I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

At the same time, Sanako also stood up.

Although her expression wasn't as anxious as Souji's, it was still quite somber.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng's gaze narrowed slightly.

"what happened?"

The commander quickly said:

"It's too complicated to explain, just come with us. Oh! And remember to wear a straw hat to cover your face!"

……

……

Edo, Tonan-cho 3-chome—this is definitely a place name that would make ordinary people of Edo turn pale at the mere mention of it.

Because this place is the ancestral home of the Shimizu clan!

The term "home base" can be understood as headquarters or main base.

The main residence of the Shimizu clan is a rather impressive complex of buildings.

The houses inside were all vying for attention, all following the Taoshan style, each more luxurious than the last, with even the roofs painted in gold, lions carved on the eaves, and tiger statues standing on either side of the gate.

Those who don't know the situation might think this is some famous guild hall.

[Note: Momoyama: The Azuchi-Momoyama period, also known as the Oda-Toyotomi period (1573-1603), was the era in which Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi dominated Japan. It was named after Azuchi Castle, Oda Nobunaga's main castle, and Momoyama Castle (also known as Fushimi Castle), Toyotomi Hideyoshi's main castle. It lasted for 30 years.]

The mansion located at the very center of this luxurious building complex is the tallest mansion in this area... or rather, in all the towns and cities in the vicinity, with a total of 6 floors—and this tallest building is also the "main camp" of the Shimizu clan's main family.

Because of its extraordinary height, the people of Edo commonly referred to this tower, which symbolized the dominant authority of the Shimizu clan, as the "Shimizu Tower".

When Qingdeng followed the two women to the outskirts of the Qingshui clan's main residence, he was surprised to find that a considerable number of people had gathered there.

*******

*******

This book is set in a low-martial arts world. As everyone knows, in a low-martial arts world, as long as the head is still attached to the neck, one can survive even with a gaping hole in the stomach. In a low-martial arts world, preserving the integrity of one's limbs is paramount. As long as the limbs are intact, even if one suffers a blow that rips the entire upper body open with a kasaya-zuki (a type of sword), one can continue fighting.

Today was another day of failing to reach 10,000 views. Ugh! (crying leopard head.jpg)

P.S.: The Yakuza in real life would not have lived in such an extravagant mansion. Just wanted to let you know.

Chapter 457 A Gathering of Heroes! The Qingshui Clan Mobilizes for a Challenge to Qingdeng! [4200]

The main house of the Shimizu clan—because the name was too long and difficult to pronounce, the common people of Edo usually referred to it simply as "Shimizu Residence".

In the Edo period, six-story buildings were quite rare.

Therefore, upon arriving in Tonan Town, Aoto unconsciously looked up and gazed at the extremely eye-catching Shimizu Tower.

To the "natives" of this era, the Qingshui Tower may seem magnificent, but to Qingdeng, who has traveled from the 21st century, the building, which is less than 20 meters tall, is indeed somewhat inferior compared to the modern super landmarks that are hundreds of meters tall.

It must be said that the architect responsible for designing the Shimizu Residence was quite skilled, managing to create an Azuchi-Momoyama style architectural complex in the mid-19th century.

The Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1603) preceded the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and ushered in the Edo period.

Although some scholars in the field of history classify the mid-to-late Muromachi period and the entire Azuchi-Momoyama period as part of the "Sengoku period," it is undeniable that the Azuchi-Momoyama period was indeed much more peaceful than the period when various feudal lords were physically fighting each other and mentally battling each other.

Thanks to the conquest and rule of the two powerful rulers, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, people from all walks of life finally enjoyed a rare period of peace. Their long-suppressed hearts were finally able to be released, giving them a sense of "I've finally made it big, I'm going to squander it all."

Therefore, the architectural features of the Azuchi-Momoyama period are luxurious and grand, with gold and silver as the main colors in decoration, and rich variations in composition and design, which are unrestrained and gorgeous.

This was also closely related to the rise of the emerging feudal lord class at that time.

The emerging feudal lords rejected the old culture and system, and their expectations and desires for new things also prompted the birth of new architectural forms.

Oda Nobunaga, who was just one step away from unifying the country, built a famous castle, Azuchi Castle, 65 meters high, on a mountaintop more than 100 meters above sea level to boast of his military prowess.

As for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who succeeded Oda Nobunaga after his death and completed his unfinished ambition of unifying Japan, the buildings he built were even more extravagant.

Perhaps it was the nouveau riche mentality at play, or perhaps it was his true nature, but Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who considered himself Nobunaga's successor, used Azuchi Castle as a model and aimed to build a castle that would surpass Azuchi Castle in every aspect.

So he gathered the resources of the world and built Osaka Castle, a magnificent and almost magical castle that even Western missionaries marveled at.

In addition, he also built a golden tea room made entirely of gold.

Throughout the Azuchi-Momoyama period, there were countless other exaggerated buildings like this.

With the rise of the Tokugawa family, Japan entered the Edo period, and architectural styles underwent a dramatic transformation.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo Shogunate, was a low-key person who disliked luxury and extravagance—which was actually a major reason why he was able to seize power.

Despite being the ruler of the world, he still lived a meager life that was not much better than that of a local tycoon. He rarely ate fish and ate pickled radishes every day.

Even the side dishes his maids ate had to match his—that is, they could only eat pickled radishes.

When he overheard the maids complaining about the poor food, he bluntly said, "If you don't like it, then don't eat it," and then canceled the only side dish the maids had. From then on, the maids could only eat plain white rice.

Influenced by Tokugawa Ieyasu's frugal nature, simple colors, mainly black, white and gray, became the main theme of architectural style in the Edo period.

Even Edo Castle, which served as the residence of the shogun, was basically only decorated in black, white, and gray.

Looking around, the entire Edo area resembled an unpainted figurine, a dark and gray mess.

In this way, surrounded by clusters of black tiles and diamond-patterned walls, the Kiyomizu Residence, which has a strong Azuchi-Momoyama period style, becomes even more eye-catching.

Even Qing Deng, who had been exposed to modern culture and had seen many strange and wonderful sights on the Internet, was amazed by the splendor and luxury of the Shimizu Residence.

Take the Qingshui Tower as an example. The eaves of the Qingshui Tower are made of black-lacquered boards as a base, then covered with dark gray tones, and finally covered with gold leaf, making it extremely luxurious. The reason for choosing a black and gray base is to make the hardware, gold leaf tiles, etc., stand out more.

The entire tower is adorned with carved railings and jade steps, embroidered doors and windows, all exquisitely crafted, each with its own name and characteristics.

Legend has it that the Qingshui Tower was not the most magnificent and splendid place in the Qingshui Residence.

Deep within the Shimizu residence lies a garden dedicated to Shimizu Eiichi's relaxation and recreation.

The garden is not only magnificent and secluded, covered with greenery such as arrow bamboo and vines, with a pleasing and spacious layout, but also features several grand pavilions and towers.

If you really want to examine it closely, not to mention the daimyo of Jinya, even the daimyo of Jujo would have to look at Shimizu-jō with more respect.

In order to better manage the daimyo, the Edo Shogunate explicitly stipulated the architectural styles that daimyo of different ranks could reside in.

Apart from the shogun and the daimyo of the imperial family, only daimyo with more than 100,000 koku of rice were qualified to build castles of the level of castle towers.

Those with a capital of less than 100,000 koku or more than 30,000 koku may build residences within the castle town.

Daimyo with a rank of less than 30,000 koku could only build and live in garrison houses.

These three are commonly referred to as "Lord of the Castle", "Daimyō of the Residence", and "Daimyō of the Battlefield", respectively.

A residence is a building with a walled courtyard.

The term "zhenwu" originally referred to temporary buildings constructed within a cemetery without walls, generally serving as the living quarters for commanders during temporary battles.

Poor daimyo like the Kuroishi Domain, Shichinohe Domain, and Aso Domain, whose total koku of land was no more than 1 koku, would probably drool with envy if they met the main branch of the Shimizu clan.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't be a large crowd gathering near Shimizu Residence—who would linger near a wolf's den?

However, the scene that appeared before Qingdeng at this moment defied this common sense.

Outside the gate of the Shimizu residence, people were standing in layers.

Meanwhile, men, women, and children continued to arrive from all directions, further strengthening the human wall.

Seeing so many people around, Qing Deng subconsciously lowered the brim of his straw hat, and then, without understanding why, followed behind Souji and Sanako, squeezing his way into the depths of the crowd little by little.

Along the way, Qingdeng would occasionally hear conversations around him that bothered him.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on? Why are so many people gathered here?"

"Don't you know?"

"I just came here because there were a lot of people."

"I don't know the specifics, but I've heard that the Shimizu clan is up to something big."

"A big move?"

……

"I heard that the Shimizu clan is putting in all their effort to prepare for war against 'Niou'. Is that true?"

"It seems to be true."

……

"Look, so many weapons!"

"Goodness... What an exaggerated display of force... The armed forces of the Shimizu clan are probably already superior to those of some small vassal states."

……

When Qing Deng and the others were about 10 steps away from the gate of the Shimizu residence, they could no longer go any further.

The wall of people in front of me had been compressed to its limit, with almost no space between them.

Fortunately, Qingdeng's current position is good enough to see the scenery ahead.

With their height advantage, Aoto and Sanako could see every scene and sight in front of them from their very standing position.

As for the petite Souji, she could only desperately tiptoe.

The little head with a ponytail bounced up and down in front of Qingdeng's eyes, and the ponytail swayed back and forth, which was very cute.

The main gate of Shimizu Residence is a solemn and imposing double gate.

Normally, it is kept closed, and people mainly enter and exit through a small door on the side.

But right now, both doors of this door are completely open.

People came and went, making it very lively.

Most of those who went out were empty-handed and drenched in sweat.

Those who went in were basically carrying large and small boxes of belongings.

As if deliberately intended to let everyone around see the contents of the boxes, none of the boxes were covered.

Everyone could clearly see that the box was filled to the brim with all sorts of weapons!

Shiny martial arts protective gear, brand-new bows and arrows, countless katana and wakizashi...

During the Edo period, collecting samurai swords and bows was not a big deal.