Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 95 Ou Huayu’s legacy
At the foot of Inasa Mountain, a Buddhist temple faces the mountain and faces the water. It is located near the mouth of the Urakami River, only more than a mile away from the deepest part of Nagasaki Bay.

In this Japanese city where all temples and shrines were once abandoned, this is the only Tang temple.Different from the four major Tang temples in Nagasaki in later generations, this Tang temple is not behind a certain geographical gang, but the residential Tang people who belong to all Nagasaki, regardless of whether their ancestral home is Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang, or Nanzhili .

This Tang temple is called Wuzhen Temple. It was originally a Pure Land sect temple founded by the Japanese monk Shengyu. It was later rebuilt into the Bodhi Temple of the Tang Dynasty by Ou Huayu and Zhang Jingquan. A cemetery was opened in the temple as a memorial to the souls of these overseas wanderers. place.

In the Tang Dynasty society of Nagasaki, Goshenji Temple was not only a temple, a guild hall, but also an ancestral hall.All sacrifices, funerals, gatherings, mediations, and relief activities of the Tang people were carried out here. It can be said that this is another spiritual home for all Nagasaki Tang people besides their hometown.

There is an inconspicuous tomb in the Tang Dynasty Cemetery in Wujin Temple. The owner of the tomb is Ou Huayu, the founder of this cemetery and the first generation overseas Chinese leader in Nagasaki.

Lin Hai was worshiping in front of Ou Huayu's tomb. Beside him were sworn brothers Li Guozhu and Ou Zuoji. Ou Zuoji was followed by a Japanese man carrying a samurai sword.

In Hirado, Lin Hai went to pay homage to Li Dan as soon as he landed ashore. Now when he arrived in Nagasaki, the first thing he did was to pay homage to Li Dan's grave.He couldn't help but feel a little sad in his heart. These two people, both of whom he had been famous for for a long time, were now turned into a pile of loess, no different from the unknown people buried here.

Especially for Ou Huayu, his tomb is very simple. A small tombstone is engraved with "Tomb of Ou Gong Huayu", and its shape is no different from that of other Tang people.

This surprised Lin Hai, especially what surprised him was that Ou Huayu's adopted brother Zhang Jingquan and his only son Ou Zuoji both lived a life of commoners and vegetarians, and there were very few people around to serve them. Except for the Japanese ronin next to Ou Zuoji, There is only one young novice who worships Zhang Jingquan as his teacher.

Regardless of Zhang Jingquan’s status as a monk, Ou Zuoji is only 16 years old this year, at the age when his face is full of acne. His father is also the famous owner of the red seal ship in history. Normally, his painting style should be that of a Wuling boy, so why did he become Tanoshi? Drinking like a ladle?
Li Guozhu saw Lin Hai's doubts and said from the side: "Second Uncle Ou had a nickname on the Jiulong River back then, which was called Timely Rain. He was born with a temperament of righteousness and wealth, and this was still the case after he arrived in Japan. Many Tang people in Nagasaki had suffered from him. The favor..."

"Not only the Tang people, but also the ronin like me." The Japanese who had been silent suddenly spoke in half-baked Hokkien.

"This is Umino Saheibei. He was originally a samurai from Ueda Castle in Shinano Province. He participated in the Osaka Winter Battle. Later he moved to Nagasaki and worked as the bowman on Uncle Ou's ship. Uncle Ou loved raising warriors most during his lifetime. He is a scholar, and many Japanese rogues have boarded his ship."

"Oh? How much is a lot?" Lin Hai suddenly became interested when he heard Li Guozhu's words.The current Japanese country is at a time when the chaos has subsided, and there are samurai everywhere who have lost their titles. When the Tokugawa family destroyed the Toyotomi family ten years ago, a hundred thousand ronin gathered in Osaka city to become their enemies.

The Japanese ronin were all warriors, and they had been immersed in martial arts since childhood, and their individual combat effectiveness was quite impressive.At that time, the great Japanese pirates in Jiajing had Japanese warriors as their backbone, so they were in an uninhabited land in the south of the Ming Dynasty. They were much stronger than those soldiers who had been abandoned for many years.

Of course, limited by the feudal lordship's military organization and the lack of excellent horses and artillery, the Japanese army was not as good as the Ming Dynasty frontier army in regular combat.But right now, Lin Hai's opponent is not a regular army. In chaotic battles where formations cannot be formed, such as gang-hopping battles, ronin can be said to be the best source of troops.

"Uncle Ou has sponsored at least a thousand ronin, and there are hundreds who have gone to sea with him. But seven years ago, his warehouse caught fire, and all the goods he stored were burned. He used his last bit to I used the floating wealth as my principal and went to sea to Annan, but the ship ran aground and sank on the return voyage..."

"After that, Uncle Ou planned to borrow money to go to sea again, but he failed to obtain the seal of the second generation general, so he dismissed all his subordinates. Two years later, Uncle Ou passed away, except for Umino Sahei who has been there Next to the third brother, the other ronin have left to fend for themselves." Lin Hai was thinking secretly while listening, who said that Ou Huayu didn't leave a legacy, and wasn't his old team the best legacy?These Japanese rogues had outstanding martial arts skills and had the experience of traveling far and wide, so they were very suitable for being sailors.

What's more, the Japanese country is in a typical feudal era. Compared with the Ming Dynasty, which transformed into a common society during the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Japanese people, especially those who were born as warriors, undoubtedly pay more attention to loyalty and loyalty.Regarding this point, it is natural to think about the taxis in the pre-Qin period or the knights in the Western European Middle Ages.

Thinking of this, Lin Hai turned around and asked Ou Zuoji: "Third brother, you haven't been to the sea yet? Do you have any plans to go to the sea in the future?"

Before Ou Zuoji could answer, Li Guoshu hurriedly interrupted: "Xiandi, Zuoji is still a baby..."

Ou Zuoji was very dissatisfied when he heard this: "I am already sixteen years old. When my father was my age, he was already a famous hero in Jiulongjiang."

"Haha, good boy, it turns out that a tiger father has no dog son." Lin Hai gave Ou Zuoji a thumbs up, and at the same time glanced at Umino Saabei. The corners of the Japanese man's mouth, which had always been sullen, were slightly raised.

"Brother, please don't encourage Zuo Ji to go to sea. Uncle Ou is an only son. He hasn't married yet and has children." Li Guoshu quickly grabbed Lin Hai, then turned to Ou Zuo Ji and said, "I heard that Uncle Zhang wants to marry you. , I wonder if you are optimistic about this person?"

"I don't like Japanese women." Ou Zuoji was even more upset when he heard this. Zhang Jingquan wanted to find him a Wu family girl. In this era, Japanese noble women had the habit of plucking their eyebrows and dyeing their teeth black. Plus, their faces were painted pale. She looks almost like a female ghost.

"Uncle Zhang is doing this for his own good." Li Guozhu said, "No matter what, he will not allow you to go to sea."

Lin Hai saw Ou Zuoji's eyes darken, and it was obvious that what Li Guozhu said next hit home.Zhang Jingquan had no children, and regarded his adopted son Ou Zuoji as his own. Like most fathers and sons in this era, Ou Zuoji was somewhat afraid of Zhang Jingquan.

Lin Hai discovered this when he arrived at Wuzhen Temple yesterday.He ignored Li Guosuke and turned to ask Umino Zuobei: "Brother Umino, do you think my third brother should inherit his father's business and go to sea?"

"This is not something I can talk about, but if one day you are going to go to sea, I will definitely protect you." Umino Zuobei subconsciously clenched the katana at his waist, and there seemed to be a flash of light in his eyes, "I have this sword. Although it hasn’t been unsheathed for a long time, it’s still very sharp!”

I don’t know whether he was talking about the sword or himself. Lin Hai heard this and praised: "Brother, you are so righteous, I admire you very much."

"I'm just a lost dog. If it weren't for Mr. Huayu, he would have starved to death on the streets of Nagasaki. As a member of the samurai family, you should know how to repay your kindness. Many of Mr. Huayu's old troops are still scattered around Nagasaki. As long as the young master gives an order I believe that my brothers from the past will definitely come to my aid."

(End of this chapter)