The Rise of the European Emperor

Marin didn't know the current situation in Hokkaido, so he called Gan Fushuizi and asked:

"Mizuko, what's the situation on Ezo Island now?"

"Ezo Island?" Gan Fu Shuizi was stunned, and said:

"The Ezo island is now the territory of the Ezo people. Probably only the Matsumae clan in the north and a few small clans will cross the river to trade with the Ezo people."

"How many Ainu people are there on the island?" Marin continued to ask.

"This... seems to be tens of thousands of people..." Gan Fu Shuizi was not quite clear.

"Tens of thousands of people? So many?" Marin was taken aback, but soon relieved.

why? Because the conditions in Hokkaido are much better than those in Sakhalin Island, even though the two islands are close together, the climate is completely different. The temperature in Sakhalin Island in winter can be as low as tens of degrees below zero. In Hokkaido, the winter is only about ten degrees below zero, which is very different from Sakhalin Island.

Mainly, Hokkaido is greatly affected by the Japanese warm current. Sakhalin, on the other hand, is greatly affected by the cold current from the north. On the east side of Hokkaido, it happens to be the meeting point of the cold current of Thousand Islands and the warm current of Japan, forming the "Hokkaido Fishing Ground", one of the four largest fishing grounds in the world.

Unfortunately, Sakhalin Island happens to be in the area affected by the Thousand Island Cold Current, while Hokkaido happens to be at the northernmost point affected by the Japanese Warm Current. Therefore, even though it is only separated by a strait, the climate in Hokkaido is much warmer than that of Sakhalin. The entire Sakhalin Island, probably only the southernmost area, is suitable for agriculture because of the tail of the Japanese warm current. As for the north, it is a place of bitter cold.

And the Ainu people happened to occupy the southern tip of Sakhalin Island, which is suitable for agriculture, and the entire Hokkaido, which made Marin a little jealous...

"Or, let's send troops to occupy Ezo Island..." Marin said suddenly.

Gan Fu Shuizi was startled, and said:

"Husband, what are you doing to occupy Ezo Island? There is nothing good there, and there are a lot of Ezo barbarians..."

Marin smiled and said:

"You don't understand this. Although Nobunaga is your child, your father is just the little city lord of Kushiliang Castle in Osumi Country, and his status is very different from that of the guardian daimyo. Even Gan Fushi never He was once a guardian, but it was just a 'down to conquer', controlling the Osumi Peninsula. But if Nobunaga wants to become a shogun in the future, he still needs a title of guardian daimyo."

After a pause,

Marin said again:

"You should know that the title of the shogun is 'Grand General Conquering Yi', and this 'Yi' refers to Yezo. And defeating Yezo can be regarded as a very good feat in Japan. You say, we If you send troops to take Ezo Island in the name of Nobunaga, and then bribe the shogunate, will you justifiably obtain the status of a guardian daimyo?"

Gan Fu Shuizi nodded repeatedly:

"Japan has been fighting for thousands of years before completely expelling the Ezo people from Honshu Island decades ago. As for Ezo Island, Japan is currently powerless. If it can take Ezo Island in the name of Nobunaga, then to The emperor’s appearance and bribery to the shogunate can indeed get a position of guarding the daimyo justifiably. Moreover, the reputation among the people is also high. However, what’s the use of defeating Ezo Island, which is full of savages and relatively cold?”

Gan Fushuizi is similar to the average Japanese people in this era, thinking that Hokkaido is a place of bitter cold.

Marin shook his head and said:

"You don't understand, Hokkaido... oh no, Ezo Island is a big island with an area twice the size of Tofan Island. There are so many plains on the island, and the arable land can be more than 10,000 square kilometers..."

In later generations, the cultivated land area of ​​Japan was only 49,000 square kilometers, accounting for less than one-seventh of the total 370,000 square kilometers. Hokkaido, on the other hand, is only 83,000 square kilometers, and its arable land area accounts for a quarter of Japan's total, which is more than 12,000 square kilometers, which is equivalent to more than 18 million mu, which is half more than Beihai, a country dominated by plains.

Of course, that is the data of later generations, the data of the era with a high degree of mechanization. In this era, due to terrain and technology, it is difficult to reclaim many places as farmland, especially those places far away from water sources. Moreover, the labor force is far from enough.

However, Marin did not plan to develop Hokkaido immediately. First send troops to land on the west coast of Hokkaido, and first control the Ishikari Plain where Sapporo, the largest city in Hokkaido in later generations, is located.

Ishikari Plain is located on the edge of Ishikari Bay in the west of Hokkaido. It is a coastal plain and the largest plain in Hokkaido. Its area is about 4,000 square kilometers, which is a little smaller than the Tainan Plain of Taiwan Island, but in later generations of Japan, this is already the second largest plain besides the Kanto Plain.

This is the northernmost urban area in Japan in later generations, with a population of more than 5 million, and it is also an important grain-producing area.

In addition, on the east side of the Ishikari Plain, where the eastern part of the plain where Yubari City is located and the mountain borders, there is also the Ishikari Coal Mine, one of the largest coal mines in Japan in later generations.

In short, it may be a bit difficult to control the entire Hokkaido at once, but it is not difficult to send troops to control the Ishikari Plain near the sea.

Moreover, the fighting power of the Ainu is not strong, at least they cannot beat the savage Jurchen. Marin can definitely hire some savage Jurchens, equip them with sophisticated weapons and armor, and attack them. It should not be difficult to take down the Ishikari Plain near the sea.

Even if the savage Jurchen mercenaries are not enough, Marin can still hire Kuyi, the old rivals of the Ainu, and Qilie charming, and even Beishan savages.

In short, it should not be a problem for those fierce barbarians in the outer northeast to defeat the Ainu.

At that time, with the 4,000 square kilometers of Ishikari Plain that Nobunaga has occupied, he will be able to ask the Japanese Emperor for the status of guarding the daimyo. Of course, spending money to bribe is indispensable.

However, this is not a problem, what Nobunaga wants is a legal title. Once you have the legal status of guarding the daimyo, you are eligible to participate in the Warring States Village Chief's hegemony.

After all, fighting for hegemony is a matter of being famous. It's cool to be below the top, but the status is embarrassing and not recognized by others.

And with the legal status of guarding the daimyo, participating in the hegemony is justified. Moreover, one day in the future, there will be confidence and reasons for competing for the position of the shogun—isn’t the shogun the “general who conquers barbarians”? Lao Tzu has conquered Ezo, and even occupied Ezo Island. It can be regarded as a success in "conquering the barbarians". It is reasonable and reasonable to be a "general who conquers the barbarians"...

In short, this can be regarded as laying the groundwork for Nobunaga's future as a shogun. Moreover, the development of the Ishikari Plain is also good for controlling the outer northeast.

Marin intends to establish a port in Ishikari Bay on the west coast of Hokkaido as a transit port to facilitate the connection with Nuerkancheng.

Moreover, the grain produced in the Shikari Plain after that can be imported into Nuergancheng as the source of military grain for Suha's army. After all, it is not very far from Nuergan City, so it is very suitable as a food supply base for Nuergan City.

In addition, the 4,000 square kilometers of plains may not be fully utilized for farming. Without him, farmers may not have enough manpower...

4,000 square kilometers is 6 million mu. Even if one family planted 100 mu of land, 6 million households would be needed for 6 million mu, that is, 200,000 to 300,000 farmers. How could Marin get so many people in the early stage?

So, simply set aside a piece of land to raise horses and provide Suha's Sauron soldiers with Mongolian horse forest breeds. Moreover, it can also be used as a training ground for Jurchen mercenaries to train cavalry suitable for jungles and mountains. Then, it is beneficial to conquer the whole of Japan in the future.

You must know that although the Sauron horse derived from the Mongolian horse is not tall, it is also taller than the native Japanese pony and is more suitable for cavalry. Once the Savage Jurchen mountain jungle cavalry is trained, it will definitely become a nightmare for other infantry-based daimyos...