different warring states of japan

Chapter 2086: The viewing platform on Tianwang Mountain

In late autumn, Yoshigin set out from Katsuryuji Castle, went down the Katsura River, and arrived at Yamazaki.

On the day of his arrival, he climbed Mt. Tennozan with Akechi Mitsuhide, Hosokawa Fujitaka and their fellow guards and stayed at Yamazaki Tennosha.

Tennozan is located at the southern end of the Nishiyama Mountains in the western part of the Kyoto Basin. It is separated from the Tamba Plateau by mountains and forms an isthmus with Mt. Otoko, becoming the intersection of the Katsura River, Uji River, and Kizu River.

These three rivers merge here to form the Yodo River, which flows to Settsu Province and into the sea in Osaka Bay.

Since ancient times, this place has been an important military location for entering and exiting the western gate of Kyoto, and Yodo Castle has become an important gateway town because of its geographical location.

During the confrontation at Yamazaki, Akechi Mitsuhide was stationed at Tennozan, and together with Matsunaga Hisahide in Yodo Castle, they had the confidence to keep the aggressive Hideyoshi Ichijo out.

Unfortunately, Matsunaga Hisahide had long harbored rebellious intentions. He welcomed the thieves and joined forces with Ichijo Hideyoshi, causing Akechi Mitsuhide to be attacked from all sides and almost died at Tennozan.

In the end, it was Hosokawa Fujitaka who decisively rescued and sent troops from Katsuryuji Castle to open up the Katsura River line, protecting Akechi Mitsuhide's smooth retreat.

Matsunaga Hisahide, the fence-sitting conspirator, also suffered the consequences of his own actions. He was tricked by Ichijo Hideyoshi into opening the gates of Yodo Castle, and his entire family was killed.

Because Yodo Castle is so important, Hideyoshi Ichijo has sent his cronies to occupy it until today. Even though he has returned Fushimi Castle to the saint, he still has not mentioned a word about the ownership of Yodo Castle.

Therefore, Yoshigin could only take the Katsura River route from Katsuryuji Castle to the west this time, and directly look at the Otokoyama on the opposite bank from Tennozan in Yamazaki, where Ashikaga Yoshiaki would hold a ceremony at the Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine.

The confluence of the Katsura River, Uji River, and Kizu River is rich in water and has surging rapids. The Yamazaki Bridge, which has been built several times since ancient times, has been washed away by the water.

With the protection of Yodo Castle controlled by Hideyoshi and the river blocking it, Ashikaga Yoshiaki could worship Hachiman God at Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine with peace of mind.

And Yoshikin was not a vicious scholar like Akechi Mitsuhide. He never thought of raiding Otokoyama and killing Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

Under the watchful eyes of samurai from all over the world, he climbed up to the Yamazaki Tenno Shrine halfway up Mount Tenno, waited for Ashikaga Yoshiaki to finish the sacrifice, and then took Ninagawa Hatakeyama and other shogunate retainers across the river by boat to reconcile.

It was late autumn now, and the mountains and fields were covered with fiery red leaves. Yoshigane sat in the formation, gazing at the distant Nanshan Mountain, and talking to Akechi Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka beside him.

"This is a great place. Three rivers meet and flow westward. I wonder how many great men they have brought with them."

The Japanese people originated in the Nara Basin. They first conquered the Kyoto Basin and then began the great cause of conquering the island nation.

The first step in expanding from the Kyoto Basin was to conquer the Omi Basin to the east and the Osaka Plain to the west.

Over the past thousands of years, countless outstanding people from the island country have sailed westward along the Yodo River, conquered the fertile land of Osaka, set sail in the Seto Inland Sea, and achieved success in their careers.

There are always talented people in this country. The three of them were all amazed at the same time.

Yiyin pointed at the river and said.

“The water flow is too fast, and if we want to truly connect the north and the south, it is not enough to rely solely on ferries.

When the world is at peace, I will mobilize manpower and material resources to fill the river and build a dike to separate the Uji River and the Kizu River, alleviate the flood, and then build a bridge. "

Akechi Mitsuhide smiled.

"The saints are benevolent, righteous, and compassionate, and they care about the people's livelihood. We are far inferior to them. I just hope that the chaotic times will end soon. I look forward to the saints ruling the world."

Yiyin sighed.

"As the Celestial Empire says, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. The more we look forward to the future, the more cautious we must be, so as not to leave too many troubles for our descendants.

It is also a bad idea to always use the excuse that each generation has its own mission and then feel at ease to pass all the troubles to future generations.

When doing things, think more about the situation of future generations, so that they can have a few more good days.

Otherwise, if each generation suffers its own share of hardships, and generations upon generations suffer endlessly, what is the meaning of our struggles over the years? "

Akechi Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka bowed together. "The saint is wise."

Yiyin shook his head.

"I'm not wise, I just know the principle of knowing when to stop, but you, Akechi Mitsuhide, don't understand. What are you in such a hurry to eat a big fat man in one go?"

Akechi Mitsuhide said calmly.

"The saint is too kind, and there are always villains who don't know what is good for them and try to take advantage of the saint's kindness and do whatever they want.

It is not convenient for a saint to argue with these villains, and someone has to come forward to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, so that the restless people will know how to be grateful and restrain themselves. "

Yiyin sighed and said.

“You’re still not sober enough, don’t take yourself too seriously, Mitsuhide.

The three of us are all family. Let me say something that is not convenient to say outside. There is no such thing as gratitude in the Wu family. The rewards and favors are just for each party to take what they need.

I gained the world in compliance with the will of heaven.

Those who follow me will prosper, and those who defy me will perish. Those who do not fear God will be punished by God, so there is no need for you to get involved.

Akechi Mitsuhide, I tell you, if you act recklessly like this, you will end up hurting your own fortune, wealth and longevity. As for the burden of ruling the world of Sōma, it is not your turn to shoulder it; that is my business.

I was sent by Heaven to come to this world to save the people of this island nation who are struggling in these troubled times.

Those who oppose me will not have a good end, and neither will you who act recklessly with a martyrdom mindset.

I can save you once, twice, but I can't bring you back every time.

So, stop messing around."

As he was talking, Yoshigin suddenly started to act like a charlatan, almost performing a shaman act, which made Akechi Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka look at each other in surprise.

Yiyin laughed in his heart when he saw their expressions as if they were trying to pretend to believe but finding it hard to believe.

Buddhism has been boasting for several years that Yiyin is the incarnation of Bishamonten. The people of the island nation have three different attitudes towards Yiyin, the living god.

First, believe.

Second, disbelief.

Third, be skeptical.

There are many people who believe in it, especially the samurai in the Kanto region.

When Yoshigaki performed miracles at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, the samurai in the Kanto Plain were extremely shocked. Coupled with the conservative traditions of Kanto, many people firmly believed that Yoshigaki was a living god.

There were many people who did not believe it, especially smart people like Akechi Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka.

In their view, the saint took to the path of Shinto mainly to deceive the ignorant people and women and as a political means to consolidate the world of Sōma.

The biggest problem of smart people is that they are too smart. It is difficult for them to believe in myths such as rain from the sky, hair growing on the ground, and God sending a savior.

They would rather believe that careful planning and preparation in advance can create a miracle that fools the majority of people.

Perhaps the most inexplicable thing about Yoshigane to Akechi Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka was his appearance of always being sixteen years old.

But there is such a thing as an ageless male god in this world. Yiyin is only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old now, so it is a bit exaggerated to make people believe that he is a god of eternal youth.

If he lived to be seventy or eighty years old and still looked like a sixteen-year-old boy, it would be more convincing and shocking than it is now.