May 1, the twelfth year of Astronomy (1543), Yoshida Castle in Mikawa Kingdom.
After a long and dusty journey, the Shangluo delegation returned to the territory of the Imagawa family in Mikawa Kingdom. Ohara Town hastily prepared a banquet in Yoshida Castle to honor Imagawa Yoshimoto - it was so "hasty" that he himself did not attend. It was the Imagawa family's main town Nishibibi captain who stayed at Yoshida Castle. Yamada Ketaka was accompanying him - but Imagawa Yoshimoto was also used to his style.
As a direct disciple of Taiyuan Xuezhai, Obara Zhenmi did not inherit Taiyuan Xuezhai's smoothness. On the contrary, he did not care about social interaction at all. He always had a cold face and focused on his work - but with his junior brother Amano Keitoku is somewhat similar. At present, Taiyuan Xuezhai is staying in Kyoto to handle follow-up affairs and is not within the Imagawa family territory. The monitoring work in the Yuanjiang and Mikawa areas that was originally responsible for Taiyuan Xuezhai has also fallen to Ohara Zhenmi. The town of Ohara is really busy. It wishes it had 13 hours in a day. Naturally, it is unwilling to take time out to meet Imagawa Yoshimoto - to please the lord? That was not within his scope of consideration.
Compared with the thrilling journey up to Luo, the journey back seemed particularly peaceful and comfortable - at least that's how Imagawa Yoshimoto feels at the moment. Along the way, Imagawa Yoshimoto and Takeda Harunobu talked and laughed, sharing interesting stories from childhood to adulthood. When they parted, they actually felt a little reluctant to leave. Imagawa Yoshimoto originally thought that the only way to leave Ginkgo and Taiyuan was to leave Ginkgo and Taiyuan. I will be reluctant to part with you during the snow fast.
According to the original arrangement, the Imagawa family's mission and the Takeda family's mission would part ways in Yoshida Castle. The Imagawa family's delegation headed to the coastal official road of Mikawa-Toe-Suruga, while the Takeda family's delegation went directly from Mikawa to the north to Shinano - because Takeda Harunobu planned to inspect Minami-Shinano. So, it was time to separate.
"Would you like to give me a ride?" Seemingly sensing Imagawa Yoshimoto's reluctance, Takeda Harunobu, who has always been arrogant, rarely made a straight shot, and walked with me on a mountain road, then sent me to Nagashino Castle, and then you went south Going directly back to Toe, I headed north to Shinano. "
"Being respectful is worse than obeying orders." Imagawa Yoshimoto was naturally happy to agree, and then told Amano Keide, "Amano, you can take the delegation directly back to Imagawa Hall, and by the way, send back the kitten I adopted and give it to Hayasaka. My wife, I, and a few personal guards will accompany His Highness Daizen (Takeda Harunobu-Daizen Dafu) on a trip."
"Your Highness, please pay attention to safety and let the ninjas follow you for protection." Amano Keide reminded very cautiously, "Are you going to inform Mr. Obara?"
"Forget it." Imagawa Yoshimoto hesitated for a moment, thought about Obara Zhenmi's old-fashioned and cold face, and shook his head, "Otherwise, another round of advice will be inevitable."
·
Going upstream along the Fengchuan River, the mountain scenery of the three northeastern rivers is breathtaking. Imagawa Yoshimoto was thinking about suitable haiku in his mind, Takeda Harunobu looked around at the place where soldiers were deployed in the mountains, and Ginkgo still leaned on Imagawa Yoshimoto's horse and took a nap against Imagawa Yoshimoto.
"Don't sleep, Ginkgo." Imagawa Yoshimoto moved his elbow, trying to wake up Ginkgo behind him, but found that she was sleeping soundly and shook several times before she woke up.
"Good morning, sir..." Ginkgo stretched out and yawned weakly.
"It's almost evening, why is it so early?" Imagawa Yoshimoto glanced at the setting sun on the horizon and couldn't help but joked,
"It's still early to get up tomorrow." Ginkgo murmured, gently leaning against Imagawa Yoshimoto, ready to continue sleeping.
"What a beautiful sunset and mountain scenery, if you miss it, it will be gone." Imagawa Yoshimoto shook his head harder, and at the same time looked back and pointed in the direction behind him, "Look, you will never get it again."
"I'm too lazy to turn around." Ginkgo complained sleepily.
"There's more to life than just laziness. Didn't I tell you before that you have to pursue something." Imagawa Yoshimoto was in a good mood. He rarely used the sermon lines he used when the two first met 7 years ago, while stroking Ginkgo's long hair. , and said with a smile: "If you are too lazy to leave your name in history, and you are too lazy to write a book, then isn't appreciating the beautiful scenery in the world the best pursuit? Suitable for our little lazy cat Ginkgo."
"No." Ginkgo's voice became softer and softer, and she couldn't open her eyes. "I don't like it."
"Then have you found what you're after? What is it?" Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at Ginkgo's eyes closed tenderly.
"I'm looking for it, I'm looking for it, don't scold me, you will find it sooner or later, before you die
You will always find it..." Ginkgo was already extremely sleepy, and a few illogical words popped out of her mouth intermittently, and then she fell asleep again.
"Haha, my sister's life is just a mess. She has no pursuits or goals. Every day she just muddles along, eating and waiting to die. If I ask her to look back on her life before she dies, she probably won't be able to think of anything. She can only think of How many hours have you slept?" Takeda Harunobu mocked his sister mercilessly from the side, and then glanced at Imagawa Yoshimoto: "Of course it's not much better. You are really a lazy man and woman made for each other. "
"That's too much to say... There's really nothing we can do. In troubled times, there are so many people living in a hazy way, so don't be merciful." Imagawa Yoshimoto let out a long breath, then looked at the subordinates behind him, "I heard that Mr. Daichan Have you received your teachings? Where is your pursuit? Do you have it? And what is it?"
"No." Kira Weicheng whistled and said nonchalantly: "If I have to say yes, I just hope that all orphans in the world can live a life of adequate food."
"I unintentionally mentioned a great pursuit." Imagawa Yoshimoto was slightly moved, "Isn't this more meaningful than the great chef who thinks about it day and night to conquer the world?"
"I want to be a swordsman like my master." Kentaro Tian Shen's eyes were full of longing, and his lonely left hand was holding the handle of the sword caressingly. "I want to start a sect and pass on my own art of war. It sounds a bit arrogant for me to say that. I hope that all warriors who are born with disabilities can follow my example and teach them the swordsmanship that can be used with one arm, so that they can also feel proud."
"You can do it." Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded towards Kentaro Tian Shen and encouraged him with a smile, "Where there is a will, things can happen. Besides, Tian Shen, if you work a hundred times harder, nothing will be difficult for you."
"Yes." Takeda Harunobu also seemed to be quite confident in Kentaro Tian Shen's swordsmanship. "You will definitely become famous in the future, with peaches and plums all over the world, and you will teach great students."
"Thank you, Your Highnesses." Kentaro Tian Shen bowed respectfully and said, "I will fight hard for the rest of my life."
"What about you? Your name is Kinoshita Tokichiro, right?" "Takeda Harunobu looked at Kinoshita Tokichiro who couldn't ride a horse yet with great interest and could only sit on Kira Weisei's horse, "What is your pursuit? "
"Little...little, oh no! I! I want to stand out, so that all the people who look down on me will look at me differently. I want to be... I want to be -"
Kinoshita Tokichiro's face turned red, he stammered and considered his words for a long time, and finally roared out his ambition like a vent:
"I want to become a member of the world!"
Everyone was stunned except Kinoshita Tokichiro.
After a long while, Imagawa Yoshimoto said with some confusion: "'People of the world"...is this word used to describe the Taizheng minister or the shogun? Kinoshita, it's good that you have such lofty ideals, but how can you open a mansion if you're not a direct descendant of the Genji family? How can a non-family become a minister of government? "
"This..." Kinoshita Tokichiro's face instantly turned redder, like a monkey's butt, "I don't understand this... I just want to be..."
"Imaginary talk, you stinky little monkey." Kira Usei snorted coldly, jolted the horse deliberately, and almost threw Kinoshita Tokichiro off the horse. The latter held on to Kira Usei's lapel to save himself from death, "Learn first Let's ride a horse. We commoners will never be as prosperous as those 'big men' in our lives. "
"Why are you trying to dampen people's enthusiasm?" Takeda Harunobu came out very enthusiastically to support Kinoshita Tokichiro and encouraged him: "Weren't those big people just small people two thousand years ago? Why can't small people get ahead? Why can't small people get ahead? People in the world?"
"Two thousand years ago, they were all gods and queens of the royal family, so they were naturally different from us." Imagawa Yoshimoto was obviously quite offended by Takeda Harunobu's speech, "How can you blaspheme the gods?"
·
On May 4, the twelfth year of Tenmon (1543), a group of people passed through Noda Castle of Kannuma family and came to stay at Nagashino Castle of Okuhira family. The Okuhira family is an important wealthy family in Higashi Mikawa. They have a territory of 20,000 koku, 200 soldiers, 400 auxiliary soldiers, and the castles of Nagashino Castle, Kubo Castle, and Kameyama Castle. They play a decisive role as a local leader in the Higashi Mikawa Mountains.
However, in the previous confrontation between Imagawa Yoshimoto and Imagawa Yoshima, the Okudaira family acted as Imagawa Yoshima's reinforcements and went to war with the Imagawa clan, which can be regarded as some rifts. However, after the Imagawa family marched into Mikawa, the Okudaira family, which knew that there was a huge disparity in power, also surrendered hostages obediently. The head of the family, Sadakatsu Okudaira, sent his younger brother Sadatomo Okudaira to Yoshida Castle where Ohara Zumi was located.
Now that Imagawa Yoshimoto has arrived in person, the Okudaira family will naturally not miss this opportunity to receive their lord and build a good relationship, and prepare a banquet to entertain Imagawa Yoshimoto and Takeda Harunobu.
However, Okuhira Sadakatsu obviously did not understand Imagawa Yoshimoto's picky eating habits, and served pork, a specialty delicacy from places like Higashi Mikawa that do not pay attention to meat bans. Imagawa Yoshimoto suddenly felt nauseous at the banquet, and his face suddenly dropped. However, Imagawa Yoshimoto, who did not want to embarrass Okudaira Sadakatsu, did not point it out. He just tried to maintain a normal expression and went to eat other dishes.
Okuhira Sadakatsu, who mistakenly thought that he had somehow offended Imagawa Yoshimoto, was so panicked that he quickly thought of ways to remedy the situation and kept raising topics to compliment Imagawa Yoshimoto. But because Takeda Harunobu was also present, Okuhira Sadakatsu wanted to flatter him, so he boasted about Imagawa Yoshimoto and Takeda Harunobu’s Shinano strategy - which brought back the bad memories of Imagawa Yoshimoto - but failed to stop Takeda Harunobu. The massacre at Uehara Castle was a wound he couldn't bear to heal.
Although Imagawa Yoshimoto is a very well-educated gentleman and is used to giving positive responses to the other party in conversations to avoid the other party's embarrassment - but now Okudaira Sadakatsu is constantly playing in Imagawa Yoshimoto's minefield, and Imagawa Yoshimoto Yuan himself felt extremely uncomfortable just smelling the smell of pork - it was too much to ask him to socialize and talk about his taboo topics, so he spoke a little absent-mindedly.
During the banquet, Okudaira Sadakatsu even played the role of a minor surname himself, hunched over and walking forward on his knees, kneeling to pour wine back and forth for Imagawa Yoshimoto and Takeda Harunobu. Takeda Harunobu enjoyed it, but Imagawa Yoshimoto felt that it was somewhat inappropriate, so he said tactfully:
"Oppei Superintendent, why do you need to be so outspoken? Why bother you to pour the wine for us yourself? I'm really embarrassed."
"Ah, yes, your highness, the Governor, taught me that I was not very polite." But Okudaira Sadakatsu seemed to think that Imagawa Yoshimoto was criticizing him. He immediately knelt down and bowed his head to apologize, as if facing a formidable enemy, and honestly retreated to himself. on the seat. Imagawa Yoshimoto was a little embarrassed by this excessive solicitude and didn't know how to reply. The banquet was cold to the end and broke up unhappy.
