The trip had been a complete success. After visiting various merchants, he had been able to sell all that they had stolen, and left much richer for it. The amount in his purse 2053 gold. Slightly below what Jikouji had projected, but that could not be helped. When you needed to sell so many goods, you had to be a little more flexible.
The horses were certainly as glad as he that the goods had been sold, as now they pulled a much less burdensome empty cart, and they arrived home mid-morning.
He had fallen asleep a couple of times as he held the reigns in his hands, and though that was far from the quality sleep his body required, he still felt rested enough to go about his business.
The guardswomen welcomed him at the gate, bowing low for their master, asking if he required any assistance.
With the cart empty, he did not need too much help, though he did ask that they make sure the horses were brushed down and well taken care of, for they had performed their duty admirably.
He peeked inside Jikouji’s house to see if he was still home. As he had expected, the old man was not. He was likely in the fields overseeing the work on his behalf. His rear was sore from the time spend on the bumpy rode, as his bottom was continually harassed by the hard wood of the seat, so he was only to glad to be able to walk off some of the stiffness.
He left by the gates, and wandered down through the forest, and towards the field. It was not the most well-worn path, but he found it was the quickest, even if he had to put up with the debris that came with it.
Before he even exited the trees, he could see the new field, and the dramatic transformation it had undergone. A vast piece of land that had served as a battlefield for two rival landowners. Now, instead of a site of destruction, it was a place of creation, where new seedlings would be cared for.
The soil was overturned, creating a perfect brown rectangle, covering much of the field. The small mud walls constructed to keep the water in were completed, and appeared to be in good condition. And as he exited the trees and drew closer, he could see that the rice seed had been planted. Some stray roots even appeared here and there, as they began their germination process.
And then, away from all this vegetation, was a contraption. A contraption that was large in scale, and unmistakeably madmade. It was very near completion, as wooden scaffolding supported the curved wooden pipe. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it half a pipe, as it did not need the topmost layer. At the points where two pieces of wooden pipe connected, the wood was sealed with tar.
It began high, at the water trough, where the water wheel dumped its bucket full of water, and then, with a gentle gradient, it traversed a distance of more than 300 metres, from the river and toward the rice field.
It was nearing completion, as only the last part of the pipe remained. The gradient had been calculated perfectly, as when it hit mud wall, it would sit gently on top. That was the optimal setup for such a water-dumping device. Too high up, and the speed at which the water would hit the ground would be higher, creating a larger impact force, and placing more stress upon the seedlings.
Make no mistake, rice seedlings were tough, and could survive some bruising. But it paid to be careful with them.
"Ho, you’re already back?"
Jikouji called out, noticing him walk over.
"Aye, all done."
"How did it go?"
"2053."
Jikouji nodded. He had expected it to be lower than they had projected, but what was impressive was that he had managed to find a buyer for it all so quickly. Even if they dropped a bit of gold along the way, it mattered not as the amount gained was pure profit.
"That’s very good news indeed. Progress here is going smoothly, as you can see."
"Aye, everyone’s being doing well."
A villager moved to put the last section of pipe in place, but Gengyo stopped him.
"Save it for now, miss."
She bowed in response to her master’s words, and placed the pipe aside as she was told.
"You have all done well, and worry not, you will have your payment by the end of the day. For now though, we will leave the construction of pipe here. The seeds need time to sink their roots into the soil, so that they won’t be disturbed when we add water."
He noted their expressions as he bought up the topic of coin. He was glad that he would be able to reward them as much as he wished to. As it happens, the timing was perfect.
"So, without further messing around, shall we test to see if it works?"
That suggestion was met with enthusiasm. They had been labouring hard on the pipe for a couple of days, but had yet to see whether it truly would carry water as desired. If Gengyo had been overseeing them, he would have insisted that they tested for leakage with each new section of pipe added.
Ten people worked together to put the wheel in place. It was not just that it was extremely heavy, it was because it required a good deal of effort to fix it into place as they wished.
They also had to make sure that it did not touch the water until it was aligned perfectly, else the paddles would catch the current of the fast-flowing river, and it would be forced from their grasp.
With a few grunts, and a good deal of straining, they fixed it in place.
The crowd watched in silence, as they saw the paddles catch, and the wheel begin to turn, with a bucket now full of water. With haste, that bucket charged toward the top, spurred on by the force of the current.
And soon it arrived at the obstacle that everyone had long anticipated. The peg forced it sideways so that it poured it’s load into the trough
It went without problem, but there was not yet cause to cheer, as they had seen such a thing before. That liquid filled the trough. Not even a drop seemed to splash out. And then, it funnelled its way down the opening, filling the length of the first pipe.
Down and down it went. The gradient was angled lightly, so that it would not travel down the pipe too quickly, which ensured that it did not sway over the side.
Not a single drop of leakage could be noted yet. And then, it reached the end of its journey, pouring itself onto the ground where the pipe ended.
CLAP CLAP CLAP
Involuntarily, they began to clap, cheering this feat of engineering. Though it was not entirely new, at least, historically speaking, it was certainly new to them. They clapped not simply because they were impressed that it had worked, but because they had been part of its construction.
Even Gengyo began to clap. He was impressed by their attention to detail. They had not spared any effort in sealing, and it was done properly. Even as the third and fourth bucket poured their way down the pipeline, there was not a drop of leakage.
"Alright fellas, that’ll do."
He said, ordering that they take the wheel down, least they begin to flood the area outside of the field.
"Well, I have to say I’m impressed. You’ve all worked hard, and within a matter of days we’ve cultivated this field. Give it a few more days, to give the seedlings a chance. Then, with ten minutes more work, everything will be completed. Brilliant work."
The work ethic of village peasants was nothing to scoff at. They did what they were told, and they did it efficiently.
"As a reward for your efforts, I think, 1 gold per person is fair."
"..."
An audible gasp came from the villagers. Even if they had saved all their coin for the rest of their lives, they would not be able to own such an amount. Even the men who had fought for Niwa Nakatane had not been rewarded as such. It was madness. Even Jikouji raised an eyebrow at him.
But he merely shrugged in response. It was not unwise to keep your population happy, and though it would cost him a little over 300 gold, that was fine. It was simply giving them the contents of the strongbox. And this ensured there would be no problems – atleast for a while.
There could be several long term benefits as well. Because he was investing money into the people, they would be able to spend it. An obvious fact, but the implications of which were extensive. If the merchants were to find that the villager’s had coin, they would come here more often, and maybe even set up permanent residence here.
It could result in their settlement becoming larger. But, that was really looking far ahead, and there were several other factors involved. He simply knew that it was not wrong to invest in the people.
"Form a line, and each of you will receive your gold coin straight away."
He said, having to speak more loudly and clearly, so that he could be heard over the mass of excited voices.
But even if he had whispered it, because it concerned their gold, he likely still would have found a queue formed in front of him.
"Thank you for your work."
He said, smiling as he placed the coin into the hand of the first villager in line. She was covered in filth from the days work, but she still gave him a wide smile, as she held the gold coin, as if it was the most treasured thing in the world for her.
"Thank you for your work."
He said to the next person, giving them the same treatment. The same look of disbelief passed each of their faces as a gold coin was placed into their palms. It made his task all the more rewarding, and he knew it would increase the camaraderie between him and the populace – who were still in mourning, after the amount of loss they had suffered at the hands of Toda and Imagawa.
"Was that the right choice?"
Jikouji asked, as they watched the villagers return to their homes for the evening.
"Of course. A village is only as good as the people living in it. And I’d like to see them happy."
"...You just couldn’t resist spending the coin, could you?"
Jikouji asked, attempting to call him out.
"...That might be part of it."
He said, grinning a little. In truth, this amount of wealth was a little mind-boggling, as he thought about how much a single gold coin was worth to a peasant. But still, he dared not allow himself to be too caught up in it, as he knew he needed far more than this if he was to have any of competing with Imagawa.
"This project of yours... It was a good idea."
Jikouji decided, as they looked at the result of the work together. Indeed it was. It allowed an idling population who were crushed by the recent to deaths to come together, and work. And the reward for their work was far more than they ever could have imagined.
"Sorry for doubting you."
He continued.
"The day you stop doubting me will be the day I start to worry, old man. You’re my advisor, remember? If you were not to advise me, then you’d stop existing."
"Ha... Eloquent as always."
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