The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 300 Nobunaga's Soul
Today, under the rule of the Shogun, the world is at peace, and people cannot help but reminisce about the war-torn times. The leisure class is becoming more and more fond of reading materials such as military records.

In Zeami's (Note 1) ballad (Note 2) "Kumu no Tou-kawa," there is a scene where a hunter, condemned by a monk for killing, imitates an osprey and sings, laughing:
"Sins, retribution, and the afterlife—all forgotten. How happy it is!"

Lord Hideyoshi, who had defeated Akechi Mitsuhide in the Battle of Yamazaki (Note 3), planned to hold a grand funeral for Lord Nobunaga at Amida-ji Temple, but was strongly opposed by the temple's abbot, Seiyaku-shonin.

Some say that Hideyoshi had known about the Honnoji Incident long ago, which enabled him to immediately launch a counterattack from Bitchu (Note 4). Others say that it was because Seiyaku-shonin saw through Hideyoshi's ambition to seize the world that he refused to hold Nobunaga's funeral at the temple, thereby preventing Hideyoshi from committing such disloyal, unfilial, and unjust acts.

In desperation, Hideyoshi had to build Sokenin Temple in Daitoku-ji Temple to collect Nobunaga's relics, and later used the temple as Nobunaga's tomb.

~~~
Fujiwara no Chiyoko once visited the temple a few months ago. It was the beginning of spring and the weeping cherry trees were in full bloom. However, the weather was not good. A drizzle began to fall in the early morning and lasted until the afternoon.

An old abbot who was both deaf and dumb was sitting under the eaves in a daze. After introducing herself and telling the abbot that she was the daughter of Fujiwara no Kiyomaro, the old abbot happily brought Chiyoko into the main hall and made offerings to the mixed-race girl very piously.

Chiyoko had already sensed the shogunate's hostility towards foreigners by then. She knelt in front of the Buddhist shrine and prayed devoutly for her brother and mother.

In the center of the shrine is placed a wooden statue of Nobunaga. The statue is about two feet tall and small in size, but very exquisite. It wears a belt (Note 4), holds a tablet in hand, and has a long sword on its waist.

Chiyoko stared at the wooden statue, tears streaming down her face, and she knelt down involuntarily.

Nobunaga sat upright on the shrine, looking down. He had long, sword-like eyebrows, a face as sharp as an axe, and a sharp gaze as if he was ready to scold and rebuke one of his subordinates at any time.

When Chiyoko knelt down earnestly, the expression of the wooden statue in front of her seemed to be changing subtly, sometimes firm and solemn, sometimes gentle as water, and sometimes as terrifying as the demon Ashura!
This is Lord Nobunaga!
There are thousands of contradictory and complex emotions surging in my heart. I have suffered emotional torture throughout my life, but I still maintain self-discipline!

There is the cold-bloodedness of burning 20,000 people to death, and the compassion of giving alms to the "old and gray people" who cannot bear to see them lamenting on the road. Sometimes he is as gentle as a spring breeze, sometimes he is cold and ruthless, sometimes he is ecstatic with poetry and books, and sometimes he is depressed and sighs.

A strange emotion that she had never experienced before instantly gripped the mixed-race girl's heart.

Lord Nobunaga, please bless our Fujiwara family.

Lord Nobunaga, please bless the believers in Japan!

When Chiyoko prayed devoutly, the heavy rain suddenly stopped.

The old host opened his gray eyes and looked up at the sky. The thick, light gray clouds that looked like mud were rapidly retreating to the west as if dispersed by a wizard.

A ray of sunlight passed through the gap in the clouds and fell on Chiyoko. At the same time, the Buddhist shrine behind the two of them made a crisp tapping sound.

The wooden statue of Nobunaga fell from the incense table for no apparent reason.

"You are a destined person. If you need it, I can give you this statue."

The old host spoke in a hoarse voice, turned around, picked up the wooden statue, held it in both hands and slowly handed it to the mixed-race woman Chiyoko.

~~~~~~
August 15th, the first year of the Tianqi reign.

Wendeng County Government Office.

In the second wing room, Liu Zhaosun held a thick stack of manuscripts in his hands and leaned back on a large and comfortable armchair to read carefully.

Standing next to them were the chief instructor Sen Ti and Qinghe military governor Ma Shiying. Wu Xiao and Shen Lian were guarding the door with several guards.

"The first chapter of "Looking at the Sea": Survival on a deserted island..."

The furnishings in the wing room are quite simple, with four huge maps of Kyushu, Liaodong, Sichuan and Korea hanging on the four walls respectively.

All four maps were drawn based on the remaining memories of Ping Liaohou's previous life. Several Portuguese merchants added some important details about Kyushu's coastline.

Apart from maps, chairs, desks and beds, there was almost no other furniture in the room.

This wing room was the resting place of Ping Liaohou and also the location of Kaiyuan’s central army tent.

The combat orders to quell the She'an Rebellion and land on Tsushima Island and Kyushu Island will all be issued from here.

After participating in two landing exercises, Liu Zhaosun returned from Mazi Island and handed over the Soul of Tsushima Island to Wu Aheng and Sun Chuanting.

There is one more important thing to do.

After returning to Wendeng County, Ping Liaohou immediately summoned Ma Shiying, Sen Ti and other training officers and representatives of soldiers from each camp.

They were asked to collect the atrocities committed by the Japanese pirates in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, compile them into books, compile them into several plays, and find people to perform them in various camps and ports.

Over the next ten days, Mori Ti led more than 500 instructors to various camps to collect information on the atrocities committed by the Japanese pirates in Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other places.

After Kublai Khan's two failed invasions of Japan, the Kamakura shogunate tacitly allowed samurai and ronin to raid China, which was the origin of the Wokou (Japanese pirates). From the Yuan Dynasty to the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the Wokou (Japanese pirates) continued to harass China.

The Kaiyuan Army came from all over the country, including soldiers from Shandong, Zhejiang, Guangdong and other places.

Many of them lived in areas where the Japanese pirates suffered the most serious burning, killing and looting.

In my memory, the Japanese samurai ronin who wielded Japanese swords to massacre villages and towns were a nightmare in my childhood.

My parents and relatives were killed by Japanese pirates. The entire village was killed and burned by Japanese pirates. Those island beasts didn't even spare babies...
Sen Ti quickly collected the cases he needed.

When the instructor was about to continue looking for someone to question, he was stopped by Ping Liaohou.

Every time the instructor asked the final questions, the soldiers from Shandong, Zhejiang and Fujian would burst into tears and collapse when they recalled the tragic situation of their hometowns being ravaged by Japanese pirates.

Liu Zhaosun didn't want to rub salt into their wounds.

So the interview ended.

Ma Shiying recruited two storytellers from Tianjin. The three of them, together with Sen Ti, worked hard for two whole nights and finally wrote a play, which they named "Looking at the Sea".

Ma Shiying came to Ping Liaohou with the script, hoping that Liu Zhaosun could give him some advice.

Liu Zhaosun frowned and took a quick look.

The main contents of "Looking at the Sea" are as follows:

During the Warring States Period in Japan, a group of Ming Dynasty people who were stranded in the Kaga countryside after a shipwreck, after going through untold hardships, finally reclaimed fertile land in front of a barren mountain.

In this paradise far away from home, where there are no corrupt officials to exploit us, the people live a happy and peaceful life.

However, the good times did not last long.

They were soon discovered by the Japanese, and Tokugawa Kamero (the name of the shogun in this drama) issued an urgent order:
The people of the Ming Dynasty were required to hand over all their food rations and the Yongle coins (Chinese currency, very popular in Japan) they carried, otherwise they would be forced to dance the "蓑衣舞".

But after handing over the food, they would starve to death.

As the grain payment deadline approached, everyone was at a loss and had to ask the village officials and the feudal lord to discuss whether they could extend the deadline by a few days.

The feudal lord agreed and allowed the people to borrow money first to pay the annual tribute.

Wang Dachui lost his wife at a young age and has a daughter named Cuihua. They live together in harmony. Their neighbor, Aunt Liu, and her son, Dachun, often take care of the Wangs and their daughter, and the two families enjoy a harmonious relationship. Cuihua and Dachun have been together for a long time and have become very close. The two elders have agreed to arrange a wedding for them in the autumn.

The feudal lord Inukai Jiro wanted to take possession of the young and beautiful Suihua, so he conspired with the family elders...

Liu Zhaosun put down the script in his hand, stood up, patted Ma Shiying on the shoulder, and praised this veteran Kunqu opera fan:
"Very good, very good. The name Wanghai has a lofty meaning and fits the mood of the story! The dialogue is concise and not dragged out. Overall, it meets my requirements. Also, your portrayal of the cruelty and greed of the Shogun and the poverty and misery of the Japanese people is also very comprehensive..."

A smug look appeared on Ma Shiying's face.

But then Ping Liaohou continued:
“Of course, there are still shortcomings.”

"First, as I've said, Tsushima and Kyushu have been Chinese territory since ancient times, and the Ming Dynasty has indisputable sovereignty over them. The Kaiyuan Army is the royal army, and this landing on Kyushu is to save the Japanese people from disaster. This point is not reflected in the script. Second, the overall plot is still too bland. The ending should be even more tragic. I suggest: one or both of the male and female protagonists must die, so as to impress the audience. Third, the shogunate forced Japanese girls to go to Southeast Asia to sell them, and the promiscuous plot should be put at the end and shortened in length, so as not to dominate the main plot. The audience of our play is mainly soldiers, and we can't overemphasize the wilderness pleasures..."

Half an hour later, Ma Shiying and Sen Ti left the county government office in disgrace. The two screenwriters immediately rushed back to the military camp to revise the script.

Two bright and neat whale oil lamps hung on the wall, illuminating the entire room.

Liu Zhaosun was not a director in his previous life, but at least he had seen countless films.

Now that I finally have the chance to satisfy my desire to be a director, I naturally want to give it my all.

Note:
1. Zeami: A renowned Noh performer and composer during the early Muromachi period. He was the second-generation chief physician of the Yamato Sarugaku Yuzaki-za. His childhood name was Fujiwaka, and his common name was Saburo. Together with his father, Sekiami, he was known as "Kanze," and his Dharma name was "Zeamidobutsu." In his later years, he was also known as Zhiong and Zenyoshi. Deeply patronized by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, he dedicated his life to the innovation of Noh to meet the visionary Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's requirements, gradually developing it into an elegant form of drama and laying the foundation for its artistic and theoretical development.

2. Ballad: a verse in Noh music.

3. Battle of Yamazaki: Also known as the Battle of Tennozan. In 1582, after Akechi Mitsuhide launched the Honnoji Incident, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was attacking western Japan, immediately returned to Kinai with his army. He engaged Akechi Mitsuhide in a decisive battle at Yamazaki, ultimately defeating his forces. This battle laid the foundation for Hideyoshi's future unification of Japan.

4. Sash: A general term for court dress after the Heian period. It is the formal attire that civil and military officials under the emperor should wear when attending important court occasions.

(End of this chapter)