Pillars of the Wu family

October in Mutsu is already full of snowy northern scenery, while Kyoto, thousands of miles away, is still a beautiful season when maple leaves turn red. The Nijo Imperial Palace located in Ukyo is picturesque, and Ashikaga Yoshiki stands casually by the pond Sprinkle the bait, and soon attract a group of red koi.

Ashikaga Yoshiki watched the fish swimming lightly, muttering to himself: "Eat and sleep every day and live peacefully day after day. This kind of life is really happy! Yu Zhen wants to try this kind of life to the end. What does it feel like..."

But after a while, a handful of bait was eaten by the koi. The koi who had eaten the bait still gathered by the pond for a long time. Ashikaga Yoshiki clapped his hands to indicate that there was no bait in his hand, and then they shook Yoshiki dived into the water leisurely and gathered together in twos and threes to play casually. Ashikaga Yoshiki stared for a moment and left slowly with a sigh.

A tall and burly middle-aged man stepped out from the corner door on the other side of the courtyard. He looked about 50 years old, with a thick beard on his mouth and a bronze complexion. The sharp-edged facial features are imposing, and the gray hair and eyes with vicissitudes reveal rich life experience.

Dressed in a shabby and simple navy blue vertical gown, the most conspicuous thing is that he didn't shave the crescent haircut that every samurai in the west loves to keep, but simply put it up with a hair tie like Oda Nobunaga's hair. The samurai was Yoshiki Ashikaga's hired military guide Hidezuna Umizumi.

Shioka Kazuha came out from the shadow of the woods and said, "His Royal Highness has been in a bad mood recently. In recent days, he often stays by this lotus pond and says some strange things."

Shangquan Xiugang Pond overlooks the clear water of the pool.A tail of koi was swimming and playing freely, and said meaningfully: "Recently, Kyoto is not peaceful. Rumors are spreading all over the sky in the market, probably because the fluctuation of people's hearts has affected the mood of His Royal Highness Gongfang!"

"Rumor? What rumor?" Hayashi Qisuke was stunned for a moment, then patted his head and said, "Sorry! I was a little distracted just now, and I didn't remember what rumor... What kind of rumor is it?"

Hidezuna Kamizumi's first disciple, Kage Kenken, grinned and said, "Jansuke is distracted all day, thinking about his research on Iaijutsu and that new sword technique every day. When he returns to the house at night, he closes the door and doesn't know what to think about. Shi, I've been with him next to him and haven't seen him go out to play in the past few years, it's really interesting!" [

Yanagyu Zongyan asked curiously: "Hey! It's true when you say it. I, Zongyan, have never seen Jinsuke going in and out of the wine house or the whale house. Isn't it okay to not drink or be lecherous?"

"This...probably...probably not a problem!" Hayashi Qisuke lowered his head in embarrassment, causing a few big and three rough men to laugh out loud. Such indecent jokes will not affect friendship, but will be a boring training process. Indispensable adjustment link.

The thick-lined swordsmen live a simple and simple life. Every day from morning to night, they either practice swordsmanship or spear skills.Just went to Enryaku Temple in Omi Hiei Mountain, Yamato Kofuku Temple and the monks in the temple to learn spear skills. Unknowingly, the news of a group of swordsmen in the Kyoto Shogun's Imperial Palace spread like wildfire. Everyone knows that Ashikaga Yoshiki loves swordsmanship. The level of the several swordsmen next to the general is even more eye-catching.

This group of swordsmen is headed by Uizumi Hidetsuna, who comes from the war-torn Ueno country in the Kanto region.He once served under the Ashikaga family in Kanto for a period of time. It is said that due to personal reasons, he resigned and wandered around various countries to practice swordsmanship. He came to Kyoto four years ago and was recruited by the shogunate. Soon he was valued by Ashikaga Yoshiki with his amazing swordsmanship. But in a few years, he was cited as a confidant by the general.It seems that there is a new force in the Nijo Imperial Palace.

Jinsuke Hayashizaki, a ronin swordsman from Dewa country, and Kazuha Shioka, an outstanding disciple of Buden Tsukahara.Kagekanen Hikada, who inherited the mantle of Hidezuna Kamizumi, and the Yamato swordsman Yagyu Muneyan, who has become famous in Kinai in recent years, joined the Nijo Imperial Palace one after another and served as the swordsmanship teacher of the shogun. At first glance, this combination is really a star All of them are masters of Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger.

But the actual situation is that their reputation is not very famous. Hidezuna Kamizumi is getting older and is not willing to go out and pick places everywhere. The eldest disciple Hikada Kageka is talented in swordsmanship and has extraordinary attainments, but he is too young and likes to be brave and ruthless. Can be regarded as a relatively well-known samurai in the circle of young swordsmen, the unknown Hayashizaki Jinsuke comes from the remote countryside of Dewa. No story has come out.

Only the young and powerful Yanagyu Zongyan and Shioka Kazuha have a slight reputation. The two even used real swords in the dojo in Sakyo, Kyoto. Moreover, it was a duel of real swords that made the contest between the two full of legend. The two fought fiercely for dozens of rounds and could not win or lose. That's why they were invited by Umizumi Hidetsuna to join the Nijo Imperial Palace as a swordsmanship teacher.

The lives of sword masters are very simple, they practice in pairs or practice alone, occasionally go out for a few days to find masters to learn from each other, or go alone into the deep mountains of Danbo to wipe out bandits and make a name for themselves, etc. Their lives are simply Like the idols of the Warring States Period, they are so chic and free and have to be mixed into complicated battles. Their income and reputation are not half a cent worse than those hard-working samurai. This good life is really not too comfortable.

Like Kashima sword sage Tsukahara Buden, who is aloof and respected by others, who was regarded by Ashikaga Yoshiki as a new generation of sword sage in Kyoto, Kamizuna Hidezuna, and Hayashizaki Shinsuke who kills one person with ten steps, and Hikada Kageken's bloody courage Killing more than a dozen three good warriors in succession is the good life that young people yearn for. It is not surprising that more and more warriors have come to learn from their teachers in recent years.

In the evening, Kamizumi Hidetsuna likes to take a walk in the red leaf forest of the imperial palace. The forest near the edge of the imperial palace is adjacent to the temples in Ukyo. From time to time, there are melodious bells. Walking in the red leaf forest in late autumn to enjoy the red and golden leaves is beautiful. The red leaf forest and the surrounding quiet and elegant temples complement each other, and the beautiful natural madness makes people forget their worries and become intoxicated in the paradise.

In the depths of the woods sat a middle-aged samurai about 50 to [-] years old. This person looked ordinary and was dressed in simple clothes, unlike the luxurious clothes in the imperial palace.But it was very strange that he appeared in the red leaf forest inside the imperial palace wall, and what was even more strange was that he would doze off against a towering tree in the red leaf forest of the imperial palace.The weird behavior is full of weirdness.

Umizumi seemed to have expected that there were people in the woods, so he walked up to the middle-aged samurai and sat down. After waiting patiently for a while, he heard the dozing middle-aged samurai talking unconsciously: "Miyoshi repair The death of the palace may have a hidden meaning, and the "chaos" in Kyoto has a huge relationship with Matsunaga Masami's contribution to the flames, and perhaps the target is His Royal Highness the General of the Nijo Imperial Palace."

Hidezuna Kamizumi hesitated for a long time at the words without beginning or end, as if trying to figure out the meaning of this short sentence, he pondered and said: "Ishi Jianshou has worked hard, may I ask what chaos will bring to the Nijo Imperial Palace?" How many adverse effects will come? What kind of danger will His Royal Highness be in?"

Hattori Baochang paused for a moment and said: "There are a lot of rumors circulating in Kyoto. Some are made by my subordinates, some are made by Matsunaga Masa, and there are good people in the market who walk around at will. The true and false news are mixed together, and it is impossible to guess Miyoshi's house. The specific actions of the Miyoshi family... I can only find out that there is a huge controversy within the Miyoshi family, and the Miyoshi Yoshitsugu does not have the prestige to suppress internal disputes, and the Miyoshi family is very "chaotic" and no one can tell what they will do next."

Kamizumi Hidetsuna said: "So it turns out that rumors are unpredictable things, and probably the people who made the rumors can't grasp the exact direction of the rumors. So how does Iwami Shouden think about the sudden death of Miyoshi's repair hall?" ?”[

Hattori Yasunaga closed his eyes again: "The Miyoshi family has completely fallen, and it may not be certain that it will fall apart soon. The capital will soon be "chaos". I hope that His Highness the General will make plans early."

"What are you going to do early... It's very difficult to make plans in the current situation of the Nijo Imperial Palace." Umizumi Hidetsuna smiled wryly, and asked: "Why did Miyoshi's family fall apart? Arimatsu Nagahide and Naito Sokatsu are still there. The Miyoshi family should not fall apart so quickly!"

Hattori Hosho gave an ambiguous answer: "I just want to say something, it is possible that the Miyoshi family will become stronger or weaker, but whether the Miyoshi family becomes better or worse is bad news for His Highness the General. The attitude of the Miyoshi Trio towards the Nijo Imperial Palace is far less respectful and restrained than that of the Miyoshi Repair Hall, which is a huge hidden danger."

Umizumi Hidetsuna comforted: "It is still unknown how much threat there is. Ishi Jianshou needn't be unfounded, maybe His Royal Highness the General will be safer. After all, with the mighty support of His Royal Highness Gong Fang, the samurai family in Jinai would not dare to act rashly!"

"I hope so!" Hattori Baochang smacked his lips and smiled disapprovingly. If the samurai in Kinai were so obedient, he wouldn't need to work hard. Fighting for world hegemony is not about adding and subtracting numbers in a business house. Gao just asked the heroes to worship with their arms tied up. This kind of good thing has never been encountered since the Genpei era to this day.

The two looked at each other and fell into a short silence, unable to tell whether Hattori Hosaga's face was good or bad, he always had a poker face that remained unchanged for thousands of years, Hidezuna Ueizumi didn't know him before, and in Kanto also only heard his name for a long time but never saw him. When he joined the Kanto General's Mansion, Hattori Baochang had already approached Jiang dormant in Sakamoto Castle.

He once suspected that this poker face that has remained unchanged for thousands of years was a fake face of Yi Rong. He had never seen a smile or a normal expression other than a straight face. Neither of them is a good thing for Hidezuna Kamizumi, and it shows from the side that Hattori Hosaga is a samurai who is difficult to deal with.

After being silent for a while, seeing that Hattori Hosho didn't say anything, he asked tentatively, "If... I mean, if Nijo Yu is in danger, how much support can Sakamoto Castle give?"

"There shouldn't be much support!" Hattori Baochang replied with a straight face: "Ise Shouden should know the situation in Kinai. Ever since the Takaya Palace caused trouble in the sixth year of Yonglu, Kyoto has been completely out of the control of the shogunate. The pressure on Dewa Shouden to sit in Sakamoto Castle is very high."

Hidetsuna Umizumi frowned and said, "I know that Yamamoto Sado's resignation and return to Kanto to live in seclusion have a great impact on Sakamoto Castle, but do you really have no spare energy to help His Royal Highness?"

"No, I know the inside story in Sakamoto Castle. The [-] troops stationed in Sakamoto, Otsu, and Katada must guard unshakably. The [-] troops stationed in Ika County must withstand the pressure of the Asakura clan and the Asai clan. You can’t move either, only [-] troops are left as a ranger, but the General Mountain Castle and Nakao Castle also need to be watched, and at least [-] troops are needed to help defend against the military threat of the Miyoshi Army.”

"This is a difficult problem. Can't we make peace with the Asakura and Asai clans?"

Hattori Yasuo shook his head and said, "It was very difficult to try once. Asai Nagamasa's asking price was too high, and this person seemed to be prejudiced against the family, so the negotiation failed."

"What if it is a surprise attack on General Mountain City and Nakao City to seize the initiative on the battlefield?"

Hattori Baochang looked at him unexpectedly, and replied: "Do you mean to go to war first? The two cities are not difficult to win, but the difficulty is that winning the two cities will attract the attack of the Miyoshi family, the Asakura family, and the Asai family. Sakamoto Castle poses a huge threat."

"If His Royal Highness the General is in danger, how about raiding General Mountain City and Nakao City?"

Hattori Hoshang's face collapsed, and he was not satisfied with Kamizuna Hidezuna's single-mindedness for the sake of the Nijo Imperial Palace, and said in a blunt tone: "Sorry, this question will be answered in the next way. Ise Mori can ask Nakajo if you are interested. Leave the feathers to guard the palace."

Hidezuna Kamizumi smiled awkwardly, and his tone became more and more soothing: "His Royal Highness's order is to let you protect the safety of His Royal Highness General, so please forgive Shi Jianshou for saying a few inappropriate words. After all, we are still ministers of the shogunate. , I have added His Highness General Ju’s guide to the art of war, and it is right to do what you can.”

Hattori Baochang glanced at him, and said with an expression: "The mood is understandable, but we are the retainers of His Royal Highness after all, and it is enough to respect His Highness the General. The difference between the Shogun and the Kanto General must be It's obvious! Kanto warriors should attach themselves to the banner of His Royal Highness Kanto and fight to the death. This is the most important principle of samurai for hundreds of years. As a Kanto warrior, Ise Shou must be able to understand this truth!"

Umizumi Hidetsuna remained silent. He was born and raised and received education and family ties in Kanto, but at the moment he is the imperial swordsmanship teacher in the Nijo Imperial Palace. The shogun does what he can, perhaps this is the little idealism of a swordsman.

The various thoughts in his mind turned back and forth, and when he came back to his senses, he raised his head and realized that there was no one in the woods. Hattori Baochang disappeared without anyone noticing when he lowered his head and meditating. After a while, I sighed: "This is the same source and first-class, why is this!" (Your support on this site is my biggest motivation. For mobile phone users, please go to m to read.)

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