Chapter 73 - 44: Iron Cannon Academician of Owari Province

Chapter 73: Chapter 44: Iron Cannon Academician of Owari ProvinceHarano really had no other choice—circumstances always trump people. As a down-and-out guy, he didn’t stand a chance against the local lord’s heir, so all he could do was tell stories—He’d imagined all sorts of scenarios about meeting Oda Nobunaga. Considering Ah Man said Nobunaga was a "seasoned oddity" and had been under tight control for a long time, he was bound to be a bit of a rebel. Acting weak would be useless, so piquing his interest was the only way. That’s why he started riffing on iron cannons. And now it seemed to have worked out pretty well. As expected, Oda Nobunaga was really into these novel things, so Harano figured it probably wouldn’t get too rough for him in a bit. After lazily finishing his tales about "how iron cannons got introduced to Japan," "why they’re called iron cannons," and "how to sacrifice your daughter to learn cannon-making," he brought up an old topic: picking apart Nobunaga’s beloved iron cannon for its flaws with some real, solid points—just as a backup plan. If Nobunaga’s favorability score still wasn’t enough later and he insisted on chopping him up, Harano could use this as a reason to make Nobunaga a better iron cannon, stalling for time to run away—a handy two-pronged strategy. Thinking along those lines, he pointed at the cannon and said, "On the other hand, this iron cannon copy does have major issues—not perfect by a long shot. Look, this one’s short and fat, obviously based on a model made for convenience on ships. Now, using it on land, there’s no need to copy it like this at all. Honestly, it’s a fail. You could totally extend the barrel and reduce the caliber, aiming for greater range and more power." Then he pointed at the match pan and powder tray, saying, "This part should have a lid added, so the powder won’t blow away in the wind or get wet and fail to ignite when it rains." After finishing, he even raised the barrel to peer inside, checking the stock, and pointed out another flaw, "The barrel isn’t sealed well either. They tacked on a sight to this copy, but it’s basically useless. Stick your face up close to aim and you’ll likely get a face full of burns." Oda Nobunaga’s face twitched a little—the cannon’s breech really did shoot out hot gas when fired. His matchlock gun teacher, Hashimoto Ichibashi, told him that was normal. That’s just how iron cannons work. The shooting style he’d been taught was to hold it at chest height and aim by feel alone. Aqing, Maeda Toshie, and Ikegami Keisuke just stared at Harano, dumbfounded. Who would’ve thought the "divine doctor" would suddenly reveal himself as an "iron cannon master." And Ah Man was even more stunned, her mouth hanging open like a little toad. She thought she had Harano all figured out, but never expected this trick up his sleeve. It really blindsided her—iron cannons only made it to Kinki what, five or six years ago? They’d only been in Owari for a little over a year, and it was still a fancy new weapon. For Harano to even find faults made him an expert. If this was modern times, he’d easily score an ’Iron Cannon Academician of Owari Province’ title. And the "Iron Cannon Academician of Owari Province" Harano was not even done. He poked at Nobunaga’s ragged pouch, relentlessly finding new problems. "Loading is a mess too. Pouring powder straight from your pocket into the barrel, then ramming the lead shot with the stick, then adding ignition powder to the pan—way too many steps, wastes time, and you can’t control the amount. That messes with your range, could even blow up the barrel—so much room for improvement! It’s way behind using the Early Union Bottle method!" Oda Nobunaga’s face twitched again. He had planned to drag Harano home as a junior retainer to treat his household, but here was Harano lecturing him like a pro—and his posture and tone were just a little bit too much like his tutor, Hirata Masahide, which gave Nobunaga a scalp-tingling sense of dread. But he really was unusually interested in iron cannons, so he gave a fake cough and asked, "The Early Union Bottle...what’s that?" Harano didn’t care at all about critiquing the iron cannon—another five or six years and the Japanese gunsmiths would figure all this out. The matchlock guns they made would naturally be decent. No lines would be crossed about protecting modern technology. The Early Union Bottle was even less of a big deal; even if Shimazu hadn’t figured it out yet, they would soon, and it’d reach Owari in three or five years. It wouldn’t matter much. So he just said, "You pre-measure the gunpowder and lead shot into little bamboo bottles, then just pour it all into the barrel and tamp it down—that keeps the powder amount uniform, so the cannon’s range stays the same, prolongs its service life, and saves a ton of time. That’s why it’s called the Early Union Bottle." Oda Nobunaga wasn’t stupid—in fact, he was really sharp. After a quick think, he got it, and nodded slightly. But his face quickly darkened again as he asked, "So, over in the Western Country, are iron cannons already seeing a lot of use?" "The Shimazu Family started a few years back, at least three or four. By now, they should have quite a bit of experience." Harano wasn’t totally sure in this area—he just remembered the Shimazu Family got into iron cannons super early. They were either the first—or among the first—daimyos to use iron cannons in large-scale battle during the Japan Warring States Period. In Taiko 2, when it came to iron cannon skills like "Early Union," "Iron Cannon Volley," "Wilderness Ambush," "Two-Stage Attack," "Iron Cannon Cross Fire," "Sniping," and so on, odds were those were all developed by the Shimazu. If you wanted iron cannon talent, you’d never go wrong poaching from them. "Really?" Nobunaga was now sitting bolt upright, eyes narrowed as he replied flatly. He lightly pounded his thigh, bowed his head in thought for a while, and his face grew uglier—as if some cherished dream had just shattered. Harano felt like the chit-chat had gone on long enough. He’d left a good impression on Nobunaga and had a backup plan; time to get to the main topic and ask what Nobunaga was here for. But Nobunaga looked up and spoke first, "From now on, you’ll follow me. Your yearly pay...let’s say a hundred kan to start!" He was really generous—living up to his rich-kid reputation and clearly valued Harano, offering twice what Maeda Toshie got. That was enough to keep fifty ordinary lang faction followers on salary. The only thing was, he paid absolutely no attention to social graces, showed zero respect, and just tossed it out there offhand. It felt more like some thug recruiting his posse in a back alley. Harano quickly waved his hands. Nobunaga hated formalities and he was blunt about it too: "Thanks for your appreciation, but I don’t plan on entering anyone’s service. Sorry, Lord—I’ll have to pass on your kindness." Nobunaga blinked, those thick brows instantly furrowing up, eyes suddenly sharp. He’d been lord of a city since age two, and apart from his tutor Hirata Masahide, almost nobody ever dared cross him. Years of that had made his sense of authority pretty strong. But Harano stayed calm, thinking it was no big deal—after getting to know Nobunaga, he was pretty sure this wasn’t the raving lunatic Ah Man described. Not a born killer; he could be reasoned with. Add in some goodwill from Maeda Toshie and a ready backup plan, odds were low he’d get killed just for turning him down. As long as he didn’t get killed, he could handle the rest. Worst case, he’d just bolt, go live somewhere else, and start from scratch. Now that he knew a fair bit about this time period, starting over wouldn’t be so hard, and any losses were manageable. Sure enough, Nobunaga stared at him for a bit, but didn’t draw his sword or shout about how ungrateful he was. With only a sour look, he simply asked, "Why?" "I don’t want to go kneeling and bowing for anybody, and I sure don’t want to sign myself a master. So...service is out, thanks!" Harano figured it was pointless to make up excuses for Nobunaga, so he just told the truth—he didn’t want to, simple as that. Nobunaga was the kind of brat who saw the sky as boss number one and himself as number two—super proud—not the type to shamelessly insist on having him as a sidekick. Ikegami Keisuke was frozen. Maeda Toshie’s jaw dropped; neither of them ever expected Harano to be this much of a weirdo. Nobunaga was just as blindsided. He even wanted to chew Harano out, but couldn’t think of a thing to say. After hesitating, he actually laughed. Then he thought better of it, nodded, and said, "Interesting." Then he got up and left directly—his expression made him look genuinely unhinged. "Uh, the iron cannon..." Harano stood up in surprise to see him out, never expecting it to end so easily. Meanwhile, he waved the iron cannon that was still in his hand—Nobunaga had forgotten to take it. "It’s yours." Nobunaga didn’t even look back. That cannon was garbage, and Harano had found a ton of flaws. He didn’t want it anymore. Maeda Toshie and Ikegami Keisuke stood around dumbly, finally snapping out of it and hastily scrambling to slip their shoes on and rush over to lift the curtain for him. Sёarch* The nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just like that, Oda Nobunaga left—calling out his farewell at the door, hopping on his horse, and riding off toward Nagano Castle. No more iron cannon practice for now—not that he could anyway, since he’d given his away. He’d have to buy himself a better one and maybe go settle up with his gun teacher, Hashimoto Ichibashi. Maeda Toshie carefully tugged at the reins, easing his horse closer to Nobunaga’s side, and asked tentatively, "Lord, you’re...?" Oda Nobunaga’s riding skills were superb. He let the horse go where it pleased, stroked his chin, and said, "He’s kinda like me." "Huh? What do you mean?" Maeda Toshie was at a loss and scratched his face, "Are you mad, or not mad?" If he was mad, he’d have to try to talk him down. He’d wanted to bring Harano along for some good food and drink, but Harano turned out to be a total oddball—willingly choosing to be a wandering samurai. That was just wild. An invitation like that was so rare, he just didn’t get it! "You dolt, it means I’m not mad! Guys like him are real Basara (oddities, eccentrics)—kind of like me," Oda Nobunaga mused. "He does some fun things, says fun things, and is really talented. If people like that don’t submit to me right away, that’s fine. It’s more interesting that way—he’s worth me being a little more patient." Harano voluntarily giving cheap treatment to commoners was something Nobunaga already respected—he was different from the well-born retainers like Maeda Toshie. Now, seeing that Harano seemed to be his kindred spirit, a bit unhinged in daily life, Nobunaga appreciated him even more. Maybe Harano could even understand some of his own thoughts. So, despite being refused, he didn’t get angry or string Harano up for a whipping. In fact, if Harano had readily agreed, snatched up the high salary, and immediately bowed down, Nobunaga might not even have valued him like this. Seriously, there was a reason people called him "the Oda Family’s Big Idiot"—Nobunaga’s logic really was hard for normal folks to grasp. "Ah, that’s it—my lord is wise!" Maeda Toshie still had no clue what Nobunaga meant, but that didn’t stop him from pretending to get it and relaxing. "Hey, Inuk—come closer!" Nobunaga didn’t care if he understood or not, crooking his finger for him to come near and whispering some instructions—a fresh mission handed out. Slow and steady—he was confident he’d win Harano over, have him willingly become a household retainer, and when that happened, bygones would be bygones. He’d even let Harano bunk with him at night for late-night talk-fests to seal the deal. Now, that’s the fun part! ...... Oda Nobunaga was already gone, but Ah Man still couldn’t believe it. She ran to the door and watched for a good while, worried Nobunaga would pull a fast one and come back, torching them all in their sleep. But no matter how long she watched, nobody busted in to set the place on fire. "He just left like that?" She was even more baffled. In theory, Nobunaga ought to have gone nuclear—throw a fit, pounce on Harano, and bite his head off. That’s how it should’ve ended, right? But that was it? Well, whatever. Steering clear of nuts is always a good thing. Maybe Nobunaga just wasn’t having one of his episodes today! Her gaze quickly drifted up to the iron cannon, drooling over it. This was her dream treasure. With it, she could finally master the "All Living Beings Equal Cannon," and A-Qing would be no match—she’d be the number-one practitioner of Life-saving Style. She rubbed her hands together, sidled up to Harano, cleared her throat, and eagerly suggested, "That iron cannon’s pretty heavy, right? How about I carry it for you from now on? Wouldn’t want you straining yourself—you’re everyone’s pillar, after all. We’re all counting on you!" "Then you carry it!" Harano didn’t even hesitate before handing it over. It was a lousy cannon—slow to fire, short-ranged, impossible to aim, and good at burning its own user. At best, it was "gray-tier gear." Only an idiot would want it. He couldn’t care less. As he spoke, his mind wandered to Nobunaga again, but he quickly gave up on overthinking. Yeah, no need to dwell on it. This turned out great—passed through the ordeal, both Buddha big and small have been paid homage to. Now it’s smooth sailing and he could finally live in peace!