Pillars of the Wu family

On May 11th, Yonglu [-]th, the early summer came quietly at a brisk pace. The capital city was decorated like a beautiful flower city under the decoration of a hundred flowers and green trees, which made this ancient city exude vitality again. The gurgling Kamo River The trees are shady, and the flowers on both sides of the Santiao Bridge are fluttering in the wind. Pedestrians can't help but stop to watch the beautiful scenery.

Recently, the atmosphere in Kyoto has become more and more strange. In the past, the city of Kyoto should have been overcrowded. Visitors and travelers from 66 countries came here to travel and practice, to practice Zen, and to worship Buddha. This year's situation is not so good. Fifteen thousand troops stationed across the river in Katsuryuji City caused panic in Kyoto, and people speculated about the intentions of the new governor of the Miyoshi family.

The gates of the Nijo Imperial Palace in Kyoto are deserted and deserted. The distinguished guests who used to come and go to the Nijo Imperial Palace avoided all of them. The cunning wealthy merchants in Kyoto used various reasons to retreat to their manors outside the city to hide their faces. Even those who stayed in Kyoto to seek shogunate relations The samurai from distant countries also disappeared without a trace. The shogunate, which was once the focus of thousands of people, has become a terrible place that people can't avoid. non-stop.

Looking at the setting sun in the sky, Umizumi Hidetsuna frowned and said: "The evaluation meeting has been open for almost three hours, and several waiters have been sent back to inquire about the meals. It seems that there is indeed a problem."

Hiroshi Tianjing stood outside the Changyu Palace with his hands folded around his chest, and asked suspiciously: "You guys look very nervous! I don't know why?"

"I heard that Miyoshi's family is going to Luo."

Tian Jing scratched his head with a puzzled look on his face: "This is even more strange. Didn't Miyoshi's family go to Luoyang last year? His Royal Highness also bestowed the title on that Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, and invited Dr. Zuo Jing to the court for him. What are you doing?"

"I don't know. I also heard it from someone." Hayashi Qi Jinsuke frowned while holding the sword.After a while, he stood still like a wooden stake, familiar with his field scene and shrugged helplessly, finally cried and stared at the distant woods in a daze with a straw stick in his mouth, thinking about which wine house to drink at night.

Yagyuzong Yanzheng and Shioka Kazuha leaned against the pillars and chatted, and turned their heads when they heard the conversation between the two: "I heard a saying when I was out of the city a few days ago, it seems that Miyoshi's family is going to take that Awa's Hirashima The public got to be the new general of the Nijo Imperial Palace in Kyoto, and I think His Royal Highness probably got angry when he heard the news!"

"I heard from the maid in the backyard that a lot of rock sugar pear water has been used in the imperial palace recently. It's probably because of anger! It's not easy to be a general!" Shioka Kazuha shook his head, showing no sign of nervousness .

Tian Jingjian grinned: "Hey! When will Yiyudian realize such a profound truth! Did you have a relationship with that little maid?"

Shioka Kazuha quickly denied it: "Don't talk nonsense, I have nothing to do with others, could we have touched the women in the imperial palace? I don't want my head anymore."

"That's right, I remember that there is a crime called being a servant? If you are caught, you will have your head cut off in all likelihood." Tian Jing touched his chin and sighed: "It's a pity that these delicate flowers, can you see them?" Touching it really makes people angry."

Yanagyu Zongyan chuckled: "Not to mention, Jing Jiandian has been going to the Whale House recently? I often see you staggering back in the middle of the night. Did you meet a woman who looked right in some Whale House?" gone?"

"Don't talk nonsense, I just go to the wine house to drink and drink, and I can't go to such a disturbing place as the Whale House. Indulging in women will ruin the practice of swordsmanship... Besides, there is already a wife at home." His justification would only get darker and darker, and several people made noises with ulterior motives.Make him wise to keep his mouth shut.

"The meeting is over!" Umizumi Hidetsuna turned to look at the closed gate of the Changyu Palace, and the heavy-faced officials of the shogunate filed out one by one. From their faces, there was no trace of the chic and elegant in the past, and their footsteps were messy. Anan passed by several swordsmen without even raising his head.

"Lu Yu pretended he didn't see it, who is it!" Su Tianjing muttered a few words, caught a glimpse of the old acquaintance Settsu Qingmen coming out last, and greeted him: "You have worked hard at Qingmen Palace, it must be very hard to hold such a long meeting! How about going to the tavern for a while and drinking some wine to relax and relieve stress."

Settsu Haruto has no other hobbies, but likes to make a small bottle of sake every day for his own consumption. There are many people who are good at wine in the imperial palace, but they don’t drink much every day. Hikada Kageken happens to be one of them, just by chance Met in the tavern outside the Nijo Imperial Palace, the two samurai with a bit of a disparity in status gradually became good drinking friends,

I usually hear people who can't walk when they drink alcohol, but today they smiled reluctantly with a sad face on their faces: "Jing Jiandian and your highnesses have also worked hard. I'm busy recently and can't drink for the time being. Let's talk when I have time."

The drinking buddies who had a good relationship refused the invitation for the first time and left in a hurry. Tian Jing scratched his head with a confused look on his face: "I always feel that everyone is not right. What is going on? After careful imagination, it seems that there is only a rumor from Sanhao's family Shangluo , but this family has been to Los Angeles so many times, it is not uncommon to come again! Is it really what the rumors say..."

Yanagyu Zongyan interrupted: "Support Mr. Hirashima as a general! The Miyoshi family wants to support the Hirshima Ashikaga family of Awa country."

"Can you believe this rumor? There are also rumors that His Highness Gongfang is the reincarnation of a god and Buddha!" ​​Sitting on the steps of the corridor with a dagger in his arms, Jing Tianjing boasted: "I met His Highness Gongfang's swordsmanship in Kanto, and it really is as good as the legend The one in the picture is not too powerful! I don’t dare to boast about how powerful I am, at least I can deal with two or three warriors with such sword skills as His Highness Gongfang.”

Shigang Yiyu curled his lips and said: "Just bragging, I have seen His Highness Gongfang's swordsmanship, and it is slightly inferior to the swordsmen like me who have practiced swordsmanship for more than [-] years, but His Highness Gongfang's height and arms are long. You have a lot of experience in competing and cooperating, so you can deal with two or three? That would definitely be a swarm and chop you up."

"Hey! I'm just saying that. How dare you compare His Highness Gongfang himself? I'm just talking about swordsmanship on a matter-of-fact basis! With this kind of swordsmanship in the hands of you and me, you can't handle three or two people?"

"That's hard to say. Competitive skills can't reflect the real level. What should we do if we fight with real swords..." The two started arguing about sword skills.Gossiping and chatting brought the topic to the horizon again.

"Stop arguing. Xiu He Zhai Dian and Guoji Dian are back." Liu Sheng Zongyan pointed to the two swordsmen of the Xinyinliu sect who came hurriedly. Support, it took four months to return from the first day of the new year, which made several warriors anxious, but fortunately, they finally came back.

The two went forward to salute their master Kamizumi Hidetsuna, and after a simple exchange, they learned that they had returned from Edo this time. It turns out that the reason they stayed in Edo Castle for so long was to accept Tsukahara Buden's simple training at the Kendo Hall. , the golden opportunity that no swordsman is willing to give up.Therefore, the return trip will be delayed for more than a month.

Tian Jingjian enviously said: "I can't see that you two are so lucky! I should have snatched it if I knew it earlier! Is it not very helpful?"

"My dream is to practice under the door of the Tsukahara Buden Hall." Hayashi Qisuke kept nodding his head, and the warriors smiled.

Okuyama Shukasai said: "His Royal Highness's instructions are to protect the safety of the shogunate family members, and to act cheaply when necessary. I think His Royal Highness is implying that some special circumstances should be prevented."

This Okuyama Yukasai is not his real name, his original name is Okuheidingo, from Mikawa Kingdom's Okuhei clan, and he is the seventh younger brother of the current lord Okuheira Masakatsu, because he joined Kamiizumi Hidetsuna's family early and his qualifications are very old. The self-created Okuyama Shenying style can be regarded as a major branch of the Xinyin style, and the weight of words is not necessarily compared with that of the young beginner Kage Kane, and the well-known Yagyu Zongyan who became a monk halfway through Kyoto.And Kazuha Shioka, who is not of the Xinyinliu system, is much worse.

Komagawa Kuniyoshi is much less impressive, the 17-year-old shy boy is nine years younger than Hayashizaki Jinsuke.If it weren't for his outstanding swordsmanship talent, I'm afraid he wouldn't be qualified to appear in the circle of these great swordsmen. This shy boy is said to be researching his own Komagawa Kaixinliu. He has secretly tried many times with Hayashizaki Jinsuke. The two seem to have become close friends.

A large group of masters and apprentices under the Xinyinliu sect gathered. Shioka Kazuha didn't feel embarrassed as an outsider. Just because he is a high-ranking disciple of Kashima sword sage Tsukahara Buden, he can make people look up to him, not to mention his backstage He is the ancestor of the Zhongxing Ryu, Nakajo Deba, who guards Sakamoto, and his own swordsmanship attainments can also stabilize the first line of Hita Kageken, which is almost the same as Yagyu Zongyan, who has made a breakthrough in swordsmanship. Okuyama Shuga Sai probably It's level with both of them.

Tian Jingjian is almost on the level of exempting everyone from passing on. Anyone who is worse than him is not considered a master of the sect. Anyone who is better than him must be a master of the school. If he can work harder and be more serious, he may be able to match The first few people are similar. For example, Marume Nagae, who returned to Kyushu last year, has good talent and is more diligent than him. He seems to have the qualifications to start a sect. It is said that he plans to open a dojo to teach apprentices after returning to Kyushu. for a while.

A few years ago, when Hidezuna Kamizumi came to the Nijo Imperial Palace to demonstrate the Shinin-ryu swordsmanship to Yoshiki Ashikaga, the younger Nagae Marume took on the task of playing tachi in the demonstration of swordsmanship. The task is a good thing, but Yoshiki Ashikaga was so happy that he wrote a letter of acceptance to the master and apprentice on the spot, but it made Keita Hikada very angry, and his intestines of regret were almost green.

Sword lords are probably one of the simplest groups in this era. They are called samurai but rarely take care of other things. Learning monks still need to be busy with imparting knowledge and acting as diplomats. Sword lords only need to play with the things they like. , This is also the main reason why many warriors flock to join it.

Hirota Kagekan yawned, and suddenly said: "Hey! I remembered a rumor a few days ago, saying that Mr. Hirashima seems to have a health problem, so the Miyoshi family stayed put."

"You have heard a lot of market rumors, didn't you believe it just now?"

"That's true... But I always feel that this rumor is not as nonsense as those rumors..."

Unknowingly, the sun has quietly set, and only a few rooms in the Nijo Imperial Palace are still lit by candlelight. Yoshiki Ashikaga sat in the quiet room staring at hundreds of swords in a daze, and reached out to fetch the famous sword Dojiri. An Gang, slowly drew out the shining blade, the thin and clear face was reflected on the mirror-smooth blade.

General Jianhao sighed quietly: "After 500 years of time, the Taidao is still as bright as new. It is true that the Taidao is more reliable than humans."

A stack of letter paper was placed in front of Ashikaga Yoshiki's seat, and the handwriting with iron and silver hooks could be vaguely seen on the letter paper, which seemed to be a letter of advice sent by Ashikaga Yoshitoki to the shogun.It seems that the thick stack should be the letter paper in three types as Ashikaga Yoshitoki said.It was sent to the shogun from different channels.This letter of advice did not seem to impress Yoshiki Ashikaga, as there was always something wrong with his expression.

He took out a stack of white silk and gently wiped the clean sword, the cold light in his eyes flickered with anger beyond his words: "There will be a commotion in Kyoto, and the Miyoshi family may have a rebellious heart. I respectfully ask Yu Dongkari Sakamoto... the high-sounding words are true. It sounds good, why did you send it in three copies, so you are so afraid that Yu will slander your loyal minister's name?"

"Or do you want to detain Yu in Sakamoto Castle and take the general under his command?" Ashikaga Yoshiki frowned and thought for a while before rejecting this absurd possibility.

Not to mention how far it is from Kanto to Kinai, even if you go to Sakamoto, you may not be detained.There are powerful samurai stationed on all sides of Kinai, and there is a mountain next to it, which is the Miyoshi family who controls Kyoto. Even if the general is detained, there is no way to fall into the control of Ashikaga Yoshitoki, not to mention the detention of the shogun. He already has the title to compete for the general, so why bother to do such a stupid thing after going through the formalities.

"Then what exactly does he mean? Is it a plan to let me leave Kyoto to lose the authority of the shogunate, and the reputation of the Kanto government is being replaced by Takashi?" Ashikaga Yoshiki looked around blankly, not sure if his thoughts were correct , Most people who lack a sense of security are like this, suspicious and like to think wildly, lacking a basic sense of trust.

Ashikaga Yoshiki's childhood life was very bad, from the birth in March of the fifth year of Tianwen to the end of the 15th year of Tianwen.From the time his father Ashikaga Yoshiharu took over as General Seiyi, the life of Ashikaga Yoshiki in the past ten years can be described as miserable.He fled to the resort Sakamoto with his father every three days, and he spent more time in Sakamoto and another resort Kuchikidani than in Kyoto.

From his birth to Ashikaga Yoshitoki, who came from Mikawa Kamura, came to Kyoto. In the past ten years, the shogunate has successively experienced Hosokawa Harukuni, Kizawa Nagamasa, Hosokawa Harumoto, Hosokawa Utsuna, Yusa Nagayo, Miyoshi Naga The turmoil provoked by several groups of people including Qing, and the staggered change of evidence made the general's attitude change, and he didn't know which famous name to bet on for a while.

The harsh living environment has made Ashikaga Yoshiki lack a sense of security and does not believe in anyone's paranoid character. He likes to be assertive and lacks sufficient foresight. Every time he makes a major decision in these years, it is always difficult to get good results. He reuses Ashikaga Yoshiki It can be counted as one of the most brilliant things in his life.

The more proud he is, the more angry he is. He always felt that when he trusted Ashikaga Yoshiro so much, he gave him five exemptions such as the guardianship of his family name and the Rishu. In charge of the Guandong government to order Dongguo to pay so much for him, but in the end he sent a letter lightly, which was sent in three different ways from different channels, as if he was afraid that others would not know him when he wrote a letter to advise him. of.

"Hypocrisy! It's just those high-sounding words, and the sanctimoniousness in the bones is disgusting! If it wasn't for Yu's imperial teacher to frighten him, he might have gone to Kinai to do his best!" Ashikaga Yoshiki let out his anger wantonly, cursing He became more and more ruthless and even once described him as a villain of the Ashikaga family, just like his ancestor Ashikaga Takashi said similar comments.

In recent months, the situation in the Nijo Imperial Palace has been very bad. The Miyoshi family’s restrictions on the seven members of the Kyoto family have become stricter day by day. Some of the Kyoto guards’ tax collection rights originally held by the shogunate have been deprived one after another. The military changes of the Miyoshi family have already blatantly shown Attitude, the dignified shogun's situation is already very dangerous.

The more worried and afraid of Miyoshi's military force Shangluo manipulated and abolished Li, the more the strong-hearted public hated Ashikaga Yoshishi, hated him for his own private to Echigo and did not want to stay in the Kyoto Kuangfu Shogunate, hated him for sitting in the Kanto The territories of more than a dozen countries pretended to be deaf to the military threat of the Miyoshi family and did not say a word. What's more, he allowed the riots in Kyoto to break out but he was unwilling to let Toki Yamamoto invade Kyoto to turn the tide.

In his view, the relationship between the monarch and his ministers should be infinitely similar to the superior-subordinate relationship between the emperor and ministers in the Ming Dynasty. General Jianhao read poetry and books in his spare time when he was practicing swordsmanship. He is quite accomplished in Neo-Confucianism. He once regarded Ashikaga Yoshitoki as the shogunate Han Xin and Li Jing. Unfortunately, he found out that Ashikaga Yoshitoki really planned to learn from Han Xin and establish himself as a "king", not to mention how tired and awkward he was.

Zhu Zixue was a standard aristocratic theory in the Muromachi period, and it was spread among the lords and samurai families. It’s okay to study a little bit of superficial power and treat it as a topic of conversation at the Qushui Banquet. One thing, it has not yet been regarded as a way of governing the country.

It is understandable to look at Ashikaga Yoshitoki's behavior from the perspective of the world.Being rewarded and being loyal to the lord is very in line with the current judging criteria for being courteous and courteous.But in the eyes of the strong-feeling public, what he has done is far from enough.The half-hearted intervention in Kinei has been dragging its feet and not being able to use its true skills. When the Three Kingdoms Alliance in Kinei was founded, it immediately withered away.

Ashikaga Yoshiki will not consider how many difficulties Ashikaga Yoshitoki encountered in Echigo and Kanto, let alone how difficult it was when he fought against the anti-Kira siege network. What he sees with his eyes and hears with his ears will always be Ashikaga Yoshitoki's invincibility Invincible, all the way crushing the glory and illustriousness that swept the Hokuriku Kanto Yuo Road daimyo.

When it's the turn of the capital, it turns into another look, just like a spineless counselor who asks for more and does not take responsibility.Thousands of people died in the battle of Luo Zhonghe, and they still need to ask the shogunate for rewards. If he has everything, what is the use of Ashikaga Yoshitoshi? No, he has defeated a large area of ​​more than a dozen countries in Kanto, so why is it so difficult to make him bleed.

Under the influence of many factors, Ashikaga Yoshiki became more disgusted with the domineering Ashikaga Yoshitoki in the Kanto. Since the outbreak of the Kyoto riots in recent years, due to the succession turmoil caused by the general's lack of heirs, Konoe and his wife Konoe Xianzi once made a proposal, asking him to agree to adopt Ashikaga Yoshitoki's eldest son as the general's heir.This proposal was strongly supported by most of the shogunate officials, including the public.

This once made Ashikaga Yoshiki mistakenly believe that all the people around him have been bribed by Ashikaga Yoshitoki's money to become insiders.In addition to his various negative influences on the Kanto Ashikaga family, Ashikaga Yoshiki refused outrageously and rudely without even thinking about it. He really couldn't imagine how arrogant that guy would be when the eldest son of Ashikaga Yoshiki became the heir to the general, let alone Tolerate this arrogant and domineering guy secretly usurping the blood of General Ashikaga's family.

When Ashikaga Yoshiki was far away in Edo, perhaps he never dreamed that General Swordsman’s resentment towards him was so deep. He wrote a letter of remonstrance that was so narrow-minded and publicized to the world, and was given to the world by the more cautious Ashikaga Yoshiki. Remember the hatred, and take the opportunity to interpret his image as a greedy and hypocritical warrior scum. It might be more exciting if he knows the truth.

On the second day, the sky brightened, Ashikaga Yoshiki held an evaluation meeting in the Changyu Office, and continued to discuss the difficult problems that did not result in the discussion yesterday. The righteous brother Hosokawa Haruki, who had combed Ashikaga Yoshiki's hair when he was in the uniform, spoke out. : "Yesterday evening, according to the news, Hanjingdian personally consulted Mr. Awa in Sakaimachi, and confirmed that Mr. Awa suffered from a severe stroke. He will never have the chance to stand up and walk in this life."

Isshiki Fujicho said: "I heard a rumor that last year Mr. Awa secretly left Zhou Fanguo Yamaguchi Pavilion and returned to Awa Kohira Island because some powerful retainers in Miyoshi's family promised Mr. Awa to succeed General Zhengyi. A few months ago, the incident at Miyoshi’s house caused an uproar in Kyoto, and Mr. Awa suffered a cerebral apoplexy within three days of his visit to Sakaicho, which was caused by great joy.”

Mitsumasa Ishitani, a member of the Osode Mitsumasa, said: "This is not just a rumor, if it wasn't for the samurai who experienced this incident, they would definitely not be able to make it up! That's good, Mr. Awa's arrival can be regarded as benevolent."

The ministers laughed out loud, so it was not fun, and what's more, they whispered to each other and edited the jokes of Awa Gongfang. Mibuchi Fujihide noticed that Ashikaga Yoshiki was still looking unhappy, so he comforted him: "His Royal Highness, please be at ease. Think about that The Miyoshi family did not dare to take drastic actions against the shogunate government, after all there is a town government official in Kanto."

It’s okay if Ashikaga Yoshimi is not mentioned, but when he mentions the name, Xiaonian gets angry, and he turns his face away angrily, ignoring the reassurance of his neighbors. He is a dignified general who has to look at Lianzhizhong’s face to sit firmly in Kyoto. This is nothing less than a huge humiliation to the strong-willed public party who is bursting with self-esteem.

Gao's concubine, the shogunate Shenji Zhong Yanbuqing said bluntly: "His Royal Highness, the change of the Miyoshi family today is definitely not a temporary action, and he will definitely not give up easily because Mr. Awa is seriously ill. As far as I know, Awa The public has two sons, the eldest son Ashikaga Yoshisuke and the second son Ashikaga Yoshisuke, both of whom can be supported as puppets, this is a huge threat to the shogunate."

The vassals here pretended to be stupid for a long time, but they couldn't get around this threshold. As a commoner, Ashikaga Yoshiki was Ashikaga Yoshiki's uncle. Although the uncle and nephew had never met, they deeply hoped that each other would die soon But this level of kinship blood is always an inseparable bond, and it is an indisputable fact that Ashikaga Yoshio is the closest collateral blood of General Ashikaga's family.

"Aren't those two younger brothers supporting Yu?" Ashikaga Yoshiki was so angry that he kept tapping on the tatami to vent his anger. If he is not angry about the big event related to the general's throne, he can only say that he is really not suitable for this general. General.

The Awa Ashikaga family of the Hirashima family is the closest branch of the Ashikaga family. The first generation of the family was Ashikaga Yoshio who was paralyzed by a stroke. The coup d'état of the Ming Dynasty opened the beginning of the abolition of the establishment. Ashikaga Yoshisumi replaced the general of Ashikaga Yoshitsuki as a commoner. throne.

In a sense, the replacement of the concubine by the concubine is also considered inferior, but it can usually be treated as a family dispute. The so-called replacement of strong branches and weak stems is relatively common in the development of any civilization, as far away as 2000 The Quwo Daiyi occurred in the Spring and Autumn Period of the Central Plains Dynasty a few years ago, as recently as the Lijian clan was replaced by Lijian Miyao and Lijian Yiyao father and son decades ago.

More nonsense, such as the surname of Claudia's birth, the York family that ruled England decades ago, was replaced by the Tudor family who had no relatives. This blood relationship comes from the half-father relationship The Tudor family also majestically combined the white roses of the York family and the red roses of the Lancaster family into a red and white Tudor rose. This shows that this kind of behavior of the commoners and the descendants vying for the heir is very easy to understand.

There is a reason why this kind of behavior of the common people replacing the direct ones can be generally understood and supported. Among them is that their common ancestors came from the same aristocratic system, and they naturally have a high degree of maintenance for the existing system. General, everyone should continue to do what they should, without worrying about being retaliated or being purged.

There is a precedent for the Ashikaga General’s family to replace the Diliu. The Ashikaga Takashi’s replacement of the Diliu by the Shuliu has some special reasons. Why can't there be a third or even more times when it can be done twice?This is called the beginning, opening the first time can open the second time and countless times without restraint.

Every time the Ashikaga shogun’s family has a dispute over heirs, the authority of the shogunate will be greatly weakened. If the struggle between Ashikaga Yoshiko and the fourth-generation general Ashikaga Yoshichi is just an appetizer, Ashikaga Yoshinaka and Ashikaga The bloody battle for the shogunate was the first weakening of the shogunate.

Afterwards, Ashikaga Yoshimasa's stupid mistakes made his son and younger brother fight for an heir. The Onin Rebellion was the second weakening, and then in the Meiyu coup, Ashikaga Yoshisaiya was deposed, and Ashikaga Yoshisumi, who supported the Shuliu, was the second time. The third weakening is even bigger. The most recent one was Ashikaga Yoshiharu, who represented the Shuliu more than 30 years ago, collided with Ashikaga Yoshio, who represented the Shuliu. This is the fourth weakening.

The immediate crisis will be weakened for the fifth time, and the authority of the Ashikaga shogunate is getting weaker and weaker. If it continues to be weakened, you can guess that it will definitely not have a good result. (To be continued..)

ps: Bow down and thank book friend Xiao Zimu for the reward. I forgot it yesterday, so I will make it up today.