He Was Offering Far Too Much!

Yamauchi Kazutoyo certainly did not have 10 kan of money. He could not even scrape together 500 mon from his entire person.

But since he had dared to make such a bold claim, he clearly had something in mind. He was not afraid of Chubei's questioning.

"Where is this money, then?" Chubei said coldly.

If Yamauchi Kazutoyo had truly come to congratulate his son on his wedding, Chubei would have welcomed him even if he did not hand over the money.

But if Yamauchi Kazutoyo wanted to collect annual tribute, then Chubei was sorry—he needed to see the money first.

Chubei was also the sort who would not release the hawk until he saw the rabbit. He would not help Yamauchi Kazutoyo for nothing; they had only just met, and there was no friendship between them to speak of.

"Won't those 10 kan be there once your village pays its annual tribute?"

Chubei immediately rose as if to leave. "Lord Yamauchi, then there is nothing left to discuss."

"Are you in such a hurry?"

"Are you truly leaving without hearing me out?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo asked unhurriedly.

Chubei's eyes shifted, and he sat back down. He wanted to hear what medicine Yamauchi Kazutoyo was selling from his gourd.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo tapped the table with his fingers, then asked, "How many otana are there in Yamajiri Village? Are there many wealthy men?"

So-called wealthy men were not men of virtue, but men with "economic strength."

There were non-samurai locals who owned much land or engaged in trade and handicrafts. Though they were not samurai, they possessed certain assets and were collectively called wealthy men.

Chubei gave Yamauchi Kazutoyo a look before slowly replying, "There are three otana in this village. As for those who can be called wealthy men, there is only Yoshichirō in the east of the village. He serves Lord Ikoma at Obori Castle and deals in horse transport."

Horse transport meant freight carried by horses. The Ikoma family of Obori Castle monopolized the logistics trade along the border between Owari Province and Mino. Even Oda Nobunaga had to show the Ikoma family some face, which was why he had taken Ikoma Kitsuno as a concubine.

"Yoshichirō has a relay-horse vermilion seal issued by Lord Oda of Inuyama Castle, so he is not on this village's annual tribute rolls," Chubei added.

A relay-horse vermilion seal was an "operating license" issued by a daimyo. Only with one could a person freely conduct transport within the daimyo's territory, and such people paid taxes directly to the daimyo.

"Besides that, Maeno Tenmangu Shrine beside Iwakura Road owns quite a bit of land in the village. Those fields are exempt from tax as well."

By bringing up Oda Nobukiyo and Maeno Tenmangu Shrine one after another, Chubei was also trying to make Yamauchi Kazutoyo retreat in the face of difficulty. He truly wanted the money, but he was unwilling to wade into muddy waters so easily.

The former was the most powerful daimyo in Niwa District, while the latter was a shrine built by the Maeno family to worship Sugawara no Michizane.

The three great local powers of Niwa District—the Oda of Inuyama, the Maeno family, and the Ikoma family—had all appeared at once. Yamauchi Kazutoyo truly felt the invisible pressure.

No wonder Maeno Tokiyuki had not dared come to collect the annual tribute. None of those three powers was someone he could afford to provoke.

"Chubei, I am afraid you have misunderstood my meaning." Yamauchi Kazutoyo suddenly smiled.

"Then what does Lord Yamauchi mean?"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo answered, "I came only to collect the annual tribute. Once it is collected, I will leave. I will not interfere in local affairs, much less remain stationed here."

A magistrate's deputy often had to reside in the countryside, collecting annual tribute for his lord at any time, conscripting laborers, and pressing for various miscellaneous taxes such as house taxes and land taxes.

"As long as you, Chubei, can persuade the farmers to pay their taxes, I will not treat you poorly once it is done." Yamauchi Kazutoyo finally dropped the pretense.

"Hahaha!" Chubei burst out laughing. "Lord Yamauchi truly has a fine abacus. You want to use the village's money to reward me—catch a wolf with empty hands?"

Chubei knew he was uneducated, but that did not mean Yamauchi Kazutoyo could treat him like a fool.

Then Chubei declared righteously, "The villagers trusted me, Chubei, and chose me as their otana. How could I betray them?"

"Besides, you think 10 kan is enough to buy off me, Chubei? What a fool's dream!"

"What if I add more money?" The corner of Yamauchi Kazutoyo's mouth curled slightly.

"How much more?" Chubei leaned forward, rubbing his hands without pause.

Making money was nothing to be ashamed of!

"As long as you, Chubei, can persuade the others to take the lead in paying taxes, the money paid by the otana and wealthy men will be returned in full. As for the rest, we will split it thirty-seventy!"

"Besides, since it is a wedding gift, those 10 kan will count as an extra payment from me to you, Chubei."

"What do you say?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo swept his sleeve and sat up straight.

Hiss...

Chubei sucked in a sharp breath.

He had wanted to refuse, but Yamauchi Kazutoyo was offering far too much!

It took Chubei only a few seconds to calculate his expected profits. The figure was simply too considerable.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo's proposal could even be described as a pie falling from the sky for Chubei. Though he had previously eaten from both ends, he had never been worthy of sitting at the table to divide the cake. The lion's share had always gone to the samurai lords.

Now that Yamauchi Kazutoyo had offered such generous terms, hesitating even one second longer would be disrespectful to the Yongle Tongbao!

Yamauchi Kazutoyo dared offer such terms because Maeno Tokiyuki had assigned him a quota of 40 kan. That left far too much room to maneuver.

"Lord Yamauchi, do you truly mean that?" Chubei asked for one final confirmation.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo held out his hand. "A gentleman's word cannot be chased down by four horses!"

"What does that mean?" Chubei looked utterly bewildered.

"It means it is a deal."

"Good!" Chubei slapped his thigh. "We'll do it!"

"But I will still need to discuss the exact amount to be paid with everyone. Please wait at my home for a moment, Lord Yamauchi."

"Go ahead!"

After Chubei left, Yamauchi Kazutoyo began considering the second step of his plan.

First, these villages definitely had to pay their annual tribute. Otherwise, if the Maeno family made a fuss before Oda Nobunaga, the "Great Fool of Owari" would not be so easy to reason with.

The key now was that while Maeno Tokiyuki's 40 kan had been accounted for, Yamauchi Kazutoyo himself would gain nothing.

Then he thought of the defeated-warrior hunter called Nehei, and Yamauchi Kazutoyo quietly formed a plan.

An hour later, Chubei came running in, covered in dust.

"Lord Yamauchi, it is settled."

"This village will provide 39 kan, Miyago Village 21 kan, Emori Village 34 kan, and Kashimori Village 16 kan—for a total of 100 kan!"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo smiled faintly. "Chubei, you are highly efficient."

"When will the annual tribute be collected in full?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, within five days!" Chubei immediately replied. "I have already sent Yoshichirō to contact merchants in Kiyosu Castle. Once the grain and pottery are sold, there will soon be money."

"But did you not just say that the villagers were so poor they could not even lift the lid off the pot?"

With a fawning expression, Chubei said, "Lord Yamauchi, listen to what you are saying. What family does not have a few hidden fields? As long as you do not remain in the countryside to survey the land, everything can be discussed, can it not?"

So their inability to pay annual tribute had been a lie all along. Cry poor first, so they would not expose their wealth, was that it?

The annual tribute of Inagi Estate had not changed for more than twenty years. During that time, all newly reclaimed land had been concealed. So long as no one from above came to survey the land, Inagi Estate would continue paying annual tribute according to the proportions agreed upon in the past.

Under this "tax farming system," as long as the lord ensured his own interests were not harmed, he would not investigate too deeply.

After all, a comprehensive land survey affected far too many people and could easily stir up a peasant revolt. It was not something just anyone dared undertake.

"In that case, I will return in five days."

"Take care, Lord Yamauchi!"

Sobue Kan'emon brought over the tethered horse and helped Yamauchi Kazutoyo climb onto its back.

Amid the waves of Chubei's family, Yamauchi Kazutoyo slowly departed.

After leaving Yamajiri Village, Yamauchi Kazutoyo noticed that Kichibē was in very low spirits, and he understood why.

After they had traveled some distance, Yamauchi Kazutoyo suddenly pulled hard on the reins. "Kichibē, do you want revenge?"

Kichibē instantly raised his head, intense longing bursting from his eyes.

"My lord, I do!"