuit troops to launch a surprise attack from behind. However, thanks to the efforts of the rearguard, such as Sassa Narimasa, the Oda army completed their move to Ryuganose in the same day.
Two days after moving to Ryuganose, Nobunaga began the attack on Yokoyama Castle. With the addition of Ieyasu’s main force of 5,000, the combined forces of Oda and Tokugawa numbered 30,000, while at the same time, Hisamasa’s reinforcements of 10,000, led by Asakura Yoshikage, arrived. Hisamasa led his entire army out of Kotani Castle and joined forces with the Asakura army. They advanced to Oyoriyama for the purpose of supporting the rear of Yokoyama Castle. The battle between the combined forces of Oda and Tokugawa and the combined forces of Asai and Asakura began. Not only the local daimyo, but even the shogun and the emperor were watching the progress of the battle.
Meanwhile, Shizuko recruited laborers and began construction of a makeshift zoo with the Kurokuwa group (civil engineering workers). First, they cleared a 4,000 tsubo area and surrounded it with walls to prevent the animals from escaping. The walls were made of white plaster. Plaster walls have excellent fire resistance, but they have the disadvantage of melting when wet. To prevent this, wooden cladding was applied to areas prone to rain, and the walls needed to be repainted every ten to fifteen years.
Once the walls were completed, they began digging a moat inside the walls that would serve as both a water source for the zoo and a defensive measure. Since defense was not the main purpose, the width of the moat was set at 12 ken (about 21 meters), narrower than the usual 15 ken (about 27 meters). The depth was set between 3 to 4 meters to allow for water storage. Furthermore, an earthen rampart was built inside the moat to prevent escape from the inside. After that, they just needed to create the appropriate environments for each animal.
For the peacocks, they prepared aviaries of 10 tsubo and 4 meters in height for each pair, and also installed tunnel-like boxes in the four corners of the aviaries, measuring 50 centimeters in width, 70 centimeters in height, and 90 centimeters in depth. The reason for preparing the tunnel-like boxes was to protect the female peacocks from the aggressive males during the breeding season. Breeding males can become aggressive towards females and sometimes even kill them. To prevent harm to the females, it was necessary to provide escape routes in the form of boxes in the four corners of the aviaries.
In order for the male to propose to the female, he needed to spread his feathers, called “joubitou” in Japanese, which needed to be collected. The feathers that the male peacock uses to propose to the female are often thought to be the same feathers throughout their lifetime, but in reality, they grow new feathers every year. They become the most beautiful from April to June during the breeding season, and then gradually start to shed their feathers from July, until they are completely gone by November. Then, new feathers start to grow around December, and they become the most beautiful again from April to June during the breeding season. Shizuko planned to use the shed feathers as decorative material, but for her, it was just a bonus if she could obtain them.
For the turtles, separate areas were prepared for laying eggs, surrounded by bird-proof nets, and sleeping areas with narrow entrances and soft soil were prepared. Turtles drink as much water as they can, so it was necessary to keep water away as much as possible. While other animals would suffer from dehydration in such an environment, they were built with enough water intake from vegetables, wild plants, and fruits. However, since turtles are sensitive to cold, they needed to be moved to a hut near the hot springs from the end of autumn, as they cannot survive the Japanese winter.
Fortunately, the Shepherds did not show any signs of diseases such as rabies, and they are still running around energetically. Shizuko, who wanted to make them the foundation for breeding and improve the dog breeds, took the Shepherd’s environment into the most consideration. However, they were more interested in new toys than having a large space or a comfortable environment. It goes without saying that the toys were completely worn out within a few days due to the rough welcome from the large Shepherd dogs.
Construction of facilities other than the mansion and castle on a vast area of 4000 tsubo. The intermediaries thought it was a strange civil engineering project, but there was no danger like in a battle, and they could receive money. For the intermediaries who were not bound by land, it was truly a paradise-like workplace. Therefore, to prevent the intermediaries from being too occupied with this safe civil engineering project, Shizuko had stopped recruiting until Nobunaga went to battle. This was because the intermediaries believed that it was better to receive money from civil engineering projects unless they were particularly fond of battles.
Shizuko was not heavily involved in the construction of the zoo and left most of it to the Kurokuwa (civil engineering workers) group. The reason was that she was conducting special training for matchlock guns ordered by Nobunaga. In addition to taking care of Torajiro and overseeing the production of the cat pet house “Neko Chigura,” there were other tasks, but the biggest task was the special training for matchlock guns.
Speaking of matchlock guns, Nobunaga’s famous “sandanuchi” technique used in the Battle of Nagashino is unrealistic. Even if they tried to perform simultaneous firing according to the conductor’s command, the farther the distance, the slower the orders would be transmitted. Moreover, there would be people who would take longer to prepare and others who would finish quickly, resulting in a lot of wasted time. There is a better strategy for the Oda-Tokugawa alliance, which has superior forces, than the ineffective “sandanuchi.” It is to surround the Takeda army and attack them from all sides. No matter how strong the Takeda soldiers may be, they would surrender before the siege due to their small numbers.
It is believed that Nobunaga responded as follows in the Battle of Nagashino. First, he deliberately dispersed his forces and made his main camp appear smaller than the Takeda army to lure Kenshin out. During that time, they captured the Tobi-ga-Su fortress and four supporting fortresses (Nakayama, Kumaya, Ubaga-Kai, and Kimi-Ga-Fusho) and relieved Nagashino Castle. Due to the successful surprise attack by the Sakai ambush unit, the Takeda main force that advanced to Settara was threatened in their retreat, and ultimately they charged at the Oda-Tokugawa alliance’s main camp. In response to the Takeda army’s charge, Nobunaga attacked them from three directions, not with “sandanuchi,” and it is believed that they killed many renowned warlords and brought the Takeda army to a state of collapse. Considering that the Takeda army suffered more than 10,000 casualties, it is more realistic to think that they implemented a semi-encirclement strategy from three directions rather than the ineffective “sandanuchi,” as the author believes.
Going back to the story, Shizuko focused on the training of the matchlock gun unit, conducting rapid-fire training and alternating between the loader and shooter roles, which the Shimazu clan excelled at. Through this training, the firing time of the matchlock gun, which usually took around 40 to 50 seconds, was shortened to just 15 to 20 seconds. The results of the training were excellent, and everyone had improved their skills to the point where they could fire four shots in one minute. However, the alternating firing was still awkward, and Shizuko felt that long-term training was necessary.
“The rest will be decided by the lord. When he returns from the Battle of Okehazama, the Oda army’s matchlock gun unit will also be considerably strengthened.”
If further reinforcement was needed, the development of matchlock guns capable of using Minié bullets would be the best option, but that was being handled by Ashimitsu. Development included tasks such as manufacturing tools for rifling, standardizing Minié bullets, and many others. Especially, since the caliber of matchlock guns was not standardized due to being handmade, it was necessary to design the size of Minié bullets based on the most average caliber.
“Well, let’s leave that to Uncle Ashimitsu. I just need to do what I can do.”
Discarding unnecessary distractions, Shizuko focused on the training of the matchlock gun unit.
1570, late JuneA week has passed since Shizuko welcomed many animals. She named the male Turkish Angora cat Tama and the female Hana. Naming the elephant turtle and the peacock was put off due to the large number of animals. Shizuko observes the German Shepherds frequently to see if they are stressed by isolation, even though some dog diseases can remain dormant for months depending on the type. Fortunately, the German Shepherds are running around energetically in the spacious land and do not appear to have any signs of illness. Shizuko thought that as long as things continued like this, there was no need to worry.Tama has become friends with Wittman and Kaiser, and Hana has become friends with Barty. Now they sleep together in a row. The order is Wittman, Tama, Kaiser, Knig, Adelheid, Litter, Lutz, a little further away Hana, and Barty. Tama's tail occasionally hits Kaiser's belly, but Kaiser doesn't seem to mind. Hana and others were sleeping with their bellies exposed. For dogs and cats, sleeping with their bellies exposed is a sign that they have no sense of vigilance. It is evidence that they are completely at ease without any external enemies. However, to Shizuko, Hana's sleeping posture looked like that of a person who was drunk.It's fine that they get along, but is it okay for them to take over the entire room?Shizuko strokes the chin of the sleeping Kaiser, while feeling amazed. Kaiser immediately shows a pleasant expression and wags his tail vigorously. Shizuko wonders if the others will have the same reaction, and she strokes the chins of Wittman and Knig. Although Barty has the least reaction, when Shizuko strokes his chin, all the wolves show a pleasant expression and wag their tails.Oh, I wonder if there's a spot that feels good for wolves too?While thinking it's an interesting discovery, Shizuko continues to stroke their chins. Tama wakes up with a cry. After stretching, he looks around several times. When he realizes that everyone is sleeping, Tama whimpers lightly once and then leaves the room.So carefree.Shizuko is surrounded by a peaceful atmosphere with the animals. However, there is a tense atmosphere around Nobunaga, Tokugawa, Hisamasa, and Asakura. Hisamasa is working on renovating a castle near Mino, and Asakura is buying military supplies and conscripting soldiers. Nobunaga informs Ieyasu about the Asai campaign and leaves the organization of the army to Mori Yoshinari, focusing on domestic affairs. As the season enters the rainy season, it is necessary to check if there is a need to change the plans based on the road maintenance situation. The road maintenance for military use was completed at a rapid pace, but the road maintenance for commercial routes, which also serve as commercial routes, has not yet been completed. In order to achieve stable finances, the development of commercial routes is as important as the invasion of Omi Province.Nobunaga checks the documents that he had put off confirming. When he has gone through about half of the documents, the entrance is quietly opened.Brother, are you available now?The one who opened the entrance was Oichi. After Nobunaga glanced at Oichi, he nodded slightly and returned his gaze to the documents. Oichi sat down in front of Nobunaga and bowed deeply.First of all, thank you for helping us in a dangerous situation. My husband is still feeling down, but I'm sure he is grateful to you, brother.I just brushed off the sparks that were flying. That's all.Nobunaga answers with an attitude that suggests it's not a big deal. Although it seems like a blunt attitude, Oichi understands that Nobunaga is hiding his embarrassment. She smiled slightly, but didn't say anything more.Brother, what will happen from now on?Oichi murmurs anxiously. Nagamasa has already been expelled from the Asai family framework. He is no longer a countryman of Omi Province, but just Nagamasa of the Asai family. He currently has followers, but eventually they will leave Nagamasa. When that happens, he will truly be alone.What I do won't change. I will protect my brother-in-law and kill Shinkur. That's all.You have changed. In the past, my brother would never say such words. Your words were always looking far ahead.I haven't changed. If you say that I have changed, it's because you have changed.No, well I think you have definitely changed.Oichi, with a perplexed expression, continues speaking while pointing to a certain place.In the past, my brother would never do something like putting a cat on his shoulder.As Oichi pointed out, a Turkish Angora cat that Shizuko had given to him was sitting on Nobunaga's shoulder. It relaxed and leaned its whole body on Nobunaga's shoulder, stretching its legs straight. Nobunaga completely ignores the cat sleeping with a foolish expression. He even seemed to be paying attention to the cat.It's adorable.Nobunaga responds to Oichi's remark with a dignified attitude. Oichi's understanding catches up, and the cat wakes up from its sleep. After rubbing its face with its front paws, it skillfully licks Nobunaga's hand with an affectionate voice.Someone is here!Yes! Right here!As soon as Nobunaga calls out, a pageboy quickly rushes in. Although slightly out of breath, Nobunaga continues speaking without paying attention.Torajir wants food. Prepare it immediately!Huh? Haha!The pageboy, who momentarily had a foolish expression, quickly composes himself, bows to Nobunaga, and rushes to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Torajir, completely ignoring the human commotion, rolls around on the tatami. Nobunaga smiles and strokes Torajir's back, then turns his face towards Oichi.Both the lord and Bizen-no-kami are mentally exhausted, so they keep thinking about unnecessary things. Come and clear your mind in my resting place. The person eavesdropping there knows the location.Oh, I've been found out.The sliding door opens quietly, and Nohime, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, enters.Well then, Oichi, let's go.Nohime grabs Oichi and drags her away without waiting for her response. Confused by the sudden turn of events, Oichi is dragged along by Nohime without resistance.Um, Nohime-samaLeave the lord alone. He's going to have a heart-to-heart with Torajir.Um, well then, brother, excuse me.While being dragged by Nohime, Oichi says her farewell to Nobunaga. As she bows, the sliding door closes quietly.Since being protected by Nobunaga, Nagamasa's decline has been nothing short of tragic. A month ago, he was the head of the Asai family, which ruled over Omi Province. Now he has been expelled from the Asai family. He only has End Naotsune and his close friend Mitamura as retainers, and there are no soldiers other than those who take care of his daily life. It is clear to anyone that Nagamasa has no chance of making a comeback.He is my brother-in-law, even if it's just a matter of duty. I cannot abandon him.Nobunaga prepared a splendid samurai residence and new clothes for Nagamasa, and protected him with great respect. In response to the letter of Nagamasa's handover request sent by Hisamasa, Nobunaga tore up the letter, beheaded the messenger, and refused all demands. Nagamasa expressed his gratitude and thanks to Nobunaga, but he is seriously troubled by being in opposition to his father.However, your husband's state of depression is terrible. He may have many thoughts, but now is the time to show some spirit, don't you think?Nohime's observation was somewhat correct. Some retainers who had defected from Nagamasa were not only disappointed with his deteriorating position, but also with his depressed state. If Nagamasa had shown a little more enthusiasm for a comeback, his situation might have been alleviated.Yes, I think the retainers were also disappointed. However, my husband is grateful to those who stayed.That's right. We must cherish loyal vassals.Yes.We will arrive at our destination soon. Take your time to calm down there.A few moments later, Nohime and the others arrive at their destination, Shizuko's place. When they get out of the palanquin, Nohime takes a deep breath.It still smells like soil here.While saying such a rude remark and stretching, Nohime walks towards their destination as if it were her own familiar home. On the other hand, Oichi and the others are surprised by the strict security and follow Nohime with a fearful attitude. Immediately, Nagamasa and Oichi receive a baptism. The Wittman family, who noticed the unfamiliar visitors, watches their actions from a distance. It's not just the Wittmans. The hooded crows, eagles, and black and red kites on the roof overlook Oichi and the others.No need to worry. They are just cautious of newcomers.Nohime laughs off the concerns of the always-ready-to-draw-sword Naotsune. While others are filled with vigilance, she walks with a dignified attitude.When Nohime visits Shizuko, she is secluded in the newly constructed workshop. The workshop is not an agricultural workshop, but a woodworking workshop. The reason for building the workshop is to make mock-ups. When explaining new tools, it is easier for everyone to have a unified image if there is a physical representation rather than just a drawing on paper. Especially for brand new tools, craftsmen have a hard time imagining the shape from paper, which consumes unnecessary time. Making mock-ups became a necessary task to eliminate the gap in imagination between Shizuko and the craftsmen, and to reduce unnecessary work, especially when requesting the development of large tools.Is it almost done?Well, I think this is enough as a mock-up. Is there any problem?Currently, Shizuko is making a rubber-powered screw ship as a mock-up. Of course, this will not be used as the power source for a fishing boat. Rubber deteriorates quickly. And it lacks the strength to be used as a power source.If we can manually turn the screw, it will become a reasonably fast fishing boat.Shizuko's image is to apply the structure of a bicycle and use a chain and gears to turn the screw. It is less laborious to use a screw propeller to rotate the water at a low speed and generate lift to obtain propulsion force compared to manually rowing a wooden fishing boat. However, there are problems such as the attachment of aquatic organisms to the screw propeller and about 1/3 of the energy of the drive shaft not contributing to the propulsion force. Nevertheless, the screw propeller is excellent as a power source, so it is adopted as a standard in almost all modern ships.But why do we need to make a screw fishing boat? I think it's fine to use a rowing fishing boat, right?Mitsuo murmured. As Mitsuo pointed out, it doesn't make much sense for a fishing boat to be equipped with a screw propeller. On the contrary, the structure becomes more complex, and there is a possibility that repairs will be expensive in the event of a malfunction.Well, that's true. But when the power source becomes an internal combustion engine in the future, if the screw propeller is already common sense, it can be easily adopted.I see. If the screw propeller is common sense, it's just a matter of changing the power source.Since internal combustion engines require crude oil, it is impossible to reproduce them in the Warring States period, but if it's a steam engine, I know the structure so I can make it. However, in order to use a steam engine as the power source for a ship, a screw propeller is a prerequisite. Well, steam engines are inefficient though.Hmm, I see. Looking at it this way, there is meaning in the transition of things.Well, unless something like this happens, it's meaningless to know.Because it's meaningless, it can also be called a hobby. Humans waste most of their time on meaningless things, so I don't think there's any need to belittle oneself.Ahaha, I'm grateful to hear you say that.Shizuko noticed that Ashimitsu, who was doing other work, was not joining the conversation. Wondering what he was doing, Shizuko turned her face towards his workbench. There, Ashimitsu was happily spinning a toy gun he had made himself with one hand, like a little boy. Seeing him in that strange pose, Shizuko decided to leave him alone.Is the conversation over?Ashimitsu-san, you seem to be having fun. By the way, what is that?Ashimitsu smiled mischievously in response to Mitsuo's question. Shizuko, who thought the switch had been turned on, quietly moved behind Ashimitsu to avoid being noticed by the two.Mitsuo, if you're a man, you should know. Men always find romance in weapons. This is a model gun I made. Its name is Winchester M1873 Carbine. It is one of the masterpieces made by Winchester and is also known as the gun that conquered the West.' It has a magazine capacity of 14 rounds, operates with a lever action, has a total length of 125.2cm, a barrel length of 76.2cm, weighs 4.3kg, was designed in 1873, and was manufactured between 1873 and 1919. It was used by gunmen and cowboys. It looks good if you can spin-cock it.Um, um, well, I understand that it's amazing, so please calm down.What need is there to hold back? It's only natural for a man to have a longing for guns. I'll make one for you too.Mitsuo was taken aback by Ashimitsu's explanation. When he looked around for help from Shizuko, he saw Shizuko swinging something behind Ashimitsu.Hyah!With a cute voice, Shizuko struck Ashimitsu's head hard with the butt of the toy gun. It seemed quite painful, and Ashimitsu held the spot where he was hit with his palm and glared at Shizuko with teary eyes.It's fine to be enthusiastic, but please do it in a way that doesn't bother others.I will handle it appropriately.Well, well, it's good if you can stay calm. But Ashimitsu-san, you're unexpectedly wild.No, Ashimitsu-san is not a gun enthusiast. He just fell in love with a scene in a movie where an actor riding a bike shoots a shotgun while spin-cocking, and he put everything from the design plans into his head. So, to be clear, he can only make this gun and nothing else.I once imitated a movie, and it was a good memory that I ended up being taken care of by the police.Even if it's private property, if a guy wearing sunglasses is riding a bike and waving a toy gun around, anyone would report it.Haha, Ashimitsu-san is surprisingly wild.The protagonist of that movie is the very embodiment of the way of life I aspire to.As they continued their conversation, the three of them began to feel hungry. Thinking it was a good time, they started cleaning up without anyone saying so.I can't wait. Steamed sake clams, grilled abalone, simmered turban shell, and deep-fried sea cucumber.Gorou, who had obtained fresh seafood, spoke and wanted to show the results of what he had learned. Today's lunch, including the recipes, was all orchestrated by Gorou. Therefore, Shizuko and Mitsuo only knew what kind of dishes Gorou would serve. They were all looking forward to the delicious dishes that would be presented based on Gorou's hard work.The main dish is a luxurious tendon bowl topped with shrimp and Japanese horse mackerel tempura. In modern times, you would have to pay a fortune to eat this, but here we can eat it to our heart's content. It's even better with sake.There is no greater pleasure than food. Now that the cleanup is done, let's enjoy our lunch.It was not until some time later that they realized that Nohime had visited them at a timely moment and that she had brought along a troublesome guest.The lunch that day was solemn like a funeral. The food itself was delicious, but because there were unfamiliar people among the four of them, they ended up being reserved and hesitant towards each other. The conversation was also intermittent. Nohime, who had set up the occasion, muttered, It's a failure, and after that, she didn't say a word and focused on eating. Keiji and the others, who usually went for seconds, also finished their meals and quickly left, feeling tired of the atmosphere of the lunch. Kimyomaru Oda Nobutada declined to join the lunch, citing the atmosphere becoming delicate. Shizuko thought he was actually running away.I apologize. I thought it would be a change of mood for everyone, but it seems that Bizen-no-kami-dono is in a worse mood than expected.Nohime apologized for making the atmosphere awkward. She thought that exposing them to a different atmosphere would change their feelings, but realizing that it was a naive idea, she decided not to cause any more unnecessary commotion and immediately returned to Gifu with Oichi and Nagamasa.Shizuko and Mitsuo changed their mindset and decided to redo the cooking presentation a week later. Instead of Nohime and the others, Tsuruhime and Shiba participated in the lunch. There was no cause for a heavy atmosphere, so everyone had a pleasant time during the lunch.After lunch, Shizuko and Ashimitsu moved to the workshop.It reminds me of a chemistry experiment. But this, it wasn't a dangerous chemical, right?Stirring the contents of the beaker made by a glass artisan, Shizuko muttered quietly. The liquid inside is a certain substance that, although low in toxicity, requires careful handling.There is no mercy in war. But even so, I am restraining myself. After all, in this era, even if I refine TNT, I won't be arrested by the police.The Japanese police are excellent in such matters. They have created a system that will always expose you if you try to mass-produce it, which I think is a very good thing.Otherwise, there would be terrorists everywhere. Basic knowledge of making explosives can be obtained by reading high school textbooks.Well, that's true. But for this one, I think we'll need to use quite a bit of potassium nitrate. Is that okay?Shizuko and Ashimitsu are conducting various extraction processes for chemical substances, and most of them require potassium nitrate. A large amount of black powder is also necessary, but Shizuko is slightly worried whether Ashimitsu has permission to freely use them from Nobunaga.No problem. I have obtained permission from Lord Oda. After all, there is no opportunity to use a large number of matchlock guns. And it seems that there is an excess of it with Shizuko's method. In exchange for teaching you something other than matchlock guns, permission to use a large amount has been granted.Using a large amount but are there other uses for black powder?Shizuko, who strongly associates black powder with matchlock guns, couldn't think of any other uses for black powder. Ashimitsu smiled slightly and gently placed his hand on Shizuko's head.Shizuko doesn't need to know. I will dirty my hands alone. I have no hesitation in killing someone who is trying to fight fair and square with dirty hands. If the opponent uses dirty hands, I won't hesitate to crush them with even dirtier hands. And even before I met Shizuko, my hands were probably already stained with blood. So, even if the dirt increases now, I don't mind.Ashimitsu's voice, speaking gently, made Shizuko almost nod. But she tightened her resolve and quietly, but firmly, shook her head.No, that's not right. It's not right to push the responsibility onto someone else and be the only one in a safe place. Even if everyone forgives me, I won't forgive myself. I'm sure I have to fight in a battle. To dirty my hands.ShizukoShizuko, who has never killed anyone before, didn't think that it would continue like that forever. Someday, she would have to kill someone. But she had been avoiding and evading that someday. However, she realized that she could no longer run away, that it was time to make a decision. Whether to dirty her own hands and continue fighting, or to continue pushing the act of dirtying hands onto others and running away.And I may not realize it, but I think I have killed many people. I know that what I have created is not only used during peacetime.Don't make that face, Uncle Ashimitsu. I understand because I've studied history. Peace is a state where the balance of power is maintained. Wars start when the enemy attacks without warning. If we stop thinking for ourselves, everything will be too late. Without realizing that the Japanese at that time . were possessed by naive delusions that if we threw away our weapons, the enemy would too..Yes, that's right. Even assassinations should be done after informing the target. If there's an opportunity, they will take advantage of it and come to assassinate.Easy humanitarianism and peace movements actually fuel the ambitions of invaders. Yes my parents' generation should have known that. Peace movements are tactics to deceive the enemy and launch advantageous invasions. Peace is just the preparation period until the next war breaks out.Don't choose the means for the sake of the goal. Justice is determined by the winner, evil by the loser. If you make the opponent into evil, even the most cruel bullying can be justified.Shizuko nods at Ashimitsu's words.If it's possible to avoid hurting someone, that's the best. But there are times when we can't say that. That's why I don't intend to involve Uncle Ashimitsu in dirty work.Understood. If Shizuko has that determination, I won't say anything more. But as someone who has already gotten his hands dirty, I'll give you a warning. The burden will be much harder than Shizuko can imagine. So if it gets tough, rely on me.While patting Shizuko's head, Ashimitsu thinks to himself. This girl is indeed kind and strong.Well, the conversation is over. Let's make lots of surprise toys for now.That's why Ashimitsu doesn't hesitate. He will protect Shizuko by any means necessary. Even if it means being branded a coward for carrying out those actions, he will not stop.It's so difficult not to intervene. But it's unthinkable to show weakness at this level. This girl once melted my stubborn heart and taught me the warmth of others. Compared to Shizuko's struggles back then, what I have to do is easy.Due to Hisamasa's coup and the invasion of Mino by the Asakura clan, it became inevitable for Nobunaga to engage in battles against the Asakura and Asai clans. After Nobunaga issued the order for the Invasion of Omi Province, which was practically a retaliatory campaign, Hisamasa and the Asakura clan began purchasing military supplies from merchants and forcibly collecting them from rural areas to prepare for war. However, Hisamasa's purchases did not go as smoothly as expected. The reason was that the Omi Province merchants' union, which had been supporting Nagamasa, became reluctant to trade. They were concerned that openly opposing Nobunaga would jeopardize their business, so they became hesitant to trade with Hisamasa. However, when Nobunaga learned of this, he summoned the members of the Omi Province merchants' union to Gifu and assured them that trading with Hisamasa would not worsen their relationship with him.You don't need to hold back with me, feel free to sell plenty to the Asakura clan. If necessary, you can even buy goods from my territory.The messengers from the Omi Province merchants' union were perplexed by Nobunaga's words, but he continued speaking without concern.If Hisamasa and the Asakura clan complain that they lost because they couldn't buy weapons due to Oda's pressure, it will be troublesome for me.The messengers from the Omi Province merchants' union finally understood that Nobunaga had no objections to trading with Hisamasa.Later, the Omi Province merchants' union agreed to trade with Hisamasa, but the prices were higher than usual. However, this was simply following the principle of business to buy low, sell high. Almost half of the goods that were brought in were not understood by anyone, and they wondered why such a large quantity was being collected. Nevertheless, the merchants silently gathered the goods and sold them to Shizuko.Hehehe, as expected of Lady Shizuko. You've bought a lot, haven't you?Kyujiro, with a dubious smile, looks at the goods being brought into the warehouse together with Shizuko.How about spices from the Nanban?It's difficult for things that they consider valuable. However, we are gradually collecting well-known medicinal herbs.Shizuko has trade routes with China, India, tropical Asia, and Portugal. Through these routes, she imports various herbs and crops, but it still takes time to obtain them. So she has entrusted the task to multiple people, staggering the time for each person to make the requests. It costs more, but it is the best option to ensure a reliable supply.So is the trade with India still difficult?I've been talking to the Nanban people, but it seems they don't understand the value. They also mentioned that it's difficult to find buyers. Well, let them search to their heart's content.Yes, please find them as soon as possible. I'm sure they exist, Damascus swords.Damascus swords are swords made in Damascus, Syria, using Indian Wootz steel, which has a wood grain-like pattern. Damascus steel is also known as Wootz steel, which was developed and manufactured in ancient India. While it is also used to refer to steel that is layered and forged with different metals to create patterns, this is different from the original Damascus steel, and the true manufacturing technique of Wootz steel has been completely lost. However, the technique was lost only in the 19th century, so during the Sengoku period, there is hope for the production of Wootz steel. However, since the manufacturing method of Wootz steel was passed down through oral tradition, it is quite difficult to find someone who can produce it. Normally, it would require a considerable amount of money, but Kyujiro's persuasive skills seem to have been effective in exploiting the Portuguese merchants.I understand. Well, by the end of summer, I will show you some results.Please.Shizuko was seeking Wootz steel ingots and Damascus swords. In Shizuko's time, most of the famous swords and spears had disappeared. For Shizuko, who had only seen them in photographs preserved through digitization, being able to see the actual famous swords and spears and even have them under her control was truly a dream come true. While she was also interested in civilian technology, the Sengoku period was, after all, an era of war. She couldn't help but be strongly drawn to armor, swords, and spears.Regardless, the purpose is not just to collect. Just as Nobunaga collects tea utensils to demonstrate that he is a suitable ruler, having legendary swords with a lineage makes it easier to gather retainers when they are needed. In other words, it allows me to demonstrate that I have the power to receive a sword bestowed upon me by Nobunaga. No one gathers around someone without power. Because they won't benefit from it.The invasion of Omi Province is about to begin, so it might get a little tough.That's right. I also need to prepare for the battle. Well then, excuse me.As soon as he said that, Kyujiro quickly disappeared into the crowd. Shizuko was amazed at his speed, and as she exhaled softly, she returned her gaze to the warehouse and muttered with a distant look on her face.Yes things are about to get difficult.Even if Shizuko knew that the Battle of Anegawa was going to happen, she couldn't just stop it by being prepared. Even if some historical events didn't happen, Shizuko was somewhat despairing that things were returning to the major conflicts, such as the dissolution of the alliance with the Asakura clan and the hostility with the Asakura clan. If history continued as it was, Mori Yoshinari, who was Nobunaga's greatest understanding, would lose his life in the Battle of Usayama Castle. That's not all. If Nobunaga's brother, Oda Nobuoki, the lord of Kogi Castle, was killed, Nobunaga's response to the Nagashima Ikko-ikki would become more ruthless. It is said that the reason Nobunaga used even cruel methods against the Nagashima Ikko-ikki was because Nobuoki, who he trusted deeply, was killed.I guess I have no choice but to completely destroy the Asakura army in the Battle of Anegawa and make it impossible for them to come out from Echizen.I must avoid the death of Mori Yoshinari at all costs. In order to achieve that, it is necessary for the Asakura army to suffer enough damage that they cannot send reinforcements. If it is impossible for the Asakura army to participate, there is a possibility that the Battle of Usayama Castle can be carried out advantageously.But there is a problem. Asakura Yoshikage has a habit of immediately retreating when the situation becomes unfavorable. This became a hole in the Oda encirclement and became a factor for turning Nobunaga's pinch into an opportunity. However, this time it will backfire. It is not a problem if Asakura Yoshikage survives. Shizuko actually wanted him, who tends to be reclusive, to continue as the head of the clan until he is betrayed by his own family. But in order to inflict significant damage on the army like this time, it is more convenient to have reckless warriors who launch a reckless assault. Although it is a convenient thing, Shizuko is troubled about what kind of strategy to take.Hmm, maybe I should consult with Uncle Ashimitsu about this.Shizuko, who thought that she couldn't come up with a plan on her own, went to the shrine where Ashimitsu lived.I see, so Shizuko wants to completely destroy the Asakura army. But you can't think of a way to do it, is that it?After listening to Shizuko's story, Ashimitsu narrowed his eyes and looked into her eyes as he asked.Yeah. Well if it were you, you would probably use TNT bombs to blow them up, but I'm not really good at that.Even in this era, you can make RDX. It requires the use of dangerous substances for refining, so it would require some sacrifices.Are you planning to collect ammonia and phosphorus from livestock urine? If you do, I would like you to use it as fertilizer.MAP Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate method would be more familiar to Mitsuo. It was a secondary income for livestock farmers.By spraying steam on livestock urine, ammonia can be collected. The remaining substance can be used to recover phosphoric acid using the MAP method. By dividing the obtained ammonia in half, one half can be refined into sodium carbonate and ammonium chloride using the Solvay process. The remaining half can be refined into ammonium dihydrogen phosphate by neutralizing it with phosphoric acid, and by adding the byproduct ammonium chloride from the Solvay process and cooling it, ammonium phosphate can be obtained and sodium carbonate can be used as a material for glass well, don't you think it's quite good?It's because you can recover carbon dioxide from a lime kiln. In that case, we would need bio-coke as fuel. It has the disadvantage of using a large amount of oil due to the pressure applied by the hydraulic press, but it has the advantage of not running out of materials.If it's vegetable oil, would it be castor oil? It has a high viscosity and can't be used for food, so it wouldn't be a problem to use a large amount. Until now, it has only been cultivated for medicinal use, but if we're making bio-coke, we might as well cultivate it in large quantities.We're getting off track, should we get back on topic? Even without modern scientific weapons, it is possible to fulfill Shizuko's wish with the current resources.With those words, Ashimitsu handed Shizuko the materials he had prepared in advance. Shizuko, who received them, read through the materials.Is this for real?After finishing reading the materials, Shizuko furrowed her brows and threw a question at Ashimitsu. The things written in the materials could be dangerous if mishandled, but they were not something that would directly endanger lives. Shizuko couldn't come up with a way to use them to completely destroy the Asakura army.We understand them as toys,' but for them, it's unknown.' Now, Shizuko, what should you not do when acting as a group?Um cause panic?That's right. In this era, the army is mostly an unorganized group. What do you think will happen if you give them fear and anxiety?The maintenance of the army will become impossible?Correct. Once a military force's morale is weakened by fear and anxiety, it will collapse in no time. No one wants to die in vain. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but to fulfill Shizuko's request, we need to make a slight adjustment.Ashimitsu put his hand on his chin and pondered. After thinking for a while, he continued to speak while looking at Shizuko.For now, let's go with a method that doesn't involve using destructive weapons. However, you should understand that a lot of blood will be shed. And there's no guarantee of success, especially since Asakura is a coward who will run away immediately.I understand that. Many people will probably die. There's a part of me that thinks it's a bad thing. But this perspective is from the time I came from, not from the Sengoku period.Don't make that face, Uncle Ashimitsu. But well, I probably have a part of me that thinks lightly about it somewhere in my heart, so I can't easily say I'm prepared.' So I'll tell myself that I pulled the trigger.I will use various means to kill and injure a large number of enemies. And it was Shizuko herself who pulled the triggerThat's right.Shizuko nodded weakly while laughing at Ashimitsu's words.Hisamasa hurriedly built fortresses in places like Chohi and Kariyasu near the border with Mino Province. He also strengthened the defenses of Yokoyama Castle and Kamaha Castle. However, due to the schemes of Hideyoshi and Takenaka Hanbei, who were acting on Nobunaga's orders, Naoie Higuchi of Chohi Castle, Hidemura Hori of Kamaha Castle, and even Minoura Castle defected to the Oda side, causing cracks in Hisamasa's defense network.Having successfully created a breach in the defense network of Asai's main castle, Kotani Castle, Nobunaga arrived at Chohi Castle in less than a day after the scheme. Nobunaga's swift actions did not even give Hisamasa time to rebuild his defense network. With a slight weakness in his mental state, he couldn't hide his agitation at Nobunaga's abnormal behavior, and he failed to reestablish his position.Understanding that Hisamasa would continue to defend until the arrival of reinforcements from the Asakura clan, Nobunaga suspended the attack on Kotani Castle and switched to a strategy of attacking Yokoyama Castle, which was about nine kilometers to the south. When the Ashikaga side sensed the movement of his main camp, they sent out pursuit troops to launch a surprise attack from behind. However, thanks to the efforts of the rearguard, such as Sassa Narimasa, the Oda army completed their move to Ryuganose in the same day.Two days after moving to Ryuganose, Nobunaga began the attack on Yokoyama Castle. With the addition of Ieyasu's main force of 5,000, the combined forces of Oda and Tokugawa numbered 30,000, while at the same time, Hisamasa's reinforcements of 10,000, led by Asakura Yoshikage, arrived. Hisamasa led his entire army out of Kotani Castle and joined forces with the Asakura army. They advanced to Oyoriyama for the purpose of supporting the rear of Yokoyama Castle. The battle between the combined forces of Oda and Tokugawa and the combined forces of Asai and Asakura began. Not only the local daimyo, but even the shogun and the emperor were watching the progress of the battle.Meanwhile, Shizuko recruited laborers and began construction of a makeshift zoo with the Kurokuwa group civil engineering workers. First, they cleared a 4,000 tsubo area and surrounded it with walls to prevent the animals from escaping. The walls were made of white plaster. Plaster walls have excellent fire resistance, but they have the disadvantage of melting when wet. To prevent this, wooden cladding was applied to areas prone to rain, and the walls needed to be repainted every ten to fifteen years.Once the walls were completed, they began digging a moat inside the walls that would serve as both a water source for the zoo and a defensive measure. Since defense was not the main purpose, the width of the moat was set at 12 ken about 21 meters, narrower than the usual 15 ken about 27 meters. The depth was set between 3 to 4 meters to allow for water storage. Furthermore, an earthen rampart was built inside the moat to prevent escape from the inside. After that, they just needed to create the appropriate environments for each animal.For the peacocks, they prepared aviaries of 10 tsubo and 4 meters in height for each pair, and also installed tunnel-like boxes in the four corners of the aviaries, measuring 50 centimeters in width, 70 centimeters in height, and 90 centimeters in depth. The reason for preparing the tunnel-like boxes was to protect the female peacocks from the aggressive males during the breeding season. Breeding males can become aggressive towards females and sometimes even kill them. To prevent harm to the females, it was necessary to provide escape routes in the form of boxes in the four corners of the aviaries.In order for the male to propose to the female, he needed to spread his feathers, called joubitou in Japanese, which needed to be collected. The feathers that the male peacock uses to propose to the female are often thought to be the same feathers throughout their lifetime, but in reality, they grow new feathers every year. They become the most beautiful from April to June during the breeding season, and then gradually start to shed their feathers from July, until they are completely gone by November. Then, new feathers start to grow around December, and they become the most beautiful again from April to June during the breeding season. Shizuko planned to use the shed feathers as decorative material, but for her, it was just a bonus if she could obtain them.For the turtles, separate areas were prepared for laying eggs, surrounded by bird-proof nets, and sleeping areas with narrow entrances and soft soil were prepared. Turtles drink as much water as they can, so it was necessary to keep water away as much as possible. While other animals would suffer from dehydration in such an environment, they were built with enough water intake from vegetables, wild plants, and fruits. However, since turtles are sensitive to cold, they needed to be moved to a hut near the hot springs from the end of autumn, as they cannot survive the Japanese winter.Fortunately, the Shepherds did not show any signs of diseases such as rabies, and they are still running around energetically. Shizuko, who wanted to make them the foundation for breeding and improve the dog breeds, took the Shepherd's environment into the most consideration. However, they were more interested in new toys than having a large space or a comfortable environment. It goes without saying that the toys were completely worn out within a few days due to the rough welcome from the large Shepherd dogs.Construction of facilities other than the mansion and castle on a vast area of 4000 tsubo. The intermediaries thought it was a strange civil engineering project, but there was no danger like in a battle, and they could receive money. For the intermediaries who were not bound by land, it was truly a paradise-like workplace. Therefore, to prevent the intermediaries from being too occupied with this safe civil engineering project, Shizuko had stopped recruiting until Nobunaga went to battle. This was because the intermediaries believed that it was better to receive money from civil engineering projects unless they were particularly fond of battles.Shizuko was not heavily involved in the construction of the zoo and left most of it to the Kurokuwa civil engineering workers group. The reason was that she was conducting special training for matchlock guns ordered by Nobunaga. In addition to taking care of Torajiro and overseeing the production of the cat pet house Neko Chigura, there were other tasks, but the biggest task was the special training for matchlock guns.Speaking of matchlock guns, Nobunaga's famous sandanuchi technique used in the Battle of Nagashino is unrealistic. Even if they tried to perform simultaneous firing according to the conductor's command, the farther the distance, the slower the orders would be transmitted. Moreover, there would be people who would take longer to prepare and others who would finish quickly, resulting in a lot of wasted time. There is a better strategy for the Oda-Tokugawa alliance, which has superior forces, than the ineffective sandanuchi. It is to surround the Takeda army and attack them from all sides. No matter how strong the Takeda soldiers may be, they would surrender before the siege due to their small numbers.It is believed that Nobunaga responded as follows in the Battle of Nagashino. First, he deliberately dispersed his forces and made his main camp appear smaller than the Takeda army to lure Kenshin out. During that time, they captured the Tobi-ga-Su fortress and four supporting fortresses Nakayama, Kumaya, Ubaga-Kai, and Kimi-Ga-Fusho and relieved Nagashino Castle. Due to the successful surprise attack by the Sakai ambush unit, the Takeda main force that advanced to Settara was threatened in their retreat, and ultimately they charged at the Oda-Tokugawa alliance's main camp. In response to the Takeda army's charge, Nobunaga attacked them from three directions, not with sandanuchi, and it is believed that they killed many renowned warlords and brought the Takeda army to a state of collapse. Considering that the Takeda army suffered more than 10,000 casualties, it is more realistic to think that they implemented a semi-encirclement strategy from three directions rather than the ineffective sandanuchi, as the author believes.Going back to the story, Shizuko focused on the training of the matchlock gun unit, conducting rapid-fire training and alternating between the loader and shooter roles, which the Shimazu clan excelled at. Through this training, the firing time of the matchlock gun, which usually took around 40 to 50 seconds, was shortened to just 15 to 20 seconds. The results of the training were excellent, and everyone had improved their skills to the point where they could fire four shots in one minute. However, the alternating firing was still awkward, and Shizuko felt that long-term training was necessary.The rest will be decided by the lord. When he returns from the Battle of Okehazama, the Oda army's matchlock gun unit will also be considerably strengthened.If further reinforcement was needed, the development of matchlock guns capable of using Mini bullets would be the best option, but that was being handled by Ashimitsu. Development included tasks such as manufacturing tools for rifling, standardizing Mini bullets, and many others. Especially, since the caliber of matchlock guns was not standardized due to being handmade, it was necessary to design the size of Mini bullets based on the most average caliber.Well, let's leave that to Uncle Ashimitsu. I just need to do what I can do.Discarding unnecessary distractions, Shizuko focused on the training of the matchlock gun unit.
