Pillars of the Wu family

April and May are the seasons with the least rainfall in Echigo. As the sun shines in the northern hemisphere and the weather warms up, the thick snow that towers over the mountains melts, and the melted snow just replenishes the water-scarce rivers. This season is exactly the time for farmers In the busiest season, the critical period for jointing and booting of seedlings, it is very important to maintain sufficient water.

All adults over the age of 13 in the country go to work in the fields, and the standing army also undertakes the important duties of assisting the villagers in irrigation, fertilization, weeding, and insecticide. It is only a part of the land servants to take the lead in working in the fields. During Yoshiki Kira's reign, he further emphasized that the army and the people help each other, helping the people more in peacetime, and supporting the army more in wartime.

It is absolutely not allowed in Echigo to have the kind of samurai who run rampant on the street with a sword all day long, let alone beheading civilians with a sword in the name of a sword test. If such a person is found, he will be hanged immediately, no matter who intercedes. There will be no forgiveness, those who kill people will die, those who hurt people and steal things will be punished, and those who are unfilial will be paraded in the shackles.

Under the iron fist of the Kira family, there are fewer and fewer rogues in Echigo who provoke quarrels, and those who do not understand filial piety and loyalty are dismissed one by one. Afterwards, the Kasuga Yamashiro garrison cooperated with the public and launched a non-violation operation to arrest many corrupt people. The practitioner who broke the law, filled his own pockets, and neglected his duties swept away the unhealthy trends in his leadership, and the new Wujian gradually became known as Mochizuki, Anyun, and Shoujichang.

Ten kilometers southwest of Kasuga Mountain City, hidden in the mountains and deep valleys, there is a wooden and stone stockade where more than [-] Takeda Army prisoners are detained. They are strictly guarded by [-] guards. Birds are hard to cross.

Life was not easy for the captives.During the busy farming season, they were urged to do voluntary labor by thousands of garrisons.The captives were subcontracted for farm work and the renovation and reinforcement of water conservancy facilities in the Guanchuan River Basin.They are a group of slaves who don't need to spend a penny, and the slave owners are the masters of the towering mountains.

They ate corn tortillas, pickled radishes, and potato kombu soup for three meals a day. They worked from dawn to sunset every day. They went back to the cell tired and fell asleep every day. They had no time and energy to think about escape or other things. The depressive life forces them to forget the scars of defeat, the hatred of dead relatives and colleagues, and even their own past.

The fortified Dazhai is actually a prison for guarding prisoners. Not only did it contain [-] captives, but there were also many bandits and strong men in the Echigo Kingdom.The criminal samurai are also imprisoned inside. They go out to work voluntarily during the day and come back to rest after dark. With the double insurance of the garrison and the concentric crowd, and the guards of the pass in all directions in Echigo, they are not afraid of these prisoners who dare to escape in broad daylight and dare to try their own laws. Everyone was hanged on the gallows in the prison, and so far no lucky person has escaped.

On this day, the prisoners were sent out to work early, only a few guards gathered together in twos and threes to brag and chat, and Sanshiro stood on the arrow scull, listlessly watching, kicking cuju all afternoon yesterday.In the evening, he was dragged to play military chess for half a night by his colleagues, which caused him to almost fail to get up today.Severe lack of sleep, just want to close your eyes and rest.

"I will never play military chess in the future. I, Sanshirō, swear to the gods and Buddhas!" Sanshirō tried his best to support his heavy eyelids, but he still couldn't stop his tired eyes from gradually closing. In his dream, he saw that he married a beautiful wife and gave birth to a pair of Lovely sons and daughters, who made great achievements on the battlefield and were recognized by the town government and promoted to warriors. He returned home vigorously on a tall horse, seeing his longing wife and children in the distance, and felt an indescribable feeling of happiness.

Just when he hugged his wife and kissed him madly, a rumbling sound broke the peaceful dream, he opened his eyes and found that he was hugging a pillar and kissed him for a long time, his mouth was full of the bitter and salty taste of wooden stakes, disgusting The old Sanshiro just wanted to vomit, and the watchtower holding the arrow oar was about to vomit, but he accidentally caught a glimpse of hundreds of cavalry in red armor pouring out of Dazhai.

"Could this be...the royal horse returning to the crowd? The Lord of the Town! No, I want to rule them quickly!" Sanshiro ran over to ring the alarm bell in a hurry, regardless of the taste in his mouth. After waking up the leisurely warriors in Dazhai, they hurriedly gathered to ask what was going on, and soon several nearby arrow oars fed back the same information, that His Highness Gongfang's team was coming.

The guard of the prison, Suzuki, once again led the guards to escort the prisoners to work. The highest official in the city was Masada Miyake, who was shocked when he learned about Kirayoshi's sudden inspection, and he no longer cared about the dark circles accumulated in the middle of the night playing. Hastily ordered to put down the suspension bridge and open the city gates to welcome the parade. The hastily organized team was scattered and disheveled to welcome the inspection.

Masada Miyake and several samurai leaders were cowardly and cowardly, which quickly attracted the attention of the royal horses. They didn't laugh or play or swear, they just watched indifferently as if they were watching a group of funny street performers performing a funny show Five or six hundred riders rushed into the camp as if no one was around, completely ignoring the warriors on both sides of the line.

Yamaoka Tokinaga was very annoyed, he gave Miyake Masada a hard look, and secretly scolded this bastard for embarrassing Mikawa Samurai, he caught up with his horse belly and carefully looked at Kira Yoshishi's face, Furui Mubo seemed nothing had happened However, there is no expression of anger or disgust at all, but he really can't rest assured, he knows too well the character of Kirayoshi who can't rub the sand in his eyes.

Walking along the steps of the camp, all dismounted and walked in front of the first gate of the village, and then passed through another gate to the prison area where the prisoners were held. After walking into the depths of the prison area for a while, they heard Ji Liang Yoshitoki said lightly: "Tomorrow, Watanabe Takatsuna's team will be transferred to guard the camp, and Suzuki Shigetsu's team will be transferred to Shimoetsu Niigata Town to wait for arrangements."

"Yes!" Shan Gang Jichang did not dare to speak for them, and could only mourn for them in his heart.

The construction of this large prison began two years ago. It took a year to guard the prisoners who committed crimes in the country. Although the punishment in the middle ages of Japan included many systems of the Tang Dynasty, with the ease and corruption of the Heian era, After going through the Genpei era and entering the rule period of the samurai shogunate, the relatively strict laws of the court were replaced by the relatively loose samurai laws of the shogunate, and the original prison and exile system collapsed.

Samurai who committed crimes were either dismissed or exiled.Or simply beheaded.Lesser crimes were likely to go unpunished at the intercession of other warriors.This is tantamount to putting human feelings above legal principles. As long as the criminal samurai has a close relationship with the lord, he can be pardoned, otherwise he will be severely punished.

With prisons and guards, the next step is to provide a loose space for the execution of prison crimes. Prisoners are free labor. Serious crimes of exile will be dispatched to Sado Island to mine mountains and be miners for a lifetime.

Climb over a series of gates.Enter the most heavily guarded central area, where the senior samurai of the Takeda family are imprisoned. The once powerful Takeda generals are locked in compartments wearing white prison uniforms with disheveled hair. They have not seen the sun for several months. Like a bunch of beggars.

In a separate compartment in the deepest part, Nobushige Takeda held a painting of the Battle of Fujikawa and closed his eyes in meditation. He seemed to be thinking about a problem that troubled him. He didn't care much about the sound of footsteps in the distance. A samurai did not give up and came to persuade him to surrender. He was already familiar with the Kira family's methods of persuading surrender.He simply put down Kirayoshi's handwritten paintings, leaned against the straw pile and continued to doze off.

After waiting for a while, I heard the familiar sound of locking.Nobushige Takeda still closed his eyes and said nothing, and made up his mind to pretend to be asleep to avoid this hurdle. He has successfully used this method several times. Roaring and yelling, usually talking for a long time, until the mouth is dry and there is no movement from him, then he is forced to retreat.

This time he also planned to use the same method to pretend to be asleep and hide. He just waited quietly for a long time and there was no movement outside. He subconsciously sat up in shock and began to regret his recklessness for a moment.

Before he had time to adjust his clothes, he hastily bowed down respectfully: "Takeda Nobushige sees the Zhenfu Hall!"

"Cough! But there is no light these days. Presumably the Dian Stable Palace is still unaware of the vicissitudes of the outside world. When His Majesty the Emperor officially enthroned and changed his reign name to Yonglu, my Patriarch was granted three by the Emperor, and now he is a nobleman." Now that he is the Lord of the Town, and the shogunate also enshrined the lord as the guardian of Ueno, surely the Dian Stable Hall can understand the meaning of this?"

Yamaoka Tokiaga put in his mouth very cleverly, and it immediately had an immediate effect. Takeda Nobushige was shocked, knowing that the smiling young man in front of him had already pushed his brother far away, and secretly said in his heart: "I never thought about this. The defeat will cause such a change. It seems that the elder brother still misjudged the background and skills of Lord Zhenfu! Now that there is a big defeat, but I don’t know what will happen to Shinano? If my Takeda family wants to seek help from the Kira family If you want to survive, you must establish a good relationship with this Gongfangdian, and in the form of my Takeda family, you absolutely can't make any dangerous moves."

Ji Liangyishi gave instructions to the samurai behind him, and then said with a smile: "Takeda's stables are safe. I thought that Qingliu Castle had been separated for several years, but I didn't know that we would meet here again. I couldn't help but sigh that the sun and the moon go by." The world is impermanent! Dianshang and Yu belong to two camps, and there is nothing to blame for attacking each other for their own reasons, but now that His Highness Dianshang has become a prisoner of my Kira family, Dianshang should change his position, why bother? Are you obsessed with obscurity and inadequacy?"

Takeda Nobushige replied respectfully but bluntly: "Mr. Zhenfu, I'm sorry! I have my own persistence, relatives and friends to protect, and a warm land that raised us. No matter how dilapidated our hometown is, it is our home after all. What a warrior pursues is to protect the inheritance and glory passed down from the ancestors, and we will sacrifice everything for this, so I will never surrender! Please forgive me!"

"As expected of a role model of the Kai warriors, the warriors of the Takeda family that I admire the most..." Yoshihiro Kira shook his head with a smile, as if he had expected this answer, and said: "The point of the stable is what I admire, If Dian Stable was actively cast into effect by Yu's few words and words, then it would not be the example of a warrior that Yu admired... Forget it! Yu would not embarrass Dian Stable, clean the cell, open a transom for ventilation and lighting, and wash it every day , Daily food and drink must be carried out according to the standards of the generals of the reserve team, don't let the warriors of the Takeda family look down on us!"

Nobushige Takeda never imagined that he would leave so gracefully, without even showing any anger or displeasure, and let himself go so easily.Looking at the distant figure suspiciously, he hesitated and said: "I didn't expect the town government guild to be such a powerful warrior. Is this the bearing of a famous martial arts family?"

Pick up that well-painted painting again.Takeda Nobuyoshi led an army to raid the Heike Camp, and the Asuka on the Fuji River spread its wings and flew high. Ping Weisheng was panicked and fled in embarrassment under the sway of the Lang Party. Countless white flags were waving in the wind from the main force of Minamoto Yoritomo. It was a soul-stirring era. It was the first time Genji Hanoi used iron and blood to show his sharp fangs to the world.

Nobushige Takeda knelt down piously, bowed his body and bowed deeply: "May the Great Bodhisattva Namo Hachiman bless Hanoi Minamoto's martial arts for a long time, and bless my samurai family forever! May my Takeda family survive the disaster!" What he worshiped was not paintings but is the ancestor.It is not human beings that are respected but Genji gods.

In another cell, when Takeda Yoshinobu stared angrily at Kirayoshi, he still remembered the physical characteristics of the general who rushed into the main camp that day. Most of the samurai over 1.7 meters tall in the entire Eastern Kingdom were in Echigo. Now that I think about it carefully, I vaguely remember that the red armor worn by that general is unheard of.

The barrel-shaped armor can actually block the slashing of the sword, and he didn't notice the arrows in his body at close range. On the red armor, he could faintly see the bronzing Ashikaga Nihiri Gomono. He could be sure that the Gomono was completely different from the ordinary Ashikaga Nibiki. , Counting the entire Kanto, only the Furukawa government is qualified to wear it.

Takeda Yoshinobu trembled with anger, but he was helplessly surrounded by more than a dozen elite warriors holding scabbards on the opposite side.Suppressing the anger in his chest, he asked: "You...you are the warrior who killed my father that day, you are...the house governor?"

Shan Gang Shichang held the knife and stood aside.Reminding: "The Hall of Yixin should pay a visit to the Lord of the Town!"

Takeda Yoshinobu came to his senses and quickly saluted. He had to bow his head under the eaves. Takeda Nobushige had already told him not to fight head-on with the Kira family's samurai. How about the young master of the Takeda family, but there are still more than 6000 comrades in the prison.

In case the samurai of Kira's family were turned back by him in a fit of anger, wouldn't it be his own fault to hit the sons and daughters hard?As the future governor of the Takeda family, how could he bear to see his own party being persecuted, so he had no choice but to continue to endure, for himself and for Liuqianerlang.

Obviously Takeda Yoshinobu is three years older than him, but the scene looks completely opposite. Takeda Yoshinobu is like a child who has not grown up with the impulsiveness of a teenager, and the color of anger appears on his face. Looking at him with a smile, he said gently: "How is Yixin's living these past few months? Is it comfortable? How is your mood? You can tell the guards what books you need to read, and they will do their best to satisfy..."

"...No need, we Kai warriors lack tenacity the most, and dare not bother the town government official for inquiries!" Takeda Yoshinobu replied bluntly.

Seeing Takeda Yoshinobu's angry expression, he knew that this trip was a waste of time, and the two men were determined and could not persuade any of them in a short time, so he nodded with a smile and said: "Well, then please ask Yoshinobu Your Highness, calm down and spend more time thinking about life choices, maybe it will help you."

Seeing Yoshishi Kira nodding his head and turning around to leave, Yoshinobu Takeda immediately couldn't help shouting: "Wait! I have something to say! Where is the envoy sent by my father? Why don't you let us go! You need I can give you anything, be it money, food or territory, as long as you let us go!"

All the members of the Yuma Hui showed disdainful expressions, and Takeda Yoshinobu said angrily: "What are you looking at! Don't you know who I am? I am the young master of the Takeda family, how could you do this to me! We are neither What does it mean to kill and never let go? Are there any samurai who do this? Answer me!"

Kira Yoshitoki gave Yamaoka Shichang a wink, and the latter strode up to him with a sneer and said, "The Hall of Yishin must not have figured out the situation yet! Your father was completely defeated by us, and the 6000-odd army was only [-] [-] people escaped, and even the core samurai such as the dignified Ruyixindian and Dianshangdian were captured. Last year, Saku County was destroyed by our army in an instant. Now Chikuma County is in danger, and the Takeda family is like a tight bowstring. How can there be spare energy to redeem the Hall of Yixin? So please stay patiently for a while, maybe you will be able to reunite with your father here in a year or so."

The audience of Yuma Hui heard the laughter, and Takeda Yoshinobu grabbed his sleeves and staggered back in disbelief, muttering: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I am the only legitimate son of my father, my lord father must Will come to rescue me, will definitely... You must be lying to me! I don’t believe your nonsense! Don’t think that I will listen to your one-sided words, I will never believe you! Don’t even think about it!”

Takeda Yoshinobu was beaten incoherently. Although he didn’t believe all this, he subconsciously accepted this statement. In fact, he also had a blind younger brother Unano Nobuki who was the same age as Kira Yoshitoshi. A serious illness and a high fever continued until the eyes were burnt blind.

People are always hypocritical. According to common sense, he should not say that he is the only son. Only in this extreme situation will he reveal his true opinion. The proud Takeda Yoshinobu does not recognize the blind younger brother. The so-called brother Yudi Kung just plays for his family and parents every occasion. Pride is also one of the bad roots of human beings.

At the same time, it can be seen that Yoshinobu Takeda trusted his father very much, but he didn't know that his father didn't think about him at all, and he was forgotten on Kawanaka Island together with his own brother. Maybe he had his own unspeakable difficulties, but even one It is unreasonable not to send any envoys.

Yamaoka Tokinaga precisely grasped this point, and continued to stimulate Takeda Nobuyoshi's fragile nerves: "Gishinden thought about living here for a few months. From late autumn to late spring, has there ever been an envoy to visit? Have you ever heard of Takeda?" Is there any news from your family? The Hall of Yixin can be considered as my Kira family’s intention to obstruct it, but why did my Kira family capture you? Isn’t it a ransom?

I can't detain Yishinden for a lifetime. That's not what my generation of samurai did. Yishinden will return to Kai sooner or later. The Lord very much hopes that the Takeda family will be replaced by a more sensible governor, and don't always think about conspiracy and treachery. The trick, originally the Miao descendants of Hanoi Genji, why should they fight to the death, only hurting the hundreds of years of foundation accumulated by their father and ancestors!

But the problem is that the envoy of the Takeda family did not come. The Lord waited in Kasugayama Castle for a whole winter and the whole spring. This shows that Takeda Dazen lacked due kindness. Perhaps he thought that the Takeda family could lead the army to retake the land, and borrow The opportunity to force us to exchange hostages, but in this way, your status in the Hall of Yixin will become dispensable. "

"I will not believe your words! I will never believe it! My father will definitely come to save me! Not later but now, the messenger will definitely come, not today or tomorrow! You go! Go quickly! I don't want to see you again! "Takeda Yoshinobu went hysterical and crazy, and Yuma Hui's crowd rushed up and pinned him down.

Even so, he still yelled and said, Yamaoka Shichang led a dozen bodyguards to protect Kirayoshi, and exited the cell, cursing and saying: "This Takeda Yoshinobu really doesn't know good from bad, do you think I went to the Ashikaga house?" Is it a habit to deceive like them? Tell him the truth and still not believe it, it is really hopeless!"

The samurai around showed expressions of approval, but Yoshinori Kira shook his head and said: "The mood of Yixindian is understandable. The proud father abandoned himself when he needed help the most. This is probably the most tragic moment in life. You want Understand him with a tolerant heart instead of ridiculing him."

"Yes! I will understand." Yamaoka Shichang listened to the order solemnly. Although he has been unable to make great achievements in battles due to his duties, he has made appearances and performances in every battle. After several trials, the fame of his youth The ** is washed off, revealing the simple and unpretentious warrior temperament, which is the beginning of breeding good generals.

Seeing that the roaring sound in the prison cell stopped quickly, it seemed that a certain samurai had used a blow on the back of the neck to completely relax him. It would be better to rest early after suffering a huge mental stimulation. When a large group of people surrounded Kirayoshi, he left quickly and the air was dirty. , and the damp and dark hinterland of the prison, the proud royal horse Huizhong really didn't want to stay in this dirty and dark prison for even a quarter of an hour.

Yoshihiro Kira looked back at the deep prison again, and thought to himself with a slight smile: "The seeds of distrust have been quietly planted, but I don't know when it will take root and sprout?" (To be continued...)