Pillars of the Wu family

One autumn rain and one cold, the 11th year of Yongroku gradually came to an end in the pattering autumn rain. At the end of autumn, the temperature dropped sharply and the chill became stronger. Gifu City welcomes a group of guests from Kyoto, appointed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the next shogun His special envoy, Akechi Hinata Mori Mitsuhide, a samurai from Mino country.

At this moment, the solemn and majestic room of Gifu City was decorated with lights and festoons. Oda Nobunaga hosted a banquet in honor of Akechi Mitsuhide, the special envoy of the shogunate. At the banquet, the atmosphere was pleasant. Oda Nobunaga and Akechi Mitsuhide talked easily and talked about Kyoto The scenery, the missionaries of the Nanban, and many new things from overseas made Oda Nobunaga's eyes shine when he heard it, and he was fascinated.

Oda Nobunaga smiled and said, "Akechi Hinata Mori is also a samurai from Mino. It must have been very hard for many years of wandering outside! This time I must go back to my hometown and see more. Look, the changes in Mino over the years are amazing!"

"Yes! I've heard for a long time that Shang Suo Jiedian has excellent political skills, and I will definitely study hard this time!" Akechi Mitsuhide said with a warm smile: "Since the death of Dao Sandian in the second year of Hongzhi, I have been away from home for more than ten years. It’s been a year, and I didn’t expect to have the opportunity to return to my hometown in this life! It’s just that when I first arrived in Inoguchi Town, I already felt a strong commercial atmosphere, which seems to be no different from other towns in Kinai.”

"Haha... Hinata has won the prize. The Mino country under the rule of the main family has indeed made great progress compared to a few years ago, but there is still a big gap compared with Kinai. The Rakushi Rakuza Order has not been established for the first time, and it must be more prosperous in the future. Yes!" Oda Nobunaga was very happy, he likes this kind of witty samurai the most, especially the samurai with both civil and military skills, and Mitsuhide Akechi happens to be related to both.It's rare to come across such a fine warrior.The mood is also naturally comfortable.

Niwa Chohide said: "I heard that Akechi Hinata Shouden is related to the late Dosanden! So, it should be related to Mrs. Nohime too?"

Akechi Mitsuhide said embarrassingly: "That's true. My aunt, Mrs. Xiaojian, is the main room of Dao Sandian, and I happen to be Mrs. Nonghime's adopted brother. Although he is called Yibro, he has not seen each other for 20 years. I have already met you." I forgot Mrs. Nohime's face."

"So I'm not an outsider to Hyuga Shouden! My Owari and Mino samurai are like a family, don't you think so? Hahaha..." Shibata Katsuie yelled loudly, and the entire Dahiro room It was clear that all the warriors from Mino, such as Kasei Mori and Lailong Hachiya, all smiled.Oda Nobunaga was also very happy, and he praised Quanliu for his progress.

Now that we know that the two sides still have this level of kinship, the conversation between the two sides has become closer and closer without knowing it. Oda Nobunaga seems to have inadvertently asked: "I heard that when the shogunate was at its peak, there were tens of thousands of tigers under its command. Dian Tian is the leader of the shogunate, so he must have led many shogunate warriors?"

Akechi Mitsuhide didn't seem to hear his off-screen voice, and he drank a glass of sake and said proudly: "In the past, there were indeed tens of thousands of troops in the Yamashiro Kingdom, but these years the Miyoshi family has risen and the shogunate has declined, and the public has reduced its staff to only [-]. Although there are few people in the crowd, it does not affect the command of the subordinates to defeat the two formations of the Sanhao Army and obtain more than a thousand heads."

Oda Nobunaga nodded.After pondering for a moment, he asked again: "Hyuga Shouden is a famous general in the world, and he has worked tirelessly to save His Highness Gongfang. Speaking of which, what is the ins and outs of the Yonglu Great Rebellion? I wait for the daimyo from the distant country to be ignorant, please Hinata will tell you the truth."

Akechi Mitsuhide's expression changed, and then he said slowly: "The death of the general in the Yonglu Great Rebellion is full of mysteries. There are various opinions and opinions, and I don't know exactly what's going on. On the news of the siege of the army, he left Cizhao Temple with [-] troops to help the Erjo Imperial Palace, but he didn't want to run into the Miyoshi army rushing out of Xiangguo Temple. Coincidentally, the Miyoshi army seemed to have no intention of fighting, and led the army to withdraw southward after an hour of confrontation."

"Why did the Miyoshi family send troops to besiege the Nijo Palace?"

"As far as I know, at that time, Miyoshi's family held His Highness Gongfang in their hands, Guangyuanyuandian must be very helpless!" Ming Zhiguangxiu's eyes moved, and secretly said: "It is not only helpless that can be summed up...it should be despair!"

Oda Nobunaga knew very well that His Royal Highness Akechi Mitsuhide was referring to was Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he frowned tightly and stroked his beard and said, "So that's the case! Sure enough, he was kidnapping His Royal Highness in an attempt to support him, but Guang Guangyuan would rather die than surrender so Was he murdered in the Nijo Imperial Palace? The Miyoshi family is so daring, they regard the majesty of our samurai family as nothing, and it is unreasonable for all the heroes in the country to tolerate such a domineering beast!"

Akechi Mitsuhide didn't believe the awe-inspiring righteousness in his mouth at all, and secretly smiled and said: "I don't know how Lord Takeshi Shibaden would feel when he heard Oda Nobunaga's words. It's really ridiculous that the villain who exiled the lord can say such high-sounding words."

The dark thoughts in his heart were hidden, and the smile on his face remained unchanged and he continued: "I then led the army into the capital, defeated the Sanhao army for two battles, and was surrounded by the Sanhao army from all directions. Sanhao's family formed a chaotic formation and couldn't catch up, so I took the opportunity to escape."

Oda Nobunaga stared sideways at Akechi Mitsuhide's expression, and asked strangely: "My family is still surprised that I didn't hear that Godaisho appeared at the funeral of Guangyuaninden. I thought that Godaisho was detained by the Miyoshi family. Hyuga Shouden was rescued, but I don’t know that the Godaishoden is now in Xiaogu Castle, why didn’t I hear that the Godaishoden appeared at the funeral in Kyoto, did something happen to the Godaishoden?”

Akechi Mitsuhide gave a wry smile, and sighed: "It's not that I don't want to attend the funeral, it's because the capital controlled by Miyoshi's family is too dangerous, I escaped overnight after rescuing the Imperial Palace, and it was only after a storm that I was able to lead the army out of Kyoto smoothly. At first, I was preparing to place the Godaisho Hall in the Yajima Imperial Palace, and because there were a lot of things to deal with in Kyoto, I sent the Godaisho Hall to Sakamoto Castle before leaving, and I was going to invite the general back after he ascended the throne."

"Then where is the Imperial Palace now?"

"This subject doesn't know..."

Oda Nobunaga shook his head secretly, thinking that you can send such an important person to Sakamoto. If it's not because your head is dizzy, you really can't find a better reason.But it's really hard to think about it the other way around.More than three thousand people escorted a woman to escape overnight.With two children and a few maids, this combination must be equipped with a spacious and comfortable carriage, as well as various luxurious daily necessities. These requirements cannot be met by Mitsuhide Akechi, a general who leads troops to fight of.

Akechi Mitsuhide said with a face of shame: "It is not appropriate to send the Imperial Palace to any place, and the situation at that time did not allow for a lot of consideration. After thinking about it, I still sent His Royal Highness to Sakamoto for resettlement. Looking back now, I still did it wrong. , it might be a better choice to send the Imperial Palace to Gifu Castle."

"What Hyuga Shouden said is true. If it was sent to Gifu Castle, our family would definitely treat it like a guest, but it's a pity that it was sent to Sakamoto." Oda Nobunaga Natsusu sighed for a moment, and then said: "Don't mention that, it's better Tell me about Hyuga Shouden’s mission here? I heard that His Royal Highness is living in Xiaogu City, but I don’t know how His Royal Highness is doing?”

When it comes to the topic, we can't be so unruly, Niwa Chohide waved his hand to dismiss the dance music, and the happy atmosphere of drinking and chatting at the banquet immediately changed. Akechi Mitsuhide coughed and said seriously: "It's not very good! His Highness Gongfang has Summoned Liujiao Jingzhaoden, Asai Bizen Shouden, Asakura Jingoden, Takeda Jibuden. I was not very satisfied with the performance of these highnesses. I heard that Tokaido had a hero. So I appointed my subordinates to go to Gifu City , I hope that Shangsuojiedian can do my part for His Highness Gongfang and the shogunate."

Niwa Chohide said: "So it is really not easy for His Highness Gongfang to escape from Miyoshi's family. It may be because of the lack of strength of several Kinai daimyos. It is understandable that there is more than enough heart but not enough strength."

"I Hengxing thought it wasn't because they were mentally weak, they must be unwilling to provoke the Miyoshi family! Sure enough, His Royal Highness supported me and the Oda family would do it!" Ikeda Hengxing laughed, and the samurai present showed deep approval Shangluo is the ultimate dream of every samurai. Even if they don't know the meaning of Shangluo, it doesn't affect their mentality of going to Kyoto to see the world and show off the bravery of country warriors.

Oda Nobunaga's heart buried an ambition that was unwilling to be lonely. He had lost his way since the Ise Kingdom was pacified. The peaceful life of the past few years was something he could not tolerate. Fortunately, the Yonglu Rebellion that broke out at this moment gave him a huge blow. Given the opportunity, Oda Nobunaga could hardly bear to jump up, pack up his luggage and go to Luo to fight against Miyoshi's traitors.

Oda Nobunaga stood up and shouted: "My lords! The Miyoshi family ravaged Kinai for the sake of tigers, causing the tragedy of the destruction of the Nijo Imperial Palace and one gate. As a result, there was an uproar in Kyoto, and His Royal Highness was held hostage by villains and suffered unspeakably. This is me. It is a great opportunity for the Oda family to take advantage of the momentum and raise troops westward to sweep away the villains! I, Nobunaga, would like to work hard for the shogunate and His Royal Highness! Gentlemen, please lend me your strength!"

The officials bowed their heads with high morale, and Mitsuhide Akechi nodded with a smile, but he didn't want Kazumashi Takikawa to bow, and said worriedly: "But Okazaki Castle is surrounded by the Takeda army, what should I do, the general of the Takeda family?" However, the Takeda Stable Hall and the Sanhe Shoudian have several urgent letters for help urging the reinforcements, should we first solve the ending in the direction of Sanhe before going to Luo."

Oda Nobunaga suddenly stood up and shouted, "Hikoemon!"

Takigawa Kazuki hastily leaned over and said, "I'm here!"

Oda Nobunaga summoned Yubi, took the pen, ink, paper and inkstone to write more than a hundred characters, signed his exclusive Tianxia Buwu Seal, stuffed it into a roll, used wax varnish, and threw it to him, saying: "You bring the seal of the family I will go to the Takeda army camp outside Okazaki City to meet Takeda Nori stable, no matter what method is used, we must persuade the Takeda family to stop the army and truce, and I will entrust this matter to you!"

Takigawa Kazumashi turned pale, and said in a low voice, "Your servant will obey orders."

Kinoshita Hideyoshi suddenly came out from the corner and said: "I am willing to go with Takikawaden, and I am sure to persuade the Takeda family to retreat."

"Oh? So it's you, a bald mouse..." Oda Nobunaga pondered for a moment, took a deep look at him and said, "Go if you want! Remember, this operation can only succeed and not fail."

Akechi Mitsuhide clapped his palms and sighed: "Shang Suo Jie and his powerful warriors are like crucian carp crossing the river. I don't know how many people are there. I'm so impressed by you!"

"Shouden Hinata is amazing." Oda Nobunaga shook his head and looked towards the southeast, proudly said: "The Takeda family is a troublesome opponent. I hope that this time Dr. Takeda Ozen will retreat!"

……

A long and cold winter quietly descends on the land. Unlike Echigo, where there is a lot of snowfall every winter, Kanto is a dry season every winter.In this season, farmers stay at home with nothing to do.They will be summoned by the executives to serve in general service.Although it is not as cost-effective as paying back wages in previous years, the farmers are still quite happy to earn a ration for nothing.

The days are getting better and better, no more panic than in previous years, always worrying that a bad year will encounter a big plague, the old people and children will die in a mess, and the lords will be forced to recruit to fight the war. The only option is to flee famine, but this is not the case now.Military service is basically not apportioned to farmers.

Lords from all over the country will give priority to the old underground family in the village. This is a special requirement for the land servants. If they have land assets, they must undertake the obligation to recruit at any time. If they don’t recruit them at ordinary times, it is the kindness of the general’s mansion. In wartime, they need It is my duty to serve in the military. Second, I choose the Tongxin people who are responsible for the self-defense of the village. When the Tongxin people are short-handed, they will choose the best farmers to serve in the military, so that the farming season can be guaranteed.

Peasants don't like to go to Tongxinzhong, thinking that it's a place where rascals who are lazy and idle are willing to stay.To save them from wandering around with their guns in their hands, it would be annoying. Whose children are capable will be directly elected to the Kwantung General's Mansion as sharp soldiers.Even if you can't become a samurai master, you can go back to the village to buy property and become an underground man in the village after a few years of making some achievements.

Today’s farmers live a comfortable life. It doesn’t matter if they are a little busy in spring and autumn. Winter is the most comfortable time. The wheat in the field only needs to be taken care of by relatives at home. Clothes and bedding, follow the long team to dig big rivers and open canals. There are always endless things waiting for them. Practicing wartime skills will come in handy in case civilian husbands are recruited.

In the Imperial Palace of Edo Castle, Ashikaga Yoshitoki is playing with a silver-white coin in his hand. This is the most common currency of the Spanish Empire, the Eagle Ocean. The Spanish Empire’s conquest of Central America at the beginning of this century was a sensational event in Europe. In more than 30 years Before that, Carlos V set up a mint in Central America, and the first silver coin minted and issued was named after him and his mother.

England also uses Yingyang's casting technology, but it's a pity that England at this time is not the invincible empire on which the sun never sets. Many internal and external enemies have become a problem for the country's rise. The biggest threshold is the Spanish Empire, which is also an enemy and a friend. , King Philip II of Spain has always been obsessed with his sister-in-law Elizabeth I. This is the only way for the wise queen to bargain for time.

The goods brought by Claudia not only involve the trading of trade goods, but also the exchange of the most valuable technology. Ashikaga Yoshitoki’s water hammer technology is exchanged for coinage technology. To fulfill their respective needs, England needs water hammer technology to improve industrial technology, and Ashikaga Yoshitoki needs his own currency.

On the front of the silver coin are Ashikaga two quotations and two patterns, below are several small characters of Zheqian Yiguanwen, on the back are the seven characters "Namo Hachiman Bodhisattva" written by the gold hook iron painting, and the edge of Yingyang is from Jiajing Tongbao. Ordinary profiteers do not have water hammer technology and lack coinage technology, so they would never want to make inferior coins to shoddy them.

Ashikaga Yoshitoki held Takayoshi in his arms, blew it lightly and made a familiar buzzing sound, and praised: "The pattern is clear without any trace of chiseling, the color is delicate and rich, and the workmanship is exquisite. It is really a work of art."

"This is just a sample of the first batch of silver coins. The second and third batches of silver coins will be minted in the future. We have mastered the production techniques of the southern barbarians. I believe that it will not be long before we can produce exquisite silver eagle coins." Matsui Tomo Leisurely took a few more sets of samples, the writing on the back was the same, except that the Ashikaga Erinryo printed on the front were changed to Sasakudan and Wuqitong respectively.

Pick up a handful of silver coins from the tray and throw them down gently. The silver coins collide with each other and make a pleasant sound. A stack of silver coins overlapped together exudes a silvery luster that is dazzling, even an old farmer in the countryside who can't read a single word , When you see this plate of silver coins, you will realize that it is worth a lot.

Seeing the little surnames poking their heads furtively, Ashikaga Yoshitoki coughed and startled them away, and then said: "The casting of silver coins is a matter of military and national importance. You must not leak out the treasured secrets. From now on, you will quietly collect the silver from the outside world." Circulation, eating all the silver on the market to cast silver coins, gold coins are not particularly needed for a while."

Matsui Youxian said unintentionally: "I'm sorry, this matter has always been kept within a very small range. Except for my minister and His Royal Highness, probably only the few surnames outside the house know about it."

Ashikaga Yoshitoki smiled softly: "Yu's surname is fine, you don't need to worry about it. Speaking of which, Matsui Yasuyuki, the son of your elder brother's family, has also been a surname in the mansion for several years. Tanaka Yoshimasa, the eldest son of the family, also said that the three obediences. Many retainers told Yu that the general's mansion is full of talents, and staying in the mansion for a few years is more useful than being the eldest son of the family. Yu also deeply agrees!

Mitsui Toraka's second son and Yoshitaka were on duty by Yu's side, and Yu praised him as a fake, and it took time to keep up with Hosokawa Fujitaka, Keijiro, the boy from the Zuakon family, and the boy from the Ii family who rode around with Zhenwangmaru all day, and gradually I have honed a superb bow and horse archery skills. I see that your new Jiro is not too young. Why don't you send him to the mansion for a few years and arrange for him to be an official after seeing his personal development! "

"I would like to follow the order of His Royal Highness." (To be continued...)