Prime Minister Bizen

Chapter 513 Utsunomiya Shimo Tokugawa Visits
In fact, no matter whether it is the central and southern part of Iwashiro led by Ogasawara Hidesada, or the northern part of Iwashiro + Yuqian Cijun led by Nakagawa Kiyohide, or the Aizu leader of Gamo's township, Hideyoshi has carried out deliberate adjustments in the number of his vassal cities. limit.

Just imagine that even big names like Ogasawara Hidetada and Nakagawa Kiyohide have encountered the problem of insufficient vassal castles. Wouldn’t the problem of the Mogami, Date, Anton, and Nanfang be even more serious?

What the Xiu family just said to Xiuzhen, to apply for more feudal city quotas from Hideyoshi on his behalf after the sequestration, that is, to verbally endanger his safety, in the heart of the Xiu family, they are unwilling to believe that it will succeed .

The purpose of Hideyoshi's restrictions on the feudal city is to weaken the strength of foreign daimyos and prevent them from relying on the city.

As the San Francisco placed on the south side of the old Mutsu, in Hideyoshi's view, their focus is on the north side, and there is no need for so many cities on the south side.

In other words, the explanation is: you set up a defense line on the south side, who do you want to defend against?
In Hideyoshi's view, giving them 5~6 cities in San Francisco is enough to lay out the defense line on the north side, and at the same time, he can use them as an example to show his image of being equal to other daimyos in the northeast.

Under this premise, if Hideyoshi Ogasawara and Kiyohide Nakagawa came to Hideyoshi today and said, "My quota is not enough, you should give me a few more seats."

Tomorrow Mogami Yoshimitsu and Date Masamune came to Hideyoshi and said, "Yesterday you raised the quota for Ogasawara Hidetada and Nakagawa Kiyohide, can you give me some of the quota today? What, you don't want to give it to me? Are you deliberately targeting foreign samples?" name?"

But to be honest, as far as the number of Zhixing after the northeast inspection is concerned, each of them is 30W+, and there are only a few cities in the territory, which is really not enough to achieve comprehensive defense.

Fortunately, Xiujia is just telling them the plan he designed for the two of them. The abandoned city in the Mutsu area must have started from the mountain city in the remote area, and there is enough time to think about how to deal with the fallen city here. question.

Now with Date Masamune's surrender, the world has surrendered to Hideyoshi on the surface, and even Hideyoshi himself has begun to return to the court toward the teacher.

But Hideyoshi Ogasawara and Kiyohide Nakagawa still had a lot of things to deal with before they left, so the Xiu family didn't keep them any longer, and let them go after having a small meeting with them in the morning.

After they left, the Xiu family wanted to take the opportunity to catch up on sleep, but heard the attendants outside report, "His Highness, Tokugawa is here."

"Tokugawa? Is it His Highness Shunfu?"

When he heard this address, Xiujia even thought he heard it wrong. He really couldn't think of any connection between himself and Tokugawa that would allow the old turtle to visit him in private, so he reconfirmed the visitor with his attendants.

After hearing that it was indeed Tokugawa Ieyasu's reply, Hideo asked someone to bring Tokugawa Ieyasu in with a hint of doubt.

I have to say that Tokugawa Ieyasu is a very authentic person. When the attendant led Tokugawa Ieyasu to him, what came straight into Hideo's eyes was the gorgeous samurai sword held by Xiao Xing behind him on the knife holder.

The sword is indeed the second life of the samurai. The famous masters have relatively loose management of the samurai saber, but they will also ask to hand in the saber before entering the palace, even if it is a guest.

The knife carried into the temple like this can only be given to the owner as a gift.

And behind the knife, there was a wooden box that was carried in. The Xiu family recognized it as a full-armed box at a glance, and there must be a full-armored full-length box inside.

Seeing that Tokugawa Ieyasu came to see him and brought a gift, Hideka said with some embarrassment: "Hey~ Yay, Zhong Nayan came here, why did he bring a gift!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu sat in front of Hideo seemingly casually, and said to Hideo with a smile, "I knew I was going to meet General You, so how dare I be contemptuous.

It just so happened that a few days ago in Odawara Castle, I was entrusted by the Hojo Clan with several famous utensils, such as tea sets, so please forgive me for stealing them.

In addition, there are a few pieces of military equipment. I think that only the right generals of the world's heroes can match the Hojo clan's famous items, so I brought them to you for your appreciation. "

After finishing speaking, he asked the attendant behind him to open the wooden box, revealing the armor inside.

Xiujia fixed his eyes and saw that it was a black body, with a red string as a guide, full of small pieces of paper.

The biggest difference between the Pian Xiaozha and the contemporary armor is that the contemporary armor has been made as large as possible in order to more effectively defend against the bombardment of the iron cannon projectiles.

Its armor plate is more like European-style lobster armor. While enlarging the area of ​​the armor plate, it reduces the number of armor plates. In the later period, the modern era even used rivets to connect the breastplate in an epoch-making way, eliminating the need for the connection. rope.

The advantage of this is that it avoids the low yield rate of the Nanman carcass forged in one piece, reduces the current casting cost, and at the same time has a similar defensive power to the Nanman carcass forged in one piece.

In fact, the core secret of the reason why the connecting rope of the armor can still remain intact after being cut off lies in his complicated weaving technique, which is especially strong when the armor is small.

And this is also a film and television work with a historical background in the early Warring States period. The warrior's body seems to be wrapped in a thick layer of cotton rope.

But in the later period, due to the expansion of the size of the nails and the reduction of the number, the rope is no longer enough to provide a firm and stable structure, so rivets are used instead.

Speaking of this armor, Hideo could tell from its gorgeous decoration that it was unusual, and it must be a precious armor treasured by the Hojo family.

But in terms of its shape, it is already behind the times. If the Xiu family wears this armor and goes into battle, they will probably be greeted by the iron cannon to death.

In other words, in Xiujia's view, this armor now only has artistic and cultural attributes, and has become an ornament.

"This piece of armor is called: This small scroll of purple thread is hung on the belly, and it is matched with black lacquer painted with twelve ribs.

Although it has been over half a hundred years now, it can be seen especially its gorgeous and heroic appearance.I'm so vulgar and unreasonable in battle, this treasure is just dusty if it falls into my hands, it's better to give it to His Highness and make the best use of it. "

Listening to his explanation, Xiujia showed an expression that was as expected.The last hundred years have been the fastest time for Japanese armor to be updated. Judging from this style, it is a product of decades ago.

From the moment it showed a corner, Hideka felt that he must be something special, otherwise Tokugawa Ieyasu would not have carried it over and gave it to him, but he didn't even think that he was as complete as Hojo Ujiyasu.

"There is also this samurai sword, called Yamabagiri, which was given to Kencho Ashikaga, governor of the Ashikaga Nagao clan by the Hojo Clan, who died in the Battle of Odawara, and I confiscated it.

I know that His Highness is about to rule Ueno, Musashi, and many countries in the Kanto region, and I present these two treasures to Your Highness as a congratulatory gift. "

That piece was too far away for Hideo to play with, so Hideo took the samurai sword from the attendant and pulled it out politely in Tokugawa Ieyasu's hand.

It is common sense to close it after boasting, and thank Tokugawa Ieyasu.

However, after Xiujia took out the samurai sword, he could see a familiar taste from the irregular texture of the sword and its blue background.

The word "Yamabukiri" is engraved on the front, and its style does not match the blade as a whole, so it is obviously engraved later.Turn the blade over again, and sure enough, you can see the inscription "Bizen Nagayoshi" on it again.

"Hiss~" I asked why I felt a little familiar. It turned out that it was made by the craftsmen of Bizen Osafune, or they used the forging technology that I gave them after innovation.

Under the action of the water forging machine, hundred refining is no longer a difficult job, coupled with the three-stage method and pickling process, naturally left a beautiful knife pattern and a dark blue color on the knife body.

Feelings have come full circle, it is still the product of my own craftsman!

Seeing Hideo's surprised expression, Tokugawa Ieyasu explained with a smile, "It is rumored that the name Yamabagiri came from the fact that it was said that the Yamabukiri was exterminated in the mountains in Shinano Kunitogakushi (now Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture). , and the blue color on the body of the knife is due to the strange blood soaking it when he slashed at Shanbau."

When Xiujia heard his explanation, he called out "good guy" in his heart. How could this obvious forging technique be explained in this way?
Xiujia asked curiously: "How much does this knife cost in Dongguo?"

Tokugawa Ieyasu replied, "Your Highness may have seen the inscription on the sword. This sword was indeed cast by Bizen. It was forged by a famous Bizen craftsman, but there are probably not many famous swords like this in Bizen.

In Bizen country, maybe one handle was worth 500 guan, but in Dong country, it was worth 2000 guan. Because it was beheaded and stained with his blood, it is probably a priceless treasure now. "

Hideka heard him bragging without blinking his eyes, slightly pursed his lips, motioned Sanada Nobushige to approach him, and whispered in his ear:

"Go to the saber I carry with you, and find a sword that is similar to Heilongwan and pickled by hundreds of forging. If you don't have a gun, it's good. Clean it up, wrap it up, and bring it to me."

Sanada Nobushige nodded in response, and gently stepped back from Hideo, who then expressed his gratitude to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

As a samurai daimyo, Hideka would bring 5 spare knives, 2 bows, and 2 guns every time he went out into battle.

Although, as the commander in chief, the Xiu family rarely had the opportunity to fight the enemy in person, but the habit of all these years had not changed.

As for the Black Dragon Maru Hide family, it is impossible to give it away. As the first knife successfully forged by a new forging method, it already has a special historical meaning.

In addition to his political attributes within the Yuxi family, it is impossible for the Xiu family to send him out, but this does not mean that other knives are not good.

Yamabagiri is indeed a good sword. With the current technology, even in Bizen Osafune, with the blessing of water forging, the success rate of using the three-stage method is still not high, and the inferior katana sword is a classic Can not afford pickling.

Therefore, good knives like Yamabagiri have always been collected by famous names.

But this kind of knife may be a collection for other daimyos, but it is relatively common for the Xiu family.Although it cannot be said that all 5 spare knives look like this, it is still no problem to pick 5 out of 1.

As for the collections in Okayama Castle, there are quite a few of them.

The two exchanged a few more words, and the topic finally got to the point. Tokugawa Ieyasu said to Hideo, "Actually, I came here this time because I plan to leave for Suruga tomorrow, and I want to confirm with His Highness about Kanto before returning." The number of abandoned cities and remaining cities."

When Xiujia heard this, it was because of what he had done with Hideyoshi Ogasawara and Kiyohide Nakagawa these two days. It seems that the hero has the same opinion and wants to settle down as soon as possible so that he can complete Hideyoshi’s task within the stipulated time. .

Tokugawa Ieyasu said by saying, "This visit is actually the same as what you meant yesterday. For the sake of harmony between our two families, you will report it to me for review, and you will destroy the city by yourself and I will supervise it. I don't know. what do you mean?"

"Thank you Zhong Nayan for that. It's just that I don't have the ability to make inspections at the moment, and I can't make a decision. Can I report the list to you later?" Hearing Tokugawa Ieyasu's gentle attitude towards him, Hideo also calmly responded. .

Tokugawa Ieyasu responded: "This matter is not urgent, and the other daimyos have not given specific lists. I came to you today to determine the final number of completions."

"The number of fallen castles?" Xiujia asked a little strangely after hearing this answer: "Have you looked for Utsunomiya and Satake?" Xiujia asked curiously.

"I've already looked for it. When His Highness hosted the banquet yesterday, I also called several famous names from the Kanto region and read the meaning of His Highness Guan Bai."

"What standard did His Highness Guan Bai set for them?"

Hideyoshi and Hideo discussed the number of Tohoku daimyo's fortifications in private. Hideyoshi didn't know the standards Hideyoshi set for Kanto, so he asked Tokugawa Ieyasu about this question.

Tokugawa Ieyasu replied: "Utsunomiya 5 castles, Satake 8 castles, Yuki 2 castles, Sano 1 castle, Tagagaya 1 castle, Oda 1 castle, Sanada 4 castles, Horie 5 castles."

I heard Tokugawa Ieyasu report that Hideyoshi gave the Kanto daimyos a limited number of cities, which is roughly the same as that of the Tohoku daimyos.

Basically, the city building quotas are given according to the standard of 3 to 5 koku. However, the Sanada family has only 8 koku, but they have 4 castles. It seems that they have received preferential treatment from Hideyoshi.

In addition, Utsunomiya's quota of 5 cities should have a different meaning given its high forecast of 12 koku.

After listening to Tokugawa Ieyasu's restrictions on other daimyos, Hideo continued to ask, "Then how many seats does His Highness Kanbai restrict me?"

"Although His Highness Guan Bai has clearly restricted the number of other Kanto daimyos who have fallen into the city, he did not give you a specific number.

His Highness Guan Bai said: "Let you and General You discuss this matter together, and if you think it's appropriate, make a decision." 'So I came to see you today, Your Highness, and I want to ask how many cities you think it is more appropriate to keep in your Kanto territory? "

Hearing Hideyoshi throwing this question to himself, Hideyoshi raised his spirits sharply, and his sixth sense made Hideyoshi feel that this was Hideyoshi's temptation to himself again.

It can also be seen from the layout of the city above that the Xiu family put very little in the hinterland city, hoping to build it into the city's own direct jurisdiction.

Since it is a direct-controlled area, it is natural that the more concentrated the retainers, the better.But for the neighboring countries on the border, the Xiu family still kept a lot of cities, which must be considered for enfeoffment in the future.

At the same time, it can be seen that the hinterland of the Xiu family is very empty.It can be seen that the Xiu family didn't intend to engage in war at all, even if they fought, they would confront each other at the border, and then push back to the territory of other countries.

Only after the construction of the city was completed, the Xiu family would start planning for the enfeoffment of the important ministers.

(End of this chapter)