Under the leadership of Kentaro Tian Shen, everyone walked slowly towards the depths of the mountain forest along a winding path. If they weren't led by an acquaintance, most people would be afraid of this path - it looks like a dead end leading to the deep mountains and old forests. However, Kentaro Tian Shen walked extremely calmly, even remembering clearly where the rocks were slippery. He didn't pay too much attention to finding the road, but stared intently at the plants and trees in his hometown.
"How long has it been since you came back?" Imagawa Yoshimoto hobbled on the mountain road with a cane.
"It must have been ten years..." Kentaro Tian Shen recalled his appearance when he left, and subconsciously touched the empty sleeve of his right arm with his left hand, "I was still a teenager when I left last time."
"I remember Master Dahu said at the time that there were conflicts in Tian Chen's family? One group of people wanted to support you to replace your younger brother. Was it because they were afraid that you would get involved in right and wrong that he took you out to practice?" Imagawa Yoshimoto also recalled What happened at that time.
"Yes. I and my younger brother are twins. They were born on the same day, and they were only one stick of incense apart." Kentaro Tian Shen also sighed after hearing this, "The Tian Shen family is just a small wealthy family in the Ueno Mountains. , our ancestors were all single children and could not withstand so many winds and rains. The disaster of twins is not something we can bear. Because I was born with a defect, some retainers suggested that I should be abandoned soon after I was born. But my mother was reluctant to give up, so she I stayed here against all odds. So the whole family pretended that I had never been born, and instead claimed that my younger brother was the only legitimate son."
"Do you resent your family?" Imagawa Yoshimoto also feels the same way about this topic.
"How could it be? Everyone has been very good to me." Kentaro Tianchen shook his head repeatedly, and a smile appeared on his lips, "Jia Ci loves me very much, and my brother-in-law is especially attached to me. He stays with me day and night. Play. Although my family Yan doesn't want to see me, I will teach me skills. When I was a child, the family had a lot of fun, and I am very happy even when I think about it. As long as I can remember, the retainers in the family have been very sensitive to my presence. But as time goes by, Afterwards, they will also communicate with me normally and tell me some jokes."
"Does this count as "very good"? "Imagawa Yoshimoto obviously feels that Kentaro Tian Shen is too easily satisfied.
"There is nothing we can do about it... After all, they are twins. If you want to ward off evil, you must kill or throw away one of them. It is already very difficult for me not to be thrown away." Kentaro Tian Shen is very open-minded. , there was no resentment at all, "Before my younger brother and I started to understand, our relationship was very good. Later my younger brother was defeated, and in order to avoid disputes, the family sent me to my master (Kentaro Tian Shen) outside the city. Live there. My brother-in-law always said that he wanted to take me back... Now that I think about it, it was just wishful thinking. As for what happened next..."
Having said this, Kentaro Tian Shen's nose felt a little sore. After a pause, he continued: "But after Ka Yan passed away and his younger brother succeeded to the throne, everything changed. My younger brother is the "only son" in the family, so he has always been a bit strong. Many retainers were dissatisfied with him, and there were rumors that they would support him to return to the throne. Master and I were naturally afraid to avoid him, but messengers still came to our door. After that, I became a thorn in my side, and my younger brother even sent assassins to kill me... I had no intention of competing with my younger brother for the throne, and didn't want to die violently, so my master took me and left Ueno, wandering around. "
"Who hasn't been assassinated by an assassin sent by his brother?" Imagawa Yoshimoto recalled that when he had just returned to secular life from Zentokuji Temple, it was Imagawa Ryojin's assassination that taught him the first lesson in his samurai career, and also taught him the first lesson in his samurai career. For the first time in his life, he encountered a death crisis - two hours ago he was ringing the bell and eating fast in the temple without any worries.
"But even so, I still miss my brother-in-law often. I think of the time when we two brothers played closely together when we were children. I think of my mother... How wonderful it would be if we didn't have the position of the damn family governor? How wonderful it would be if we didn't have this damn family. ? Our family can be together happily forever... But now we are turning against each other because of that meaningless fame..." Kentaro Tian Shen's voice gradually became softer, and he looked at the place where he lived when he was a child with some regret. But unexpectedly, they found a group of people standing on the mountain road next to them. They were also stunned and looked at Kentaro Tianchen and others.
The leader was his younger brother, Kenjiro Tian Shen.
"Kenjiro..." Kentaro Tian Shen was speechless for a while, and he hesitated for a long time before he spoke: "How are you doing recently? Why are you here? How is your mother's health? A few days ago, my mother wrote a letter saying that her legs and feet are not good... …”
"Brother..." However, Kenjiro Tadashi's face was ashen and he directly pressed his hand on the handle of the knife. He looked warily at Kentaro Tadashi and the huge size of the Imagawa-Takeda delegation behind him, "Finally, we still have to lead people. Did you come back to seize the throne? I should have killed you cruelly at that time! If you indulge the enemy for a moment, there will be endless troubles!"
"Kenjiro?" After hearing his brother's words, Kentaro Tian Shen felt chilled for a moment, "I had absolutely no intention of doing so. Now I have served as an official in the Imagawa family, and this trip was just passing by as an envoy of the master family. If the mountain road was not blocked, it would not be possible." I won’t take a detour home..."
"It's useless to talk more." Kenjiro Tian Shen sneered and shook his head. Several people around him had already turned around and returned to the city, seemingly to call for reinforcements.
"So rude, is this your brother?" Ji Liang Weicheng hugged his old partner for many years and complained dissatisfiedly.
"It wasn't like this when I was a kid..." Kentaro Tianchen still explained for his younger brother.
"Since he is so serious about it, why don't we pretend to be real?" Takeda Harunobu crossed his arms, rode his horse forward, and suggested to Imagawa Yoshimoto: "With the number of guards and ninjas we bring, we can take down this little guy." There is no problem for the wealthy family, just support your bodyguard and go home to succeed the family governor. This place is also a transportation hub. If you leave one of your own, it will be much more convenient to travel to Ueno and Shinano in the future."
"Your Highness Takeda, this is absolutely impossible." Kentaro Tian Shen quickly waved his hands and refused after hearing this, "How could I have such intention? Moreover, when I left before, I had already promised to Iaji, my brother-in-law and his retainers that I would never come back. Fight for the position of family governor."
"Don't force Tian Chen to do things that embarrass him." Imagawa Yoshimoto also declined Takeda Harunobu with a smile, "Let's leave quickly and don't cause trouble. After leaving, they probably won't dare to pursue us. Us, right? After all, there are more of us.”
"Kenjiro, I never meant this, please don't misunderstand me." Kentaro Tadashi assured Kenjiro Tadashi again, and then rode away with Yoshimoto Imagawa. Before evening, the group left the territory of Tian Shen's family and rested in a nearby village. However, after nightfall, something unexpected happened.
·
"Your Highness, there is a group of unidentified people approaching outside the village." Hayasaka Nao knocked on the door of Imagawa Yoshimoto's room and called out to Imagawa Yoshimoto and Ginkgo who were already asleep. When Imagawa Yoshimoto got up, he found that Takeda Harunobu had begun to command the guards and ninjas to ambush.
"You actually dare to chase after him? Are you here to die? How many people can a small wealthy family mobilize?" Takeda Harunobu himself was a little unbelievable, while Kentaro Tasaki standing next to him was a little embarrassed. It can be seen that on the one hand, he feels guilty because he has caused unnecessary trouble to his master's family. On the other hand, they are more worried about the possible casualties of colleagues and old friends in the conflict.
The Tian Shen family was not a wealthy family. Their territory was only over a thousand stones, and they only had a few dozen warrior retainers. They could only mobilize around 100 people despite their desperate efforts. If such a number of miscellaneous soldiers were to attack the elites of the Takeda family and the Imagawa family, the only possibility would be a bloody encounter. But it is precisely because the family is small that everyone knows each other and is even related to the Tian Shen family. No matter who died, Kentaro Tian Shen would feel sorry.
"Obviously it's an insignificant little wealthy family... Do you want to kill your brothers in order to compete for the position of family governor?" Imagawa Yoshimoto sighed in a low voice, "If the fight is for the position of a powerful family governor, that's fine. I understand why we have to fight with each other, but this is obviously just an ordinary family..."
"What do you know, Goro? What kind of ordinary family is this? In an ordinary family, brothers can turn against each other for half an acre of land or a cow. So isn't it normal to fight to the death for the Sengoku territory?" Takeda Harunobu was not surprised at all, but his words were full of contempt, "It's just that little people like this always sit in a well and look at the sky, thinking that everything within their sight is everything, and they don't understand anything outside their own village. He You can't see how strong we are? How dare you attack us? You are really short-sighted."
"If possible, I hope that His Highness and you can stay alive as much as possible. When
However, the safety of our troops is the top priority in everything. "When Kentaro Tianchen saw Takeda Harunobu's ruthless attitude, he was afraid that he would kill him, so he quickly asked for mercy. But even so, he, who has always been responsible, did not say anything excessive.
"Don't worry." Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded slightly and said to the subordinates behind him, "The opponent's combat power should be quite weak. Try to be measured when attacking. There is no need to show mercy to those who fight hard, but when conditions permit, you can attack the servants. Avoid vital points."
"Oh." After hearing the order, Kira Weicheng angrily inserted the two swords behind his back and borrowed a short knife from his colleague.
The visitors from afar were gradually approaching, and the guards and ninjas of the Imagawa and Takeda families had already ambushed in the alleys and houses on both sides of the street, waiting to launch an attack. However, when they got closer, they suddenly discovered that the situation had changed - the person who came was not carrying a weapon, but instead had a torch. It's not like they're here to attack, more like they're here to find someone.
Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at Takeda Harunobu. Takeda Harunobu hesitated for a moment and then nodded slowly: "There is no weapon, so there should be no danger. Send someone to ask."
So Hayasaka Nao walked out of the ambush, shocking the group of people.
"Excuse me, what can you do?" Hayasaka Nao asked with her hands raised.
"Excuse me, where is Master Tian Shen now?" Several leading warriors also asked respectfully.
"Please explain your purpose of visit first, otherwise it will be inconvenient for you to introduce me. Don't blame me." Hayasaka Nao confirmed very cautiously.
Several warriors looked at each other after hearing this, and finally the leader bowed and said solemnly: "Our ministers have captured the second young master, and now we would like to ask the eldest young master to return to take charge of the overall situation and inherit the family governor!"
