Translator: Flowingcloud Editor: Arocks141
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TERMS/THINGS TO NOTE:
Lots of measurement units used this chapter:
Japanese units of measurement
—Koku = roughly 2 hours
Father, give me money!
February, 24th Year of the Tembun era (1555), Gassantoda Castle, Izumo; Amago Haruhisa
If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry 🙁
“You want me to give you 50,000-kan!?”
“Yes, father. 50,000-kan is necessary to implement flood control.”
“However, Tama, you see. 50,000-kan is a large amount of money for us Amago.”
I am fully aware of that. This is the document that breaks down the necessary expenses. Please give it a read.”
Hmm, as I thought that Tama was coming to meet me, she suddenly wants me to hand over 50,000-kan?
How did this happen? Where did I raise her wrong? No, well, it’s not like I actually raised her.
It’s easy to say something like, “Miser, don’t get carried away,” however because Tama said that this is necessary for flood control, perhaps I should consider it. Tama is under the pretext as my Daikan, so my judgment is necessary.
Let’s see, let’s take a look at the document that lass wrote. You never know what might happen, only God knows.
***
(Tama POV)
How are you?
It’s Tama who came to Tomita to get the final permission for my flood control plans. I’m also here to request a loan. I feel like my use of Japanese is a bit mistaken, but it’s my loss if I let it bother me.
But man, boats are very convenient, aren’t they? It only takes one day to cover the distance of about 15-ri (60 km) from Kitsuki-no-Oyashiro to Gassantoda Castle.
Well, my bottom hurts a little because I had to ride a small horse for about four-ri from the Grand Shrine to Hirata. It took two-koku (4 hrs) to Hirata, then a short boat ride across Lake Shinji, down Ohashi River, into Nakaumi, up Iinashi River, then arrived at Tomita. 1
The boat traveled the 11-ri (44km) distance of Hirata to Tomita in two-and-a-half-koku (5 hrs).
In terms of speed, it’d be 9km/h or five knots I think? Before boarding the ship, I took a quarter-koku break in Hirata before boarding the ship, and another quarter-koku rest in Suetsugu (Matsue) on the way, so it took us five-koku to reach Tomita.
Even so, it took us half the time it would have taken on foot, so boats are great!
Because of that, I used fourteen sailors for the five of us. Cost-effectiveness-wise, the cost performance might be poor.
Well, I don’t mind the strutting journey on the shaking small horse though. Along the way, I spent a night at Tamatsukuri Onsen. Viva hot springs! 2
So now, I am telling my father, “Give me money!”
“Mmmmmm… is someone there!”
“Yes, you called for me?”
“Buzen, huh? Investigate the itemization of expenses related to flood control that Tama formulated.”
“Certainly. Please give me a bit of time.”
Woahhh, pops, you left all the work to your subordinate because you couldn’t calculate it yourself.
The name of the subordinate he called Buzen was Motoda (本田) Ieyoshi. It’s not “Honda” (本田). He’s called Buzen because he’s Buzen-no-kami. (T/N: In other words, he’s the governor of Buzen.)
However, Buzen-no-kami is not an official rank formally received from the Imperial Court, but unfortunately, my father allowed him to call himself Buzen-no-kami as a reward, a phony Buzen-no-kami basically. However, Motoda-san is a senior statesman part of the Bugyoshu. 3
When my father called for someone, a senior statesman behaved like a page and immediately showed up. Is Amago going to be okay? I’m worried about Amago’s future all right.
By the way, my father’s official rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade, Palace Repair Daibu. [/note]Jugoi (Junior Fifth Rank): http://bit.ly/3bVFFrQ
Palace Repairs: http://bit.ly/3tselY1[/note] This is an official rank that was officially awarded by the Imperial Court that one must be thankful for. Palace Repairs Daibu is literally a public post that repairs and governs the imperial palace. The chief of the office is the Daibu.
But he’s in Izumo, so he can’t repair the imperial palace. I can almost feel the melancholy of the Imperial Court, which has been handing out government positions for a paltry sum of a few hundred-kan of donations.
However, Palace Repair Daibu is supposed to be Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade, isn’t it? Is the Amago being treated with contempt in the Imperial Court, I wonder? Even so, the Imperial Court is broke, so he might find it disagreeable to be told to come to repair the imperial palace.
“I have kept you waiting.”
“That took some time.”
“I am extremely sorry.”
Ieyoshi-san, sorry for having to do those annoying calculations. He was sweating halfway through even though we’re still in the cold season.
“What? Don’t mind it. There are few in the Amago House who are better than Buzen at arithmetics after all.”
“I am very thankful and happy that you said that. So, Lord, it is about the itemization, but there are no errors in the numbers.”
“I thought as much. Tama calculated it, so there probably weren’t any mistakes.”
There might be, you know? I can calculate a bit better than the people of this era, but my smarts weren’t originally that good after all. Rather, I classify myself in the bad group. It’s my regressing NEET portion of my brain that I normally don’t use, you know.
“Nevertheless, these numerical formulas and this format written by Princess are magnificent.”
“Right? Right!? No matter what you say, it was written by my daughter after all!”
Woah, pops, you’re becoming a doting parent you know? 4
She is indeed, an excellent princess.”
“Mhm. However, hmm… 14,000-kan in the first year, then 12,000-kan in the following three years for a total of 50,000-kan? If that’s the case, it’s fine, but Tama you see, could you make it a bit cheaper? For example, you can half the width of the river.”
Woah! Does Father have the same stingy way of thinking like me?
“Father, in that case, would it just not result in the risk of flooding doubling?”
“But…”
Well, it can’t be helped that it takes a lot of money. Rather, is Father even willing to implement the flood control?
***
(Haruhisa POV)
“It can’t be helped. Then, I will seize the town around the Grand Shrine, Uryu Port, and Hirata Port.”
“Wait wait wait! You cannot do that! Those are mine!”
Hmm, if I make it difficult for her, Tama will become tired of waiting and make me hand over my money?
How did it come to this? Where did I raise her wrong? No, well, it’s not like I actually raised her.
It’s easy to say something like, “Miser, don’t get carried away,” however because Tama said that this is necessary for flood control, perhaps I should consider it. No, but…
“Father, shouldn’t those originally be within a Gundai’s jurisdiction?”
“I was the one who appointed Tama as the Gundai, so those are my things!”
“Phew, it cannot be helped. Well then, please give me Yanai Village that’s north of Mitoya in Takakubo.” 5
“Wait wait wait! How did it come to that!? Also, isn’t Yanai Village part of Mitoya’s territory?”
Hmm, if I make it difficult for her, Tama will become tired of waiting and make me hand over my money?
How did it come to this? Where did I raise her wrong? No, well, it’s not like I actually raised her.
It’s easy to say something like, “Miser, don’t get carried away,” however because Tama said that this is necessary for flood control, perhaps I should consider it. No, but… 6
“It is part of Iishi District, but it should be part of Father’s directly controlled territories, you know?” 7
“Buzen, is that so?”
“Yes. This is the land that was confiscated from Mitoya-dono as punishment when he returned to serving the Amago after changing sides to the Ouchi during the Ouchi invasion ten or so years ago.”
“Come to think of it, that was how it went. So, Tama, why do you want Yanai Village?”
“I remembered that Kanayamahiko-no-kami said that there were burnable stones.”
“Burnable stones?”
“What!?”
I have never heard of such a stone. No, I feel like I’ve heard it exists somewhere in Chikugo, Kyushu… Additionally, thanks to Tama, she often hits the mark so there must be burnable stones. 8
“So, what do you use that burnable stone for?”
“Because it burns, I was thinking of using it to replace firewood mainly.” 9
“The consumption of firewood is ridiculous after all, so it would be of great help if we could use that burnable rock that Princess speaks of.”
“It is as Buzen says. A large quantity of firewood is necessary to make iron and melt copper and silver.”
“Yes. Thus, I am thinking of using that burnable rock and minting my own money.”
What did this lass say right now? I felt like I heard her say mint her own coins…
How are those burnable stones related to casting her own money? As I thought, Tama’s head might be filled with different contents. Surely, only Heaven knows…
However, how did it come to this?
Author Note: Sorry for the slow development > <
If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry 🙁
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakaumi
- Tamatsukuri Onsen: https://www.kankou-shimane.com/en/?p=2461
- They are a group of magistrates who were lawyers of the bureaucracy. Bugyoshu: http://bit.ly/3vvyVsu
- Slothmaster (Arocks): Viva doting parents!
- Only one I could find, sorry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitoya,_Shimane
- Slavemaster (Cloud): Yes, the author really just f**king copy-pasted the entire previous section again.
Slothmaster (Arocks): Yeah, Slavemaster’s right. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iishi_District,_Shimane
- Not the city, the province. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikugo_Province
- Flowingcloud: If you can’t tell by now, it’s coal.