Smuggling Daming

"Don't be afraid, as long as you answer my question honestly, I will let you leave safely!" Ashikaga Kakki didn't care much about this bandit leader, and kept him mainly to inquire about the recent situation in Kyoto. Life and death is a matter of his words.

"Yes... my lord... my lord, please ask me, and this villain will answer truthfully!" Although this young man was a bandit, in fact he just took a group of hungry people who were about to starve to death for a living, and he didn't do much at ordinary times. Killing someone before, and now falling into the hands of someone like Kazuki Ashikaga who kills without blinking an eye, he is naturally frightened to death, how dare he hide it?

Seeing the other party's appearance, Ashikaga Kazuki smiled with satisfaction, and then he said again: "Very well, what's your name, what did you do before, why did you rob on the road, and what is the weapon in your hand? Where did it come from?"

Japan has been in war for many years, and there is a great shortage of materials in all aspects of the country, especially metal weapons. Many soldiers under the daimyo can only sharpen bamboo as weapons, and only samurai are qualified to use metal knives. That's why it's called a samurai sword, and the young man in front of him is obviously not a samurai, but he is holding a metal weapon. Although it is very broken, it can still be used, which seems very abnormal.

"My lord, the villain's name is Shiqiao Sanlang..."

"Huh, you actually have a surname, and it's Shiqiao?" Saburo Shibashi didn't say anything, but was immediately interrupted by Ashikaga Kazuki, with a bit of surprise on his face.

Ordinary Japanese in this era had only first names but no surnames. Generally, only those nobles, samurai, big businessmen or people with prestige in villages and towns could have their own surnames.Ashikaga Kazuki thought that the other party was an ordinary person, but he didn't expect to be a person with his own surname.The surname Ishibashi seems simple, but it actually comes from the famous Seiwa Genji in Japanese history, and coincidentally, their Ashikaga family also comes from Kiyowa Genji, and both surnames come from Minagishi, which can be regarded as blood relationship Relatively close surnames.

Although this young man named Ishibashi Saburo is not courageous, he is very good at observing words and expressions. When he saw Ashikaga Kazuki heard his surname, he showed a somewhat surprised expression.Immediately guessed that the other party should be very interested in his surname, maybe it could save his life.

Thinking of this, Saburo Shiqiao immediately opened his mouth to explain: "My lord, the villain's surname is indeed Shiqiao, and according to my father, our Shiqiao clan is originally a branch of the Minayoshi clan. And the Minayoshi clan It belongs to Genji, and it is a bloodline diverted from His Majesty the Emperor, but it is a pity that our Ishibashi clan has long since fallen, and is not as prominent as other branches of the Minamoto clan!"

Hearing Ishibashi Saburo talk about the decline of the Ishibashi clan, Ashikaga Kazuki couldn't help but feel a little bit of sympathy. Their Ashikaga clan also came from the Minamoto clan.Although it was considered prominent for a while, it is still in decline now.The dignified shogun has become someone else's puppet, and even his freedom is restricted.

Perhaps it was because of the same origin and the decline of the family, which made Kazuki Ashikaga's attitude towards Saburo Ishibashi much better. When he asked about the other party's life experience and the origin of the weapon, Saburo Ishibashi also discovered Kazushi Ashikaga. The change in Hui's attitude made him feel a lot more relaxed, and at the same time he answered Ashikaga Kazuki's question honestly.

It turns out that Saburo Ishibashi has a good background.But their Shiqiao family had declined hundreds of years ago, and the family kept the surname Shiqiao.They did not leave them with a prominent status until the generation of Saburo Ishibashi's grandfather, and his family did some business in Kyoto to make a living. Although they didn't earn much money, their lives were still quite affluent.

It's a pity that this kind of affluent life could not last for a long time. A few decades ago, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the eighth general of the Ashikaga shogunate, was addicted to wine and sex, which caused the general's power to fall into the hands of several guardian daimyos. Coupled with the confrontation over the issue of the shogun's heir, a war broke out among several guardian daimyos. This is the famous "Onin Rebellion" in Japanese history.

The main battlefield of the Onin Rebellion was in Kyoto, and the entire capital city was destroyed in the flames of war. Saburo Ishibashi's grandparents died in that war. His father escaped by luck, but his entire family property was destroyed. Even several of his older brothers and sisters were starved to death after the war. When he was born, his father could only do some small business to make ends meet, and the whole family was hungry and full.

Ishibashi Saburo is really unlucky, his father managed to bring him up and married him a wife, but not long after he got married, Ashikaga Kazuki's cousin Ashikaga Yoshiki led someone to kill him When they came back, Kyoto was once again in chaos. Many civilians died in the flames of war. His wife was also taken away, and his life and death are unknown now.

When talking about the tragedy in his own home, Ishibashi Saburo couldn’t help crying, and Ashikaga Kazuki couldn’t help but sigh when he heard this. Originally, Kyoto was the most prosperous city in Japan, but since the Onin Rebellion, the entire city was destroyed and countless people died. , although it has been rebuilt later, it has been through several wars. The experience of Ishibashi Saburo's family is just a microcosm of the people in Kyoto. I don't know how many people in Kyoto have the same experience as Ishibashi Saburo?

When Saburo Shiqiao finally held back his sadness, he then talked about his experiences in the past few years. Because his home was burned down, his parents and wife were gone, it can be said that he had nothing, but later he was forcibly conscripted into the current general The army of Ashikaga Yoshiki had a war with the army of the former general Ashikaga Yoshisumi, but before he went to the battlefield, he had no military training at all, let alone how to fight, so in the first battle, he lay on the battlefield He pretended to be dead, but he did not expect to escape. Since then, he has escaped from the army and started a bandit near Kyoto. As for the weapon in his hand and the bamboo armor on his body, it is his dead body from the battlefield. found in the pile.

After listening to Ishibashi Saburo's tragic life experience, Ashikaga Kazuki sighed again. Ishibashi Saburo's family was originally considered a wealthy family in Kyoto, but the Onin Rebellion and subsequent wars completely destroyed his family. It can be seen that the entire Kyoto may not be as prosperous as before. Even if I can help my cousin rebuild the majesty of the shogunate in the future, I am afraid that the vitality of Kyoto will not be restored in a short time.

"Ishibashi-kun, I also deeply sympathize with what happened to you, but war is always ruthless, all we can do is to try our best to survive, the war will end one day!" He opened his mouth to comfort Saburo Shiqiao.

"Thank you, sir, for your understanding!" Saburo Ishibashi couldn't help being moved when he heard Ashikaga Kazuki's comforting words, but when he raised his head and saw the unfinished dinner in front of Ashikaga Kazuki, his eyes couldn't help showing a bit of longing, But he quickly lowered his head, for fear of making Ashikaga Ikki dissatisfied.

Ashikaga Kazuki is also a very sensitive person. Now he is very satisfied with Ishibashi Saburo's answer, and he has decided to let the other party go. At this time, when he saw the other party's eyes eager for food, he immediately smiled and stood up , went to Shiqiao Saburo to untie the rope for him, and then sent the unfinished meal to the other party and said: "Mr. Shiqiao must be hungry. This is my own meal. If you don't dislike it, just eat it." Use some!"

"No...don't dislike it!" Ishibashi Saburo immediately raised his head in surprise when he heard Ashikaga Kazuki invite him to dinner, and he didn't know what a refusal was, so he reached out and grabbed the food and stuffed it into his mouth. Ashikaga Kazuki is very ordinary, but for Ishibashi Saburo it is supreme delicacy.

Although Shiqiao Sanlang is the leader of the bandits, the capital is not as prosperous as before, and there are fewer pedestrians and caravans coming and going, and they dare not do anything with some big caravans, so they can't grab anything at ordinary times, so they The bandit doesn't have enough to eat at all. He usually only eats one meal a day, but he hasn't touched a drop of water since he woke up today. He is already going crazy from hunger.

Ashikaga Kazuki watched Ishibashi Saburo gobble up the food, even licking the plate clean, then he asked about the current situation in Kyoto. Ishibashi Saburo was originally from Kyoto, and he was near Kyoto To be a bandit, one should have some understanding of the situation in the city.

Sure enough, Saburo Ishibashi put down his plate at this moment, and then told what he knew about the situation in Kyoto.Kyoto is divided into two parts, the north and the south. The south is called Shangjing, where the emperor and nobles live, and the north is called Xiajing. It is the main industrial and commercial area of ​​Kyoto, and it is also the place where ordinary people live.Upper Kyoto and Lower Kyoto have their own city walls, and only one path can connect them, which also reflects Japan's strict hierarchy.

Saburo Shiqiao lived in Xiajing before, and after becoming a bandit, he would occasionally return to Kyoto to deal with the robbed goods, so he was very familiar with Kyoto, but what he knew best was the situation in Xiajing. As for the noble residence area In Shangjing, he had only heard of some rumors on street corners. As for the battle between the shogun and the guardian daimyo, it was even more impossible for him to know.

Ashikaga Kazuki originally just wanted to inquire about the situation and changes in Kyoto in recent years. After all, he has not been back for decades. Although he had notified his cousin Ashikaga Yoshisa when he came, he also arranged for him in the city. people, but now that there are more situations in Kyoto, there are always advantages and no disadvantages.

After Shibashi Saburo told all the situation in Kyoto that he knew, he saw Ashikaga Kazuki showing a thoughtful look, and he didn't dare to disturb him. He knelt there and didn't dare to move. He looked at Saburo Shiqiao and said, "Very well, our caravan will enter the capital tomorrow, so you can be a guide by my side for a while!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come Vote for recommendations, monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation.)