Chapter 43 2. It Is Difficult to Apply for General Service Due to Poverty
This year, the Yamanouchi family fought a big battle, so most of the military service and some of the soldiers were exempted from the general service. According to Kobayata's estimate, there were originally more than 10,000 people, but now there are more than half less. Large-scale renovation of water conservancy or construction of new cities is not realistic, and it may be a bit restrictive.
After entering the city to report to Yamanouchi Yoshiharu, he roughly understood the intensity and scale of the general service in previous years. Kobayata had a clear idea and calculated that there was not much need to widen or strengthen the river embankment this year. There was nothing to expand in Fuchu Castle. This year's general service was relatively easy, and there was no urgent need to start construction.
Thinking that he had just taken over as the county governor not long ago, every time he got a good job. The work of sorting out the household registration was done well by the previous county governor Oishi Saburo Haruhide. Kitabatake University also did all the water conservancy work. Now there are only a few odd jobs left, and it's easy, and I've been through another year.
After leaving the city, Kobayata, rubbing his hands and breathing, looked at the three or four thousand people in the county who were wearing not-so-thick linen or cotton clothes and huddled together for warmth in the winter. He felt pity for them silently, and then was glad for them that they didn't have to do hard labor for a long time this year.
Before Kobayata came, he thought that he couldn't do any big work with these people, not to mention that there were only a few days of general labor. He could dig the river mud to fertilize the fields while the water was low, and then pick up some soil to try to make two terraces, so that Kobayata could use the agricultural production technology in his mind.
However, after asking Yamanouchi Yoshiharu's ideas, everything was at the command of the leader, and he could only change to street preparation. After all, a large army marched again this year, and the road conditions were already very bad.
Generally, the streets at this time are as narrow as one and a half rooms (about 2.5 meters) and as wide as three rooms (about 5 meters). The streets of the proper countries are planted with pine and willow trees and ditches on both sides. Then the roadbed should be paved below and the upper layer should be rammed earth. But reality, haha!
Most of the roads in the Yamanouchi family territory are ordinary muddy land. Every year, they get some soil or small stones to make the roads smooth, fill the muddy puddles on the road, and repair the collapse on both sides of the road.
The next year, after walking, you can see that the grooves of the wheels can be half a meter deep. On sunny days, you will be covered in dust, and on rainy days, you will be covered in mud. It is probably better than the animal trails trampled by animals in the mountains.
There is no expectation for such roads. When there is abundant rain in spring and summer, it is not uncommon to accidentally step on a mud bubble and drown in the one or two meter deep bubble.
So during this period, when the regular Japanese army set out, the vanguard troops had to bring a large number of shovels and spades, as well as a lot of wooden boards. This is to ensure that the muddy road that has experienced the spring rain can be safely passed. Otherwise, it is very likely that while walking, you will see, eh? How come nine out of ten soldiers have become nine? One of them has drowned in the muddy bubble on the road.
But this situation is not unique to Yamanouchi. Basically, the streets of all the territories in Japan are in this state. In addition to the fact that the daimyo did not put enough effort into this, the main reason is that they are poor and do not have the financial resources to prepare high-quality roads.
So generations of magistrates have been fooling around for decades, just doing it casually and finishing it quickly. As long as it is not worse than before, can they still expect to play with it? Isn't the word "muddling through" specifically created to describe this situation?
Of course, according to the plot of the time-travel novel, the mentally retarded writer should use a big move, invite people in batches, construct in sections, and offer rewards. There is no need to consider the number of tools, material consumption, early planning, and later construction. Anyway, a wide and wide road to the sky was built in ten days and eight days. When Oda Nobunaga saw that you were really awesome, he gave you 100,000 or 80,000 koku and betrothed Aichi to you. Niwa Nagahide wanted to worship you as his teacher, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi wanted to recognize you as his father. Haha!
Until the Edo Shogunate, the general request for roads, water conservancy, temples, shrines, and castles was the second means used by the shogunate to consume the external (the first was sankin-kotai), in addition to self-provided food. The money, tools, and materials consumed were all borne by the undertakers of the general request.
The Shimazu family was ordered by the shogunate to prepare a river in Shinano (the construction period was tight, and the Shimazu family bore all the labor and material costs), which eventually forced several people to commit suicide by seppuku at the construction site. The shogunate's relatives and hereditary successors who came to supervise could not bear it, and said to the Tokugawa general in tears that this was really inhumane, please spare their lives.
Kobayakata did not dare to expect these ordinary lords who were suffocated by heavy taxes and frequent military service, poor and sad, and pale-faced, to prepare many tools by themselves, and to give out a few dollars for free to support the daimyo's career.
Kobayata could only do his best to arrange for these at least superficially poor people to finish their work and go home in the next few days, so as not to let them suffer any more.
In addition, he fooled Yamanouchi Yoshiharu, saying that the road was too bad, and he allowed some reserve funds and collected stones to strengthen the roadbed. This amount of money certainly could not repair the entire street from Yamanouchi to Ejiri, and it was mainly to build a surface project for Yamanouchi Town.
He sent his fellow men with the conscripted people to repair the road along the way and make do with a rest, leaving only a few hundred people with experience in building cities.
These selected people cooperated with Kobayata's plan to prepare the main street of Yamanouchi Fuchu Town. He dared not think about the fine sifting of boiled loess, the unbreakable iron wire hammer, and the rammed earth more than ten feet.
The only way was to roll the dirt road back and forth with long round stones for a day to fill the potholes. After roughly stabilizing the foundation, we used stone slabs to pave the main street in the town into a main road that was four kan (about 6.5 meters) wide and 130 kan (200 meters) long, replacing the previous muddy road.
How should I put it, it's still pretty good. I used to walk on the mud to run into the city, but now it's much better to walk on the stone slabs. At least I won't encounter the embarrassing situation of walking on the mud in straw sandals, and then stepping out while walking, and the straw sandals are still left in the mud pit behind.
Thinking of doing good things to the end, I also dug open channels on both sides of the road. After connecting to the Lianchuan, it can not only play the role of water storage and fire prevention, but also facilitate the treatment of domestic sewage for thousands of people in the town, making the town look brand new.
As for the remaining roads outside Fuchu Town, I'm sorry, I don't have the money or the ability to deal with you.
Some people also said that at least set up big pots along the way to boil ginger tea and water for the people to warm up (a classic plot in time-travel novels where a retard wins the hearts of the people). I can only say that I think too much. Ginger is extremely expensive, and cast iron pots are not big enough to be shared by hundreds of people. Firewood also costs money to buy.
The Japanese Warring States period was so ruthless and so poor.
Nothing more to say, it's the weekend, and there are still two days. One thousand this week, eight updates next Tuesday! Eight updates!