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Old 2012-08-07, 10:07   Link #1045
Mechatrill
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Join Date: May 2012
On the technology side, I'd agree that an industrial revolution is pretty much out of the question. Heck, most of what was written on that sheet posted a few pages back aren't really applicable in this situation.

It was a point in vol 3, when it was specifically mentioned that while Japan has capable artisans and craftsmen, their bottleneck is natural resources (on a side note, that was, I think, one of the major reasons for Japan's entry and eventual defeat).

On the steam engine and better guns, I'm seeing one big problem that no one has mentioned thus far: Yoshiharu himself. Remember, he's basically an average Japanese high schooler who happens to be a Sengoku game nerd. Does he even know enough about these technologies to be able to describe them to a craftsman? Did the Japanese high school that Yoshiharu went to even get to the industrial revolution and the steam engine before he got sent back? Did Yoshiharu do well enough in that class to remember even if they did? There's every possibility that Yoshiharu simply doesn't know enough to do these things.

One thing that does bother me slightly though, there is one major thing that Yoshiharu could have spread to make a big difference even with his basic knowledge: Germ Theory and basic hygiene. Disease is always a big killer back then, and just basic hygiene could make a big difference. But then again, this is an anime/light novel, with the bent more toward the fantasy side rather than the sci fi side, so I guess it's forgivable...

On the side of developing Japan into a country capable of matching those of Europe, I personally think that the best thing Yoshiharu can do is to do exactly what he's doing right now: helping Nobuna conquer Japan. Nobuna's goals are to to increase trade with foreigners to increase Japan's knowledge and technology level and to increase sea exploration. If she actually lives to rule Japan, then rather than burying its head in the sand like Japan did in our history, her Japan would instead keep pace with the west.

That exploration part is one that I'm really interested in though. If Nobuna and her successors can put it in action, then Japan could become the defacto ruler of the entire Pacific: I don't think any of the Pacific islands had the technology level to put up much meaningful resistance, and I don't think China really cared about the Pacific back then. At that point, Japan would be the only real presence in the Pacific Ocean (other than the Europeans, I suppose, but they have to sail past a continent or two to get there, so I doubt they'd be too much of an issue either).
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