The decline of the Ashikaga Shogunate began with the Yatsushiro Shogun Rebellion. Compared with the chaos in the Kanhachishu Land and the Ashikaga Shogunate in Kinki, the time was about the same.
From the thinking of the ancients, it may be destiny.
The beauty of a gentleman will be cut off in three generations. Ashikaga was innately deficient in the world. He ruled the people for less than a hundred years before chaos began, and the chaos lasted for more than a hundred years.
Let’s not mention the Yashiro Shogun Rebellion in Kinki for the moment. The chaos in the Kanhachishu region originated from the struggle between the Kanto shoguns of the Kamakura Ashikaga family and the Uesugi family, the leaders of the Kanto family, for the control of the Kanhachishu.
The Uesugi family occupies favorable geographical location and people in the western part of Kanhachishu, but the Kamakura Ashikaga family was unable to defeat them, so they had no choice but to move to the east and re-establish political power in the Furukawa Territory.
The Kanto shogun, who used Furukawa Castle as his imperial base, had the support of the five samurai families of Shimono, Hitachi, Shimoso, Kamosou, and Anfang, so that he could persist in the long-term confrontation with the two Uesugi families in the eastern part of Kanba Province.
The years of internal fighting between the Kamakura Ashikaga family and the Ryogamisugi family ultimately consumed the strength of both parties, but no one had the last laugh.
The Hojo family rose from the Izu Kingdom, outmaneuvered the Sagami Kingdom, and managed it for three generations. The emerging forces headed by Hojo Ujiyasu eventually aroused the fear of both Ashikaga and Uesugi, and formed a coalition to crush Hojo to death.
As a result, in the field battle at Kagoshima Castle, Ashikaga Uesugi was defeated and returned, and the original governance system of Kanhachishu almost fell apart.
Before Uesugi Kenshin inherited the Kanto territory, joined forces with Yoshihiro Shiba, and went south to conquer the eight states of Kanto, the Furukawa territory had already bowed to Hojo Ujiyasu.
Furukawa Castle is located in the middle reaches of the Tone River and the southern part of the Watarase River, and is the center of the Kanhachishu Land.
After the Kanto General was controlled by the Hojo family, the Furukawa Territory has become the bridgehead for the Hojo family to attack Ueno Kingdom and Hitachi Kingdom.
This is also the reason why Utsunomiya of Ueno Kingdom and Satake of Hitachi Kingdom took the initiative to move closer to Uesugi Kenshin when he went south.
They were already threatened by the ambitious Hojo family, plus the Satomi family who competed with the Hojo family for control of the Bosou Peninsula in the southern part of Shimonsou Kingdom.
These descendants of famous families from the five eastern countries of Kanto who once submitted to the Kanto Shogun were extremely disgusted with Hojo Ujiyasu, an outsider who pretended to be the Hojo family's Miao name.
Times have changed, and today's Kanba Province is no longer the paradise for descendants of famous families such as Utsunomiya and Satake.
The Kanto Secretariat established by Shiba Yoshigan has been trying to win over people on a larger scale. Whether it is the Grand Council or the Samurai Giri Promotion Association, they do not use the descendants of famous families as the standard to win over the Ji warriors.
This led to the traditional noble families in the eastern part of Kanbashishu not being too enthusiastic about the mechanism of the Kanto shrine, so they formed the Oriental People to unite for self-governance and ignore the righteous behavior of the Battle of Shiba Oda.
From the perspective of the traditional elite families in Kanto, the dog-eating dogs in Kinki have nothing to do with them. The Kanto waiter's office puts the elite families and newcomers from the lower and upper classes on equal seats, which also makes them unwilling to integrate into the new system.
The differences between the east and west of the eight states of Guanzhou are getting bigger and bigger, and eventually the major event of the Guandong Shisuo's crusade against the people of the East is brewing.
The reason on the surface was naturally that many people in the east were being punished for their unjust acts, but secretly it was a unification war in which Sibo Yiyin united with the forces in the western part of Guanbazhou to attack the forces in the eastern part of Guanbazhou.
Once this battle is successful, the Kanto Agency will truly replace the Kanto system and become a new political power that can represent the entire Kanto region.
From this point of view, Yoshigage had no choice but to pay attention to Ashikaga Yoshiji of the Furukawa Territory.
First of all, politically, it is inevitable that the new Kanto servants will replace the old Kanto system, but the more peaceful and smooth the replacement process is, the less people will be torn apart.
After all, Yoshigage himself is an elder of the Genji clan and a core figure of the Ashikaga sect.
He does not need to be too harsh on the Kamakura Ashikaga family, who are also relatives. Instead, he needs to treat the Ashikaga Yoshi clan well, reflect his benevolent character, and work hard for a stable political transition.
Secondly, militarily, Furukawa Castle is an important town in the northern part of Shimoso Kingdom and a bridgehead for attacking Shimono and Hitachi.
Taicheng, the national capital in the southern part of Shimoso Province, is an important southern town facing the Boso Peninsula.
As the central place connecting the east and west of the Eight Prefectures of Kankan, the two important towns in the south and north of Shimonoseki are important points that those in power must pay attention to.
Thirdly, economically, the Furukawa Territory is located at the intersection of the Tone River and the Watarase River, and is the core area of the Tone River diversion project.
In other words, whether the Tone River can use the Watarase River and the Kinugawa River to divert eastward to divert excess water from the flooding of the lower reaches of the Tone River, the Furukawa Territory is an important point of economic construction that cannot be bypassed.
Therefore, regardless of political, military, or economic considerations, Yoshihiro Shiba must give some preferential treatment to Ashikaga Yoshiji.
Even if the Kanto shogun of the Kamakura Ashikaga family is only an empty shell, he should not be treated badly.
This was why Satake Yoshige was certain that Yoshigan Shiba would go south to the Furukawa Territory to give Ashikaga Yoshiji face and come to the appointment.
Without the reputation of Ashikaga Yoshiji, not everyone could invite Yoshigami Shiba, and it would be impossible to talk about the Qingjun side plan planned by the people of the East.
It's just that Shiba Yigen came too early and didn't even participate in the New Year's meeting at the Kanto Palace. He went straight to Furukawa's leadership, which was beyond everyone's expectations.
It was this accident that forced the Oriental people led by Satake Yoshitaka to launch their attack in advance, revealing a hint of uncoordinated panic.
Satake Yoshige thought about raiding Odajiji, taking Oda Castle, attacking Furukawa Castle, and blocking Yoshigashi Shiba in Furukawa Castle. A big thing could be accomplished.
However, the traditional mobilization of peasants and soldiers by the samurai family obviously could not achieve the suddenness required by Satake Yishige in emergencies.
Oda Ujiharu, who had lost territory many times and was known as the Phoenix Daimyo, had vaguely noticed something was wrong from some side situations.
On the other side, Wu Yingcaizang, who had been unintentionally tricked by Sibo Yiyin, was quickly rushing to the territory of the Eastern People to explore the movements of the Eastern People.
Kirikage Saizo's first destination was naturally the number one boss among the Easterners, Satake Yoshige.
Due to the coincidence of all parties, Satake Yoshigeage's wishful thinking finally came to nothing, and the situation quickly slipped in a direction beyond her control.
———
When the undercurrent was raging, Yoshigan, who was a guest in Furukawa Castle, knew nothing about it and was being warmly entertained by Ashikaga Yoshiji.
Although the power of the Kantō Shogun was no longer there, Furukawa Castle was in a superior location and the territory was rich, plus the offerings from various families, it was enough for the Ashikaga Yoshi clan to live freely.
Since she no longer has to worry about the military, her life has become more comfortable.
A family that has been famous for hundreds of years, once they forget about fighting for dominance and spend their time on eating, drinking and having fun, they will be on a different level than ordinary people.
On that day, Ashikaga Yoshiji invited Yoshi Gin to drink tea, and Haden Harusuke accompanied him. The three of them happily enjoyed the first ray of the New Year's sun and watched the performance of the temple nuns in the courtyard of Furukawa Castle.
The tea ceremony in Kinki is led by Sakai Minato. The three major tea masters are all big businessmen. They are arty and elegant. This is the best way to get rid of their low status as merchants and get decently close to high-level samurai.
But things are different here in Kanto. Traditionally in Kanto, merchants were not prosperous, and the mainstream of cultural undertakings fell on Buddhist temples.
The temple tea ceremony is light and elegant, not as luxurious and trendy as the Sakai Port, but it has a different flavor.
At this time, what the three noble people were enjoying was the kaiseki meal presented by the nun.
The word "kaiseki" originally means the warm stones that nuns carry in their arms during ascetic practices to resist hunger.
However, as the tea art in temples improved, in order to protect the stomachs of distinguished guests from the pain of strong tea, the nuns began to prepare refreshments before drinking tea, which was called kaiseki cuisine.
Kaiseki cuisine uses pottery, porcelain, and lacquerware as serving dishes, pays attention to the art of plate presentation, and is small and exquisite. It eventually developed into a specialty cuisine of the Buddhist tea ceremony.
Yoshigan admired the beauty of the presentation, remembering that the big merchants and tea masters in Sakai Port liked the beauty of luxury, but compared to the thousand-year-old nobles in the temple, they still lacked a bit of low-key elegance.
To put it simply, the B level is not enough.
Even if some people make a room of gold to drink tea, it will not be as elegant and noble as the kaiseki cuisine made by nuns.
While Yiyin was enjoying the delicious food and admiring the tea art, there was a sudden noise outside, as if someone had forced his way in.
Yoshigan frowned slightly and looked at Ashikaga Yoshiji. Ashikaga Yoshiji also didn't know why and looked at Harusuke Adena.
Ashikaga Yoshiji had already patiently prepared to live a life of wealth and idleness. He had long left the daily affairs to Harusuke Hadena and ignored them.
Harusuke Kada, the real steward of the Furukawa Territory, felt a little embarrassed under the eyes of the two nobles and scolded.
"Go out and see who is making a noise and commotion, destroying the elegance of the saint and Kamakura-den!"
While he was talking, outsiders had already rushed in front of him.
It turned out that the Tongxin people headed by Kamao Clan rushed in to protect the two of them. None of the surrounding Ji warriors belonging to the Furukawa Territory dared to stop them and retreated here.
When Yoshigami saw these two people, his heart suddenly became excited. Why are Oda Ujiharu and Kirigage Saizo together? Why did he appear in Furukawa City? Why so embarrassed?
He stood up, waved the serving nun to leave first, then picked up his tea soup and brought it to the panicked Oda Ujiharu.
"Oda-hime, don't be anxious, take a sip of tea first to calm down.
I'm here and the sky won't fall. "
Seeing Yoshigan's indifferent handsome face, Oda Ujiharu fell deeply to the ground, and then took Yoshigan's tea soup with both hands. His hands were still trembling, and the tea soup kept spilling on the expensive tatami.
Yoshigan looked at Kirigage Saizo. She did not have the status and treatment of Oda Ujiji, so she could only swallow and bow to report.
"Sage, something big has happened, the people in the East have rebelled!
Satake, Utsunomiya, Edo, Ozeki, Ohtawara, Nasu, Minagawa, Oyama and other Eastern families in Hitachi Shimono secretly mobilized to attack Oda Castle in a surprise attack.
On the order of the sage, I went to Hitachi Country to investigate. I found something was wrong, so I went to Oda Castle to inform me, but it was too late.
Fortunately, His Highness Oda Ujiji had already sensed something was wrong, so he managed to escape by chance, and by coincidence with me, he hurried over to warn the saint. "
Before Wuying Caizang finished speaking, Oda Ujiji had already recovered, put down the tea soup, and kowtowed to the ground with a cry in his voice.
"Saint, leave quickly! These traitors are coming for you!
The Oda family has existed in Hitachi Country for many years, and there are still a few relatives and friends who will never leave.
Years ago, I realized that something was not right in the atmosphere. Not long ago, I got the news that Satake Yoshige had united the various families of the Oriental Family in an attempt to resist the heavenly soldiers of the Kanto Palace.
They don't dare to fight you on the battlefield, but they want to use conspiracy and tricks to lure you to Furukawa City, hoping to trap you here and capture you in a jar. . Why. . you.
The coalition forces of Satake, Utsunomiya and other Shimono Hitachi have captured Oda Castle and are moving towards Furukawa Castle quickly. To the south, the Boso coalition led by Satomi once again sent troops to Taicheng, the national capital, to force their way through.
Their target is Furukawa City and you, the saint! Please exit Furukawa City immediately to avoid its sharp edges, and never stay here to let their conspiracy succeed! "
Yoshigan stood on his back after hearing this, and his eyes unconsciously glanced at Ashikaga Yoshiji and Hadena Harusuke who were sitting there, and saw that their expressions were dull, and they seemed to be very frightened.
Seeing their frightened looks, Yiyin felt slightly better.
General Kwantung was probably just greedy for money and was taken advantage of, and did not participate in the rebellion. As long as the Furukawa leader was not involved, this matter was not so bad after all.
However, Yoshigami was not at ease at this time and decided to deceive Ashikaga Yoshiji one more time in order to eliminate the last suspicion.
He walked to the case of Ashikaga Yoshiji in a few steps, stood up straight, looked down at the trembling Ashikaga Yoshiji from a high position, and asked sternly.
"Why did General Kwantung rebel?"
The Lord of the Ten Kingdoms of Kanto, the governor of the Kamakura Ashikaga family who had ruled the eight Kanto areas for two hundred years, and the Kanto general Ashikaga Yoshiji, his face turned pale at this moment, and he was so frightened that he could not speak.
The dignified and nominal lord of Kanto was turned into a quail by one sentence, and the two hundred years of dignity of the Kamakura Ashikaga family were gone.
(End of chapter)
