"I heard that you recruited a lot of people during this trip?" Taiyuan Xuezhai suddenly remembered another thing, "You also brought back the old master's fifth son, Mr. Gu Ye?"
"Yes, we met by chance on the road." Imagawa Yoshimoto answered truthfully.
"It's fine that you didn't check the identities of your two traveling companions at the beginning. Now they've been brought back to the Imagawa Pavilion. Why don't you, you brat, check them? You're so heartless." Taiyuan Xuezhai smiled bitterly and sipped again and again. He took a sip of wine and said, "Master, let me go check it out for you."
"Both Kira and Tian Shen are straightforward good people, but my brother doesn't know what's going on in his mind." Imagawa Yoshimoto thought for a while and decided not to hide it, "He initially joined forces with my third brother in Kyoto and planned to deal with me together. But I The third brother wanted to take him with him to eliminate the root cause, so he switched sides and came to help me. However, he seemed to be alone and helpless. It is said that his wife also returned to her parents' home not long ago, so he probably didn't have any extra thoughts. ?”
"Whether you are interested or not, I will find out after checking. However, as a teacher, I have limited energy now, and I am already overwhelmed with government and military affairs. You can send another person to keep an eye on the Fifth Young Master later." Taiyuan Xuezhai glanced at Imagawa Yoshimoto and said to He explained, "The family's intelligence network is not only external, but also internal, to prevent Xiaobao from harboring evil intentions and colluding with foreign enemies. Do you have anyone you can trust? Secretly assign him the task of monitoring the family. It's best if it's nothing." He has a good background and doesn’t have any close connections with his retainers.”
"Then leave it to Hayasaka." Imagawa Yoshimoto thought for a while and gave Hayasaka Nao's name.
"He has only been with you for a month, and you don't even know what kind of person he is. How can you be so bold?" Taiyuan Xuezhai shook his head, "That's all, let him be responsible for monitoring the Fifth Young Master first. If nothing goes wrong, Make another promotion. Before promoting him, he should be my teacher and take care of everything. As for the Fifth Young Master, since he was your enemy before, it is not convenient to give him territory and office now. Let him follow first. You serve as a counselor.”
"Tomorrow morning I will arrange an evaluation meeting for the important ministers in the family. You brat, you haven't had a formal evaluation meeting since you took over as the governor of the family. How is that appropriate? Before that, go and have a look in the army." Taiyuan Xuezhai He pointed at the barracks in the Imagawa Hall and said, "I am directly under the banner of the Imagawa clan. I am loyal to the Imagawa clan and the most reliable force you can rely on. Take good care of it and don't let your subordinates alienate you. Since you want to quickly revitalize the family, I will marry you. Then sweetheart, please come out with some energy."
·
Accompanying Imagawa Yoshimoto to inspect Hatamoto were the chief and deputy writers of the Imagawa family: Shoutaro Himura, Umoha and Akai Ryuyomaru Kurotaka. Both of them were veteran generals who had been guarding the Lord since the days of the Imagawa clan, so they were naturally quite familiar with military affairs.
"Your Highness is talented, elegant, and has a domineering air in his movements. He has inherited the legacy of my old master."
"His Highness has a tall and straight figure and amazing bones. He is a good martial artist at first glance."
"His Royal Highness is well-spoken and knowledgeable, and his talent for singing must be extraordinary."
"Your Highness does not feel complacent because of praise. Instead, he looks calm and composed. A person from the Buddhist sect can really see clearly."
"If nothing else, His Highness's clothes are not something ordinary people can wear well."
Along the way, Himura Hiroyuki looked at every angle, wanting to praise Imagawa Yoshimoto from head to toe. However, he is different from ordinary flatterers. He has no flattering attitude at all, but is as serious as stating the facts - but there is a strong atmosphere of ridicule in that seriousness - he has no intention of profiting from flattery. .
"I say Himura, can you stop complimenting me?" Imagawa Yoshimoto was originally quite polite to Himura Hiroyuki, a veteran, but he was so annoyed that his ears became calluses and he couldn't help but complain.
"What flattery? I'm just telling the truth." Feicun Yangyu shook his head after hearing this.
"Why don't I think I'm as fancy as you say?" Imagawa Yoshimoto rolled his eyes at Himura Umoha.
"That's because His Highness is gifted with freedom. He is often on the top of Mount Fuji. Naturally, he doesn't understand how majestic His Highness is from the perspective of ants like us." Himura Hiroyuki took over the conversation unceremoniously and started talking again. Imagawa Yoshimoto had a dark look on his face and helplessly turned his gaze to Akai Kurotaka beside him.
"Haha, Your Highness, just get used to it. Lord Feimura has always been like this. Even the old master can't do anything to him, so of course you, a little kid like you, Your Highness, can't do anything." Akai Heigao spoke with a thick Northeastern dialect and a loud voice, He was also very direct in his words, which made Imagawa Yoshimoto choke. One look revealed that he was also from Mutsu, "But when it comes to the battlefield, Lord Himura will be as brave as when he praises others."
"Akai, why does your mouth smell like beef?" Imagawa Yoshimoto sniffed his nose and whispered with some resistance, "This is a violation of the meat ban."
"What does your highness know? How can people live without eating meat? The diet of southerners like Suruga is simply out of date. If you eat like this, I will be eaten to death. Besides, your highness, you have been in the temple before, I guess I don't understand this. Eat more meat to strengthen your yang, and then you can turn around like this! If you don't eat meat, you will be laughed at by women in the whale house." Akai Kurotaka choked Imagawa Yoshimoto again, and the latter black He turned his head away with a stern face.
"We're here." Not long after, the three of them walked to the barracks in Ninomaru, where the Imagawa family's main team practiced.
"The full strength of our banner team is 4,500 people, divided into 5 reserve teams, each with 900 people. 1,500 of the 4,500 people are elites who are not engaged in farming. They train, guard, and assist in government and military affairs at the Imagawa Hall all year round. Here we come. When going on an expedition, the First Lord and the Old Lord will recruit 3,000 militiamen from the territory to coordinate the battle. Although they are all responsible for the task of auxiliary troops, they also have training. If it comes to a critical moment, let them use weapons to fight. It doesn't matter." Himura Umoha introduced the general situation of the Imagawa family's team to Imagawa Yoshimoto, "You really have the financial resources that only the famous families of Tokaido can have!"
"It's just that now there are internal and external troubles, and fiscal revenue has also dropped sharply. It is no longer possible to make ends meet by raising troops." Imagawa Yoshimoto read the tax documents handed over by Taiyuan Xuezhai, "It is better to quell the civil strife quickly and open up trade routes."
"His Highness is so ambitious that a hero truly emerges from a young age!" Feimura Yangyu praised again. However, Imagawa Yoshimoto has now learned how to get along with him - just ignore the flattery and ignore him.
"Didn't you say they practice all year round?" Imagawa Yoshimoto pointed to the somewhat deserted school ground in the distance, "Why are there so few people here?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, it is lunch break at this time, and the sun is very poisonous."
"Then why is that reserve team still practicing?" Imagawa Yoshimoto pointed to the only 300 people training on the school field. Next to their queue was an Imagawa Niyin two flag with the word "一" written on it.
"That's the Hatamoto Daiichi, the most elite unit in the family. Where do they have a lunch break? Do they still want to take a lunch break? Are they dreaming?" Akai Kuroko laughed, "Since Matsui-sama took over as the First Infantry Captain, the Daiichi No more lunch breaks.”
"But he also trained the proud son of the family and a strong soldier who bravely champions the three armies." Himura Hiroyuki did not forget to add, "Looking at the entire Tokaido, we, the Imagawa family's number one, can claim to be the strongest."
"Matsui?" Imagawa Yoshimoto heard the familiar word "Miao", "What does it have to do with Matsui Mountain Castle (Matsui Sadamune) in Futama Castle, far away?"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty Matsui was originally from the Mahui clan, our old master, and he is considered our senior. Later, he made military exploits and was granted the title of Futama Castle in the Toe Kingdom. And the former master thought of the Matsui family's loyalty, and he was very loyal to the Matsui family. Okay. The eldest son who sent His Majesty Matsui as a hostage, who is now the number one, Matsui-sama, has been promoted to serve as a horse to return to the public." Himura Hiroyuki talked about the great achievements in the past and immediately talked about it, "Matsui-sama has a bad temper. He cares very much about honor and dignity. Even if he is a colleague, if you dare to insult him, he will fight you to the death."
"Last year, my lord went on an expedition to Kai and had a battle with the Takeda army at Mt. Tsuru. The Takeda family and our Imagawa family are feuding, so they were naturally extremely jealous during the fight. At one point, they were killed by the brave monkey from Mount Kai. As a result, what happened? One of the gangster monkeys didn't know what to look like. In front of the soldiers of the two armies who were fighting, he called Matsui-sama a "little brat with no hair." Matsui-sama exploded on the spot. He actually killed thirteen people in a row with one person. He even devoured the provocateur and tore him in half, scaring both the enemy and ours so that neither our troops dared approach or repelled the enemy. He was also promoted exceptionally for his merits and became the number one soldier who died in battle. The position of reserve captain.”
"I see." Imagawa Yoshimoto said as he walked towards the No. 1 soldier who was practicing in the school field. "But at such a young age, and commanding so many veterans in the most elite troops, can he convince the crowd?"
"Your Highness, you'll know after you see it." Akai Kuroko said sarcastically with some gloating, "Matsui-sama beats people more often in the army than I do."
"No, no, no, I don't dare to compare. When it comes to provoking troubles and fighting in the army, who can be Akai-sama's enemy?" After hearing this, Himura Umoha immediately offered a tall hat to Akai Heigao. laughed.
"Why do I think you are still very honorable?" Imagawa Yoshimoto rolled his eyes at Akai Kuroko again.
When the first warriors saw the governor himself approaching, they originally wanted to put down their weapons and salute. However, after Matsui Sonobu just snorted coldly, these warriors stopped their movements one by one and continued to practice in silence.
"It's difficult to perform a courtesy while wearing clothes and armor. Please don't blame me, Your Majesty the Governor." Matsui Sonobu clasped his fist towards Imagawa Yoshimoto, leaned slightly, and said in a deep voice that was neither humble nor overbearing. Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at the young samurai in front of him who was a few years older than him - he was as white and beardless as the provocative Takeda Jun said, and looked like a scholar - but his eyes exuded a chilling air. But it proves that he is a warrior who has experienced many battles.
In the original history, Matsui Sonobu also made great achievements in battle. During the Battle of Okehazama, the Imagawa Army's main formation fell into chaos due to a surprise attack. Only Matsui Munanobu's troops remained organized. Matsui Munonobu was armed and armed, and fought to the death in front of Imagawa Yoshimotoma Seal until the entire army was annihilated.
"It doesn't matter. Training is of course the most important thing during training. Neither Matsui nor his subordinates need to salute." Imagawa Yoshimoto responded with a smile, so that the samurai who did not dare to salute due to Matsui Munanobu's power were relieved. Take a breath.
"I dare to overstep my bounds. May I ask, Your Highness, when will we send troops to the far reaches of the Yangtze River to quell the rebellion?" Matsui Sonobu was really direct, "Your Highness, please give me the next date."
"Not yet, but I will definitely go."
"No matter when you go, your highness, please take me as the vanguard." Matsui Sonobu leaned over again and said categorically, with bloodshot eyes faintly oozing, "My father was captured in a previous battle with the rebels, which caused my family to be in trouble." It is really a great shame and humiliation for the Matsui family to have countless hostages from Yuanjiang's wealthy families. As their son, I am even more ashamed and can't sleep at night. Only by personally recovering the honor can we comfort the spirits of our ancestors."
"Okay, I promise Matsui." Imagawa Yoshimoto himself was holding his breath to regain Yuanjiang, so as to strengthen the strength of the Imagawa family.
"Thank you for your permission, Your Highness." Matsui Munanobu raised his head, and the fighting spirit radiating from his body could no longer be concealed. He gritted his teeth and said solemnly: "My dear Matsui Munanobu, I am willing to be the spear of the Imagawa family and tear everything apart for this family. Obstacle."
