Pillars of the Wu family

In the spring of March, the grass grows and the warbler flies, and the mountain flowers on the long dam beside the Edo River are in full bloom, just like a passionate and romantic girl showing her enchanting figure. Walking on the streets of Edo, you can feel the spring everywhere. Breath, every spring is a good time to enjoy flowers and outings. Groups of teenagers by the river travel together, riding horses, laughing and laughing.

On this bright spring day, as usual, I was hunting eagles by the side of the Edo River in hunting clothes and caged hands, followed by hundreds of silver-armored cavalry samurai far behind, three hundred young samurai wearing Splendid robes galloped by on tall horses, and passers-by saw the white flag symbolizing Genji’s descendants and quickly knelt down on the ground, looking in awe at the proud young warriors galloping away surrounded by the young man who looked like a king. It wasn't until the smoke and dust covered his distant vision that he slowly stood up.

"Did you see that! That is my future Highness Gongfang from the Kanto region. It is said that Shaodian is born with extraordinary supernatural powers and extraordinary martial arts. He can shoot a hundred shots from both left and right sides, and can leap a seven-foot horse without stirrups. His martial arts is not inferior to His Royal Highness Gongfang."

"Of course, you don't even look at the masters of the young masters. Uesugi Dan Masao, Sanada Dan Seidon, Yamamoto Michikiden, Hosokawa Bingbuden, the sword master is Kashima Sword Sage Tsukahara Budenden, Gun The art master is Takikawaden..."

"Hey! I made a mistake, it can't be called Takikawa-den, it should be called Wada-den..."

More than three hundred young warriors galloped northward along the Edo Castle. A few brave young men took out their strong bows and aimed at the birds in the sky. Almost no arrows were harvested, but when they rarely missed, Nagao Kihei was worried. He said: "Your Highness, shall we wait for Kakizaki Hall?"

"No need! It would be a shame if I was caught up by a heavy cavalry in light armor. Especially that kid Heisaburo, he couldn't admit defeat." Ashikaga Zhenwangmaru waved his horsewhip.Looking back, he yelled: "My sons, listen to the order! Then you can quickly drive away the dragon cavalry!"

"Ha!" The bloodiness of the three-hundred-year-old boy was immediately aroused.After a short reunion, the horses were urged to accelerate at full speed. In a moment, the people and horses on the streets of Musashi neighed and shook. No one in the world knows that the flag seal with the blood tung pattern is the secondary pattern of the Kwantung General's Mansion.

Hanging far behind the team are five hundred heavy armored cavalry. This cavalry is the dragon cavalry that shocked Oshu during the Battle of Oshu. Kenshin Uesugi sat down as an assault sharp knife to cut butter. The tight formation of the Austrian coalition forces was broken.The Oshu coalition forces who fought fled in embarrassment, throwing away their helmets and armor. This battle killed the supreme prestige of the Ashikaga family in the Kanto region.

The eldest son of the Kakizaki Keisei family died of illness. The second son, Heisaburo, was in Edo Castle Yuanfu. When he worshiped Ashikaga Yoshie, he was named Kakizaki Yoshiya. With extraordinary courage, he insisted on breaking into the Shirakawa Yuki army's main formation among thousands of troops, and beheaded Yuki Haruzuna's head with a large spear.

"Shaoden is playing hide-and-seek with us again." Kakizaki Yoshika laughed and said, "My sons obey the order, and the army holding on to Shaoden is insurmountable. Let Shaodian know that the Kiso horse is not our Ryujo ride." opponent."

Five hundred cavalrymen agreed in unison, and the horses lashed with whips galloped in pain.Long Xiangbei has only [-] establishments but the power of a [-]-horse cavalry team. The conditions for joining this one-percent are extremely harsh. You must be tall, strong, hard-working and law-abiding young people to enter. Once you join, you will automatically become a As a samurai, he was also a samurai directly under the Kwantung General's Mansion, so noble and prominent that the Kwantung samurai wanted to squeeze in.

But after a while, Ashikaga Zhenwangmaru heard a rumbling sound behind him, his face changed and he shouted loudly: "What a cunning Heisaburo! He came out without putting on heavy armor!"

"Our horses are no match for them, and there is only one divine horse, what can we do!" Nagao Yashiro said.

"Don't be afraid! Give him the courage not to overtake us, continue to speed up!" Ashikaga Jinwangmaru's mount is a purebred Trakena horse, which was not bred by his family but a birthday present from his father. Ashikaga Zhenwangmaru liked the horse he chose very much as soon as he got it in his hands. He would ride it every time he travels. It is also a famous horse in Edo.

The Kakizaki Yoshika cunningly told Long Xiangbei not to pay attention to armor when traveling, but to wear light plate armor and burqa with light weapons such as battle axes and strong bows, and did not wear fan shields and lance breastplates. These [-] riders were all transferred to the famous mixed-breed BMWs in Kanto, and the [-] followers of Ashikaga Jinomaru were only excellent Kiso horses in Japan, which is still very big.

Running all the way, the distance is gradually getting closer and closer, Kakizaki Yoshika really slowed down and followed behind and ran left and right, not daring to exceed half a point, the well-behaved hawk hunt turned into a horse racing contest, Ashikaga Zhenwangmaru shouted angrily: "Heisaburo don't Hiding, dare to go to the racetrack with me to compete."

"Haha, I don't dare to compete with Shaodian in horse racing. If you lose, you will be on the headlines of tomorrow's horse newspaper." Kakizaki Yoshika cunningly avoided the challenge, and it was absolutely natural to compare his mixed-blood mount with the pure-blood horse. As a humiliation, he would never do a business that is sure to lose but not win, and of course the opponent is Ashikaga Jinwangmaru, even less dared.

Business travelers who first arrive in Edo will find many different things. The cultural circle of this emerging city is very different from the cultural circle of Kyoto. Kanto is an area rich in war horse resources. The trend of folk horse breeding is getting stronger and stronger. In Nerima Town of Edo Castle, there is a well-established Mashi, where horse masters from Kanto countries gather to test the horses sent by farmers from all over the country.

Three-year-old horses are identified and classified into three, six, and nine grades for sale. The lowest grade of poor horses is used as a pack horse for farmland. The higher grades of inferior horses can be used to pull carts and ride, and the higher grades of good horses are the most in demand in the market. A common means of transportation, higher-grade famous horses can often be sold for astronomical prices ranging from hundreds to thousands of guanwen.

Arima City also gave birth to a simple horse racing competition. At first, it was just a small competition in which some samurai spontaneously competed with their horses at the Setsubun Festival. Later, more and more people participated in it. Establish a racetrack in Nerimacho.Specialized in formal horse racing competitions.And gradually establish a sound league system.

The horse racing league starts from the spring and March every year until the end of autumn.Each round of competition will give certain bonuses and points according to the top few. After several rounds of points, the top 1 will be able to participate in the finals at the end of autumn, and finally the champion, runner-up and third runner-up will be awarded prizes by the Kanto General’s Mansion. No The bonus for .2 is 3 guanwen of Yongle money, [-] guanwen for No.[-], and [-] guanwen for No.[-].

Under the heavy reward, there must be a brave man. Facing an astonishing fortune, not only the common people are moved by it, but also the expensive samurai are also attracted to the racetrack.It also attracts the attention of the townspeople who have nothing to do. Watching a game costs as little as a few pennies and as much as tens of pennies depending on the seat. It is not expensive for the increasingly affluent townspeople. It is just a simple breakfast or a meal. It's just the price of a sumptuous dinner.

The audience who paid money to watch the game at the beginning can also get a simple horse newspaper more than a foot long, printed with the numbers and basic introduction of the contestants, and a few simple comments are attached for viewing. More and more, the [-] racecourses have always maintained an attendance rate of around [-] to [-], and corresponding horse ticket betting games have been launched. The audience can spend a few pennies to bet on the winner, winning streak, top three There are various ways to play such as ranking and ranking.

Some smart people learn to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of players based on different odds changes.Then, according to the odds of betting tickets, a lot of income was obtained. A lucky guy once won a huge prize of [-] guanwen with [-] renmin.From an ordinary townsman to a rich man with a lot of money, the ensuing wave of gambling caused the attendance rate of horse races to increase sharply. The more people watching, the more they invested. more.

Kakizaki Yoshika also tried to participate in the horse race, but was refused to participate in the race because his mount did not belong to the local horse. The reason was that the appearance of the limited number of horses in the Kanto General’s Mansion would affect fairness. Pursuing pedantry, this prohibition blocked the avenues for the Ashikaga samurai to make extra money.

In the Edo Castle Kendo Hall, a group of youngsters practiced in pairs with bamboo swords in special protective gear. The old Buden Tsukahara supervised the children's sword practice with his hands behind his back. They are the Young Highnesses of the Ashikaga family. The youngest Yoshichiyo is only eight years old, and the oldest Toranochiyo and Matsuchiyo are only ten years old.

Kamizumi Isemori Hidetsuna invented the kendo protective gear. The bamboo sword is more than three feet long, and the part reserved for the handle is cut into four pieces, eight pieces, sixteen pieces or 32 pieces, and then make a bag with thick kapok cloth to cover it, and make it into a small plain hand, which can directly hit each other for practice.

"The way to use the sword is to use the heart. The beginning of the way of the sword is to defeat the enemy and win. If you don't use your heart when fighting against a strong enemy, you will definitely lose. The second is to strengthen your body. There is no perseverance in this small gym. , it’s better to go home and enjoy the comfort of rich clothes and fine food.” Tsukahara Buden’s voice was loud and full of energy, his eyes were like sharp swords scanning the young men holding swords, and no one dared to look at him when he looked around.

But the teenagers are not convinced, they have a big dream in their hearts, to become the greatest warrior with super swordsmanship, make achievements and become famous in Nuoda, seven or eight out of ten teenagers want to be Famous generals, a few of them hope to be a peerless famous general with both wisdom and bravery.

Tsukahara Buden had a keen insight into the thoughts of the teenagers, and said solemnly: "I have practiced swordsmanship for more than seventy years, and I have seen countless talented heroes like crucian carp crossing the river. Emerging, I often see this kind of talent in sword practice among my students, but many of them have failed, do you know the reason?"

"Why?" The teenagers looked up in puzzlement.

"Because they lack this." Tsukahara Buden pointed to his chest and said, "No heart! You don't have to be careful in your practice, you don't have to be careful in your skills, you don't have to be careful in your understanding, you play more than others every day, and you practice less than others. Practicing swordsmanship is like being a human being. If you don't care about everything, you don't care about everything. How can a sloppy person become a generation of famous generals. It should be known that gods and Buddhas only care about hardworking and caring people.

Think about the beginning of your life, and the enjoyment of the moment will make the next few decades miserable. If you want to be a famous general in the world, you must have great perseverance and perseverance. Perseverance and accomplish nothing, and finally disappeared in an unknown place without a trace.Don't learn from such losers.The world's famous generals are not losers. "

The teenagers were shocked by these words.At such a young age, I can't tell that there is such a profound knowledge in practicing kendo. I was stunned for a while, showing a respectful expression and saluting: "We must remember the teacher's teachings, practice hard, dare not slack in the slightest, and never do that failure. heartless people."

Buden Tsukahara nodded approvingly, and slowly walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back. He has been dealing with swordsmanship all his life, and he has taught students in 66 countries. It is not an exaggeration to call it a peach and plum world.Over the years, believers have gradually accumulated rich teaching experience, and it is not easy to deal with this group of children.

As soon as he walked into the Gymnasium, he saw Yoshishi Ashikaga standing in the courtyard watching the children practicing martial arts. Buden Tsukahara was slightly taken aback and bowed to salute: "I didn't know His Highness Gongfang came, I have neglected you, sorry!"

Ashikaga Yoshitoki stepped forward quickly to support the old sword master, and said with a smile: "The sword master should not be polite. Speaking of which, Yu Qiang is a little embarrassed to invite the sword master to come out of the mountain to teach dogs at an old age!"

"His Highness Gongfang is the Lord of the Kanto and leads the warriors of the Eastern Kingdom. As a warrior of the Kanto, I, Buden, should also contribute a little to His Highness Gongfang." Tsukahara Buden still insisted politely.

Ashikaga Yoshitoki said respectfully: "The sword master does not need to be formal. Speaking of which, Yu and the sword master have known each other for a long time. Yu's teacher, Yamamoto Sado, has a deep relationship with the sword master. Nakajo Ideba also worshiped under the sword master's sect. Practice, and there are sword masters such as Kazuha Shioka and Jinsuke Hayashizaki who became officials for Yu. Speaking of which, the bond between the sword master and Yu is quite deep.

The first time I met Sakamoto back in the Tianwen era is still vivid in my memory. The demeanor of the Juggernaut at that time impressed the samurai in Kinai, and now I meet again after more than ten years. It is also very meaningful for Edo Castle to teach the principles of practice and life for the future of the Kanto samurai family. "

"His Highness Gongfang praised me a lot. I, Buden, is just an ordinary man. With some attainments in swordsmanship, I am known to the world. It is very lucky to be favored by His Highness Gongfang as a guide to the art of war." Tsukahara Buden still retreated modestly. The old sword master, who is nearly eighty years old, has already passed the age of expressing emotions and anger, let alone being so flattered by a few compliments that he can't find the north.

Ashikaga Yoshitoki just smiled and shook his head, leaning on the railing and looking at the white clouds in the sky, he said: "What the Sword Master said just now has a profound meaning, if you look at the names of ancient and modern times, you will find that everyone is a hero with great perseverance and perseverance." In troubled times, they rose up at the right time to achieve great fame and achievements. These heroes all had arduous efforts in their early years, and without a heart full of fighting spirit, it is impossible to have such achievements."

"His Highness Gongfang can completely summarize the experience I have summed up in my whole life in one sentence..." Buden Tsukahara suddenly felt speechless looking at the sky, and after a while he sighed: "His Highness Gongfang's wisdom is amazing! From this It can be seen that His Royal Highness Gongfang is a hero who has emerged in today's troubled times."

On March [-]th, the third round of the horse racing league kicked off. Ashikaga Yoshitoki took several wives and children, and a family of dozens of people went to the racetrack to watch the game. The eldest son Ashikaga Jinomaru was very interested in the horse race, and applauded and cheered while saying: "Horse racing is the most wise decision made by my father. Three years after the start of the race, a group of outstanding warriors who are proficient in riding have emerged. Selecting the best among them to incorporate into the riding equipment has extraordinary military significance."

Ashikaga Tiger Chiyo pouted and said: "Horse racing is too boring, just a group of people running desperately is so boring! I think cuju is more interesting. The collision of fists and flesh is squeezed together to snatch a ball, grab the ball and hold it Run half the field and score a touchdown..."

"Wait! Are you sure you're talking about Cuju?" Ashikaga Zhenwangmaru looked at his siblings sitting next to him with an absurd face, tilted his head and said, "Why do I think this is not Cuju at all?"

"Uh... This is a new kind of Cuju game that has become popular recently. I have not named him Cuju for the time being. You can hold it with your hands and run! Let me tell you, this game is very fun. You can use your strength by bumping around. It will become even bigger!" Ashikaga Tiger Chiyo smiled and showed an expression that you know.

Ashikaga Matsuchiyo turned her head and said, "I still like traditional cuju, and collision games are not suitable for me."

The older brothers were talking to themselves, and the younger brothers and sisters were either in a daze and dozing off, or they were running around in the box. It was rare for them to go out to play together, which made the children very happy. The mischievous Ashikaga Katsuo Maru Wanting to bully Ashikaga Yoshichiyo, Ashikaga Jinwangmaru gave him a look and immediately became honest.

Earlier this year.Nagao Tiger Hime gave birth to her fourth son, Ashikaga Zouomaru.Counting the twins together, they gave birth to four sons and three daughters, a total of seven children.If Ashikaga Yoshitoki hadn't invited a female doctor who is a master of gynecology to set her bones and maintain her body, such a high-intensity birth rhythm would definitely wear down Hu Ji's body.

The seven children are the eldest son Ashikaga Zhenwangmaru born in the first year of Yonglu (1558), the eldest daughter Ashikaga Ringohime born in the third year of Yonglu, the second son Ashikaga Katsuomaru, and the second daughter Ashikaga Yaehime born in the fifth year of Yonglu. The third son Baowangmaru was born in the seventh year of Yonglu, the third daughter Ashikaga Chihirohime was born in the ninth year of Yonglu, and the fourth son Ashikaga Zouomaru was born this year.

Jingyi Naotora has one son and four daughters.The eldest son Ashikaga Torora Chiyo, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Torahime, the second daughter Ashikaga Toshihime, the third daughter Ashikaga Chiyo, and the fourth daughter Ashikaga who was born this year.

Numata Tanka has one son and four daughters, the eldest son Ashikaga Matsuchiyo, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Hime, the second daughter Ashikaga Hime, the third daughter Ashikaga Hime, and the fourth daughter Ashikaga Hime born last year.

Mochizuki Yoshino has one son and three daughters.The eldest son Ashikashi Chiyo, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Kikuhime.The second women's football team Toshi Naohime, and the third women's football team Toshimohime who was born this year.

Mogami Yoshihime has one son and one daughter, the eldest son Ashikaga Kumachiyo born in the eighth year of Yongroku, and the eldest daughter Ashikaga Matsuhime born last year.

Oda Inuhime has one son and two daughters, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Yukihime, the eldest son Ashikaga Kyoshi, and the second daughter Ashikaga Haoji was born last year.

Oda City Hime has three daughters, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Chacha, the second daughter Ashiki Hatsuhime, and the third daughter Ashikaga born last year.

In just ten years, he and several wives gave birth to nine sons and twenty daughters. During this period, he did not marry any other wives. This means learning from Genmanzhong and Ashikaga Yasushi. There are also many people with similar strength, such as Takeda Nobutora, Oda Nobunaga and Matsudaira Ieyasu.

The Kanto Ashikaga family has many daughters, but not as many sons as imagined. Compared with the Samurai family, which has more than a dozen sons and twenty sons, his level is still a bit lower. He still wants to work hard to have more children. A few, see if you can touch the limit.

Several wives were very unhappy about his paranoid wanting a son. Hu Ji complained many times: "There is no end to having a child in two years. Hu Ji hasn't been riding a horse and archery for a long time. Your Highness treats us as a machine for giving birth to children." ah!"

Every time this happens, Ashikaga Yoshitoki will resolutely smear the soles of his feet and run away. He has given birth to a lot of children, and it is a bit too much to let others complain. His attitude is just to say that I am Listen, just pretend not to hear me as long as you don't spray the saliva star on my face.

As soon as there are many children, there are many things, and it often happens that the gourd is pressed and the gourd is floated. The wet nurse leads a group of maids all over the yard to chase the young hall like catching thieves. In his spare time, he ran all the places where he could drill in the Edo Imperial Palace, found out the secret points where he could hide, and even drew a map in an attempt to fight the nurses and maids with the method of the three caves of cunning rabbits.

But these little idiots don't understand that they always have to go home after running wildly all night. When they saw their mothers, their legs and feet became weak immediately, and they didn't know what to do. Growing up and running so fast, the maids gradually couldn't catch up with the mischievous Shaodian, so they had to ask the garrison Ji Wushi to catch the "suspect", so there were often scenes of wits and bravery in the Edo Imperial Palace to catch children.

Their good days are basically over. As soon as Ashikaga Yoshitoki came back, he immediately sent several boys to their teacher to receive group training. Every day, they lived at sunrise and sunset and rested in a very regular way. Follow behind, and be responsible for supervising the specific whereabouts of several troublemakers. Small mistakes can be ignored, and major problems are absolutely not allowed to indulge.

With this powerful corrective method, a few mischievous little guys were screwed back. The most obedient Ashikaga Jinomaru seemed to become the leader of the young samurai. Both Ashikaga Tiger Chiyo and Ashikaga Matsuchiyo performed well, and the remaining younger sons have not yet seen signs of it. (To be continued..)

ps: Bowing and thanking Xiao Zimu for the reward, congratulations on the birth of the first master of this book, Wu Mei, a niche book, finally has a master, so excited!So Wu Mei made a bold decision to explode again on a certain day at the end of the month (the time is temporarily uncertain), and follow the old routine, please join us at that time.

ps: At the suggestion of the book friends in the group, I deliberately listed all the children of the protagonist who are born now. In fact, this data is not too exaggerated. At most, it is relatively dense in a short period of time. Both at home and abroad, there are more than a dozen well-known sons of Yuan Manzhong, and an unknown number of Shuliu known as Luoyin.