"Goro, do you have to come back here? That cat is gone a long time ago. It's a stray cat. How can it be waiting for you where it is?"
On April 20, the fifth year of Tenmon (1536), Nakasugi Tora Chiyo, who reunited with Imagawa Ujimoto, could not defeat Imagawa Ujimoto - the latter insisted on returning to the place where they were attacked that day, because Miao Miao was lost there.
"Look for it. Do your best and obey the cat's orders." However, Imagawa Shimoto was determined and went even at the risk of being targeted by the attacker again. Nakasugi Tora Chiyo originally expected her sister to help persuade, but Ginkgo also supported Imagawa Ujimoto, so Nakasugi Tora Chiyo and Hayasaka Nao had no choice but to follow. But this time, with two teams of ninjas secretly protecting each other, there was nothing to worry about.
"Miao Miao - Miao Miao?" Imagawa Ujihara called loudly from the grass beside the road, but there was no response after calling for a long time. However, he had no intention of giving up, and it seemed that he would not leave if he could not find it. The hard work paid off. After waiting for about an hour and a half, the small orange figure appeared in the grass. After seeing Imagawa Ujimoto and Ginkgo, he immediately rushed over at a fast pace. Ginkgo squatted down to pick it up, and Miao Miao jumped onto her shoulders skillfully.
"You almost became a stray cat again, you silly Miaomiao." Ginkgo stroked the cat on Miaomiao's back distressedly.
"Don't get lost again."
Imagawa Ujimoto looked at the orange cat on Ginkgo's shoulder and the girl's stunning face, thinking silently in his heart.
·
On April 21, the fifth year of Tianwen (1536), a group of five people continued to go north. This time, Kira Usei, a new guard of Imagawa Ujimoto, was added to the team. After they entered Shinano territory, they turned northwest and prepared to take a detour into Mino. As always, before taking a few steps, Ginkgo began to cry tired. Everyone had to stop in an abandoned pavilion and sit down to rest.
"Miss Ginkgo, why are you always lazy? You are so unmotivated." Imagawa Ujimoto leaned against a pillar nearby and complained to Ginkgo who was resting on the railing.
"Sir, do you have the nerve to criticize me?" Ginkgo stretched out and retorted unceremoniously, "Aren't you just as unmotivated as me? You live day by day."
"I'm not motivated, but I still have pursuits." Imagawa Ujimoto looked at Ginkgo, "What is Ms. Ginkgo's pursuit? Is there anything you like? Is there anything you want to do?"
"Hmm... I don't think so. There's nothing I particularly like." Ginkgo thought about it for a moment and gave the answer, "So I just want to eat and wait for death, and live one day at a time. It would be nice to be relaxed."
Imagawa's Yuan laughed dumbly.
"Oh? What is your pursuit, sir?" Ginkgo's face was full of dissatisfaction, but she still asked, "What do you like?"
"What do I like?" The images of Taiyuan Xuezhai and Ginkgo flashed through Imagawa Shimoto's mind, but for the sake of face, he still answered:
"Famous mountains and rivers, flowers and birds, wind and moon, poems and songs, as well as Cuju, good tea, fine wine... I like all these things that are full of life." He stretched out his arms, as if embracing the green mountains and green waters in front of him, "I don't Pursuing progress and not seeking fame in the martial arts family is not because I am lazy, but because I love to enjoy life, and this is my pursuit. It cannot be because I am different from the mainstream values that I do not pursue what the mainstream concepts require warriors to pursue. Those who want fame and wealth, just call me lazy. People like Ms. Ginkgo who have no pursuits and just blindly avoid hard work and fatigue are lazy."
"Then my pursuit is to be lazy, can't I?" Ginkgo rolled her eyes at Imagawa Shigen and said with a smile, "My pursuit is not to be tired, to sleep until I wake up naturally every day, and to catch up on my sleep in the afternoon. Anyway, it is in line with the mainstream concept. No, what’s the difference between sir and me?”
"There is really no way. Miss Ginkgo is right. It's just that my teacher has told me many times that when the world is difficult, people always have to pursue something. Some people pursue power, some pursue strength, and some Pursuing religion, some people pursue women... If you don’t pursue it, life will be very tiring, Miss Ginkgo might try to find it."
"I don't understand what you are talking about, you are so docile." Ji Liang Weicheng complained disdainfully, "Living is living, there are not so many twists and turns."
"Haha, I am what Goro calls a layman. I want to learn a skill and make achievements in the future." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo laughed and patted Imagawa Ujimoto on the shoulder, "Don't look down on me."
"How could it be? When my family is wiped out in the future, I will come to Torachiyo's place to be a diner when I am down and out." Imagawa Shimoto also laughed and responded, "Torachiyo, when the time comes, you must Take me in."
·
Because of the presence of ginkgo trees, the group kept walking and stopping, and the journey that could normally be completed in three days actually took five days. It was not until April 26, the fifth year of Tianwen (1536), that we arrived at the boundary of Meinong Country. In the evening, the group stayed at the castle town of Iwamura Castle in Ena County, in the eastern part of Mino Country.
"The lord here, Toyama Zuowei Gatekeeper (Toyama Kagemae), is a devout Buddhist. In the past few decades, he has built many Buddhist temples in Iwamura Castle Town. It is very popular and famous far and wide." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo led everyone. Traveling between the castle towns and strolling through the Nancheng Castle Town, which is full of Buddhist temples, it feels quite like "the 480 temples in the Southern Dynasties, with so many towers in the mist and rain". Among them, Bodhiji Temple of the Toyama family, Daienji Temple, is decorated in an antique style and is very stylish. It is obvious that it was expensive to build.
"The guard of Yuanshan Zuowei is quite good, and the territory is managed in a sound and impressive manner." Imagawa Shimoto himself was a monk. He has been traveling with Taiyuan Xuezhai for more than ten years and has seen many Buddhist temples, but there are only a handful of them that can form a group of Buddhist temples. . Although it is not as good as Kyoto and Nara, a group of Buddhist temples of the size and standard of Iwamura Castle Castle can be ranked among the top ten in the world.
"Really?" Ji Liang Weicheng spat contemptuously.
Unknowingly, the group of people had passed through Nancheng Castle Town and arrived at Dongcheng Castle Town. The sharp contrast made everyone stunned. Compared with the peace of the south city, the dilapidation and desolation of the east city seem so abrupt, just like the slums at the foot of the high-rise buildings in Rio de Janeiro. The town is unpopular. The farmland in the distance is all barren. There is little smoke rising from the dilapidated houses. There are many beggars sitting or lying on the dirty streets with their families and families, begging passers-by for food. eat. As for those who can still walk, they have already moved away with their families and fled here.
"The guards of Toyama Zuowei are passionate about Buddhism. They spend a lot of military funds to build temples, invite eminent monks, and donate incense, but they neglect military defense. Every time the wealthy people of Minami-Shinano invade, they only send heavy troops to guard Nancheng where the Buddhist temple is located, but not to The castle town of Tojo was ignored and allowed to be looted by the enemy. He believed that as long as he was pious to the Buddha, he could transcend all misfortunes. After every war, he would pray for the dead in the temple." Chiyo Nakasugi pointed to the messy Tojo. , "Over time, that's how it is."
"You bastard..." Kira Weicheng cursed harshly. There is reason to believe that if Yuanshan Jingqian appeared in front of him at this moment, even if there were hundreds of troops behind him, Kira Weicheng would chop him down with one sword.
Imagawa Ujimoto looked at those poor beggars and couldn't help but sigh. Beside the broken wall nearest him, a family of three was lying. The man of the house was obviously terminally ill and was lying on the family's few possessions - a broken straw mat. The hostess next to her was in ragged clothes, and her right leg had been broken. The wounds were shocking, but she had no money for treatment. She held the little girl in her arms who was also half-clothed. There was a porcelain bowl with several mouthfuls missing in front of her, and she kept leaning over to beg passers-by for a little charity. The little girl obviously doesn't fully understand what her mother is doing, but she still imitates her. The faint light in her ignorant eyes makes people feel more distressed.
But in this town, who has any spare money? There are countless tragic situations like this in the entire castle town.
Imagawa Ujimoto took a few steps forward, walked to the nearest wall, handed the remaining dry food in his arms to a family of three who were begging, and then scattered all the food in his pockets to the other beggars around him. Amidst the sounds of beggars kneeling down in gratitude, Imagawa Shimoto quietly walked away.
"Hypocrite." Nakasugi Torachiyo crossed his arms and seemed to be dissatisfied with Imagawa Ujimoto's kindness. "You know that there are more beggars deep in the streets and no one can help them, so why did you come back?"
"That's all I have on me. I gave it all away." Imagawa Shimoto opened his empty clothes.
"The ninja who is guarding you should still have a lot of troubles, right?" Nakasugi Torachiyo seemed to have no room for Imagawaji Moto to remain, and watched with satisfaction as Imagawaji Moto remained silent.
"I'm not a good person who would sacrifice everything to save a stranger. The money will be used on the road later. It's impossible to give it all away. Otherwise, what will I eat in the future?" After a while, Imagawa Shimoto admitted generously. road.
"So in fact, what you care about is not what the life of those beggars will be like, what you care about is how you feel in your heart. You feel that helping them can give you a sense of satisfaction, a sense of satisfaction in becoming a good and kind person, so You just went to help, didn't you? Aren't you just a hypocritical gentleman? In troubled times, many good people claim to be gentlemen, but aren't they all so virtuous? Don't you also feel at ease by chanting the Buddha's name in front of a distant mountain view? How can you govern it? What sufferings are the people suffering from?" Chiyo Nakasugi asked aggressively, and then said loudly:
"I'm different from you, Wu Lang. I'm a real villain. Every penny is earned by my family's hard work. These people have nothing to do with me and can't help me. Why should I give them money? Besides, Okay, what's the use of giving you this little money? Can you really save these families? Even if you save a few families, what's the use? Can you save thousands of people in the world?"
"I will not show mercy for the sake of hypocritical satisfaction. What I want to think about is how to calm down the troubled times and end the root causes of all these misfortunes so that the people of the world can live and work in peace and contentment. As for how many people will die in the process and how many innocent people will be killed indiscriminately. , I don’t care. Compared with the people of the world, what is this sacrifice? Those who care about these sacrifices in front of them are hypocrites. "
"A saint's deeds have no regard for his heart." Ginkgo clearly disagreed with his younger brother's set of values. While stroking Miaomiao's hair, he whispered, "You can't save a stray cat, but at least Miaomiao doesn't have to dig through the garbage to eat. The people in the world can't be saved. At least sir, a dozen families won't have to go hungry tonight, but what about you? Because you can't be saved, why don't you save any one? Why didn't you find a way for yourself? A high-sounding excuse for indifference? Is it because of your own feelings?"
"...Ms. Ginkgo, Torachiyo is right." Imagawajimoto smiled and raised his hand, indicating that Gingko didn't have to speak for himself, "Although I'm not as bad as Torachiyo said. When I help others, I It’s not all about my own feelings. I just saw their pain and felt very uncomfortable, so I just wanted to help them share the pain. It seems that you are right to say that you care about your own feelings, haha...gift A rose has lingering fragrance in its hands, it’s just common sense in the world.”
"Looking at it this way, I am just a despicable evader." Imagawa Shimoto slowly put his hands down, put them behind his back, stopped and looked, and said with infinite regret, "I can't save so many suffering people, and I can't The spirit to save them. My kindness and help are limited to what I can see. When I see the poor people, I feel sorry for them, so I will help. But in the troubled times, there are countless pains that I can’t see, and I can’t help them. I don’t feel the same way, and I don’t want or dare to think about their experiences.”
"I am not as noble as my teacher. He is very similar to the kind of person Tora Chiyo wants to be. Although he kills innocent people indiscriminately and is ruthless, although he seems to have no mercy for the poor people he sees. But his heart Worrying about the world, he thought about the countless suffering people in the world, trying to end the troubled times through killing and save those nameless heads of the world."
"And I timidly limited myself to the range of my vision, thinking that I could have a clear conscience by trying my best to help the suffering people I could see. I hid behind my teacher and watched him kill people for me and turn red for me. He did all the dirty things with his hands, but I didn’t have the courage to stop his evil deeds at the expense of my own interests. Instead, I just sat back and enjoyed the fruits of his evil deeds. I thought that I was not doing evil if I didn’t do it myself. I thought that I could be regarded as a good person with a conscience, but little did I know Being a bystander is the greatest evil... Am I not just escaping? From the endless pain and thousands of suffering people brought about by this troubled world."
Imagawa Ujimoto sighed sadly, took out his fan and tapped his temples:
"It seems that I am more righteous, but what I pursue is justice in means and procedures, and I am pedantically restraining myself in this troubled world. The end result is that I have made no contribution to the endless suffering in this troubled world. It seems that my teacher is full of evil, He has used all dirty means, but his purpose is much more just than mine - he wants to save the world. In his eyes, as long as the purpose is just, the means and procedures are not important. In fact, his What we have done has indeed preserved peace, allowing more people to live and work in peace and contentment at the expense of a few people."
"Sir, that's not what you said." Ginkgo obviously had his own opinion, patting Imagawa Shimoto on the back, trying to cheer him up, "Do you think those people who keep saying that they want to kill for the sake of the people in the world, Are the people who unify the troubled times really doing it for the people? Aren’t they all doing it for their own ambitions? They just want to find a way to make themselves feel at ease, to make their subordinates feel at ease, and to make them feel at ease that they can dye their hands red with the blood of innocent people. It's just an excuse. How could a person who really cares about the suffering of the people and the perishable life be so cruel as to kill innocent people indiscriminately? How could he be so cruel as to start a war?"
"According to what my sister said, if you want to be a truly good person, you must not only extend a helping hand to everyone within sight without reservation; you must also worry about the world and work to calm down the troubled times and create peace; And in the process of unifying the troubled times, we must not use any conspiracy or bloody methods, and we must always fight openly and openly; we must not forget to protect the people during the battle." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo said a series of conditions that were too harsh to attach, and laughed. He said, "Do you think this is possible? Is this a human being or a holy son? Such a bad person cannot survive even a day in troubled times."
"No, there can't be such a good person. This is the sadness of troubled times. Even if there is one when you are born, if you grow up in this dirty troubled world, your mind will already be filthy." Ginkgo also smiled, but it was wry smile.
"The longer the troubled times go on, the fewer good people there are." Imagawa Shimoto deeply agreed with Ginkgo's words, "Because in troubled times, good people cannot survive. When a family is destroyed, those who die in battle are all loyal and good people, and those who sell their goods to others The bad guys of Sakae survived, transformed, and became slaves of the new master. Changes of dynasties are nothing more than this. When will such a world be able to stay away from war? Why do you think, Tora Chiyo, that after the troubled times are over, there will be no new ones? What about the troubled times? Can long-term peace and stability be created with the help of those small-minded people who survive in troubled times?"
Yes, if there was a civil war in the Imagawa family, wouldn't all the good people die?
Tanuma Tishin, who upholds the way of the samurai and wants to confront Imagawaji Moto in an upright manner, is attacked and plotted.
Gao Lichaopeng, who remembered the kindness of his late master and vowed to protect the Imagawa clan Yuan Zhouquan in order to repay his kindness, was killed by people from the Imagawa clan's Yuan side.
The Fukushima family is full of loyal people. Even though they could have surrendered and stayed out of the matter long ago, they were still loyal to Imagawa Yoshima, and the entire family died in the battle until the end.
These loyal ministers and good generals are all dead. On the contrary, the bad guys who were at both ends of the spectrum, with uncertain stances, and living an ignoble existence, survived and became new members of the Imagawa family - replacing the good guys.
This is the sadness of troubled times.
Imagawaji Yuan looked at the world in front of him sadly.
Ginkgo understood what Imagawa Shimoto was thinking, but she didn’t know how to comfort her in the face of this bloody reality. She could only sigh with regret: “If there are really such pure good people... I’m afraid they have to be noble since childhood. Their parents and teachers taught them by words and deeds; after studying, they read the books of sages, ignored the outside world, and isolated themselves from this dirty and troubled world; until one day, they accidentally broke into this troubled world. Only such people can save people's hearts in this troubled world. Human right?"
"I have said that such a person cannot exist anymore." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo simply made a judgment.
"I think it will happen. Even if it doesn't happen now, it will happen in the future." Imagawa Shimoto blurted out, and he didn't know why he said such naive words. It was as if a voice somewhere told him that there must be such a person. Imagawa Ujimoto tried to turn his head to catch the sound, but found nothing. He just stared blankly to the southeast - that is the direction of Suruga.
Will it appear in Suruga?
"If there really is such a good person."
Imagawaji Yuan looked at the dim sky, the setting sun was still trying its best to shine the last ray of light into the world that was about to become dark.
"He will be the person I respect the most in my life, and I am willing to sacrifice everything for him."
