Toyama Village, Itano-gun, Awa Province, is one of the smallest villages in Shikoku, with less than three digits of inhabitants, and the total amount of paddy fields and kabata is only eight towns and six hats (about 130 mu), and at the best of the year, the output is only 150 or 60 koku.

The elderly Toyama Daigoro and his two sons, Toyama Ginjiro and Toyama Kinjiro, were the only three "samurai masters", who knew how to do more than ten guan (about 30 stones), and actually controlled two-thirds of the land in the village, and the other third was divided into scattered pieces, each belonging to a dozen small farmers.

In the early years, their family was actually a farmer who faced the loess with his back to the sky and did not know a single word, but the heir of the previous generation, Hongyun, was in charge, and when he was plundered everywhere after winning the battle as a peasant soldier, he happened to catch the only son of the enemy general, and because of this merit, he was exceptionally promoted to the head of the ashigaru group of the flag team.

It is said that this village should be under the jurisdiction of the Miyoshi family's commissioner and the county representative, but the central officials are busy with business, and they don't look down on this bit of fly meat, so they are too lazy to do it themselves, and when they collect taxes and levy labor every year, they only send someone to write a letter to let the Yuanshan family handle it with full authority and report the number.

In this way, the only samurai master has become a soil emperor who says the same thing, and kills and kills. Nominally, he only has thirteen and four hundred Wen Zhixing, but secretly he has tripled his family business. During this period, he did a lot of great good deeds for the benefit of one party, such as disposing of the inheritance for the young and lost children, behaving for the stunned young people who dared to contradict them, greeting the young survivors, and helping the young and lively little girl improve her posture level...... The list goes on and on.

Similar good deeds of good people are generally affectionately summed up as "digging up the graves of the dead and kicking the widows".

In addition to this, Daigoro Toyama did not give up the pursuit of the spiritual world.

As the head of the Ashigaru group of the flag team, he, like the lord Miyoshi Nagaharu, is a rare follower of the Nichiren sect on the island of Shikoku. This is certainly not because of the approval of its religious ideas - where do the low-ranking samurai in the countryside understand this? It's not all about being faithful, it's about making a deliberate choice.

The Nichiren sect is a sect of Buddhism that is mostly composed of lower- and middle-class townspeople, that is, small and medium-sized merchants and craftsmen. (Most of the top wealthy merchants are traditional sects such as Tiantai and Rinzai)

Toyama Daigoro continued to donate 25 pieces of incense oil money to Myogenji every year, in exchange for an independent side courtyard to worship his ancestors, and was regarded as a guest of honor by the abbot Master Houdao. Taking this as an opportunity, he met the owner of the Kaimachi "Ogawaya" and became an agent for the other party to purchase raw materials in more than 30 villages in the eastern part of Itano-gun, Awa Province.

The cultivation of indigo grass is a Shikoku specialty, and Ogawaya's business of dyeing cloth is a match made in heaven. This agent's position, if properly managed, can bring in a net income of 100 per year.

This method of doing business caused his colleagues to despise and envy him, and ridiculed Toyama Daigoro as an "indigo samurai".

But the party was not ashamed, but proud, and gladly accepted the nickname. When he grew old, he named his eldest son "Ginshiro" to inherit the position of head of the Ashigaru group, while his second son was called "Konjiro" and concentrated on business.

It's the silver division and the gold ci, for fear that outsiders won't know that they are greedy for money.

The power position of sesame mung beans, the income of one or two hundred yuan, the real nobles are not in their eyes, but as a grassroots from a poor peasant and untouchable, Toyama Daigoro only feels that life is beautiful and his life is boundless.

As for the general trend of the world, is that something that a country samurai can consider? Anyway, every time they receive an order, the Yuanshan family brings their own food and weapons to participate in the battle in accordance with the regulations, and they are also fighting bravely on the battlefield, and they have never been a bad seed, and if they lose the battle, they can't blame a head of the ashigaru group.

In his situation, it's not that he can't hear a little wind at all. However, for more than 20 years, the Miyoshi family has vigorously vied for hegemony in Kinai, and has always connived at the veterans of the four countries who have made meritorious contributions.

It wasn't until there was a "traitor" Shinohara Nagafang, who claimed to be doing something "innovative" and wanted to check the land books in detail, that the emperors were taken aback.

Fortunately, justice descended from heaven, and the lord of the Tieshou Criminal Department waved his army into Shikoku, completely defeated the traitor who deceived the upper and lower and covered the sky with one hand, and returned the people of Awa and Sanuki to a bright blue sky.

But it's not all good news lately.

For example, Ogawaya was destroyed.

It seems that I heard that it is related to some assassination incident, anyway, the whole family of men has been sentenced to death, and the game is completely finished, and there is no chance to turn the book at all.

The city gate caught fire, affecting the fish in the pond.

Daigoro Toyama was out of luck.

A large amount of indigo grass that had been prepared to be shipped to Kai Town suddenly lost its home, and all the money for the purchase was pressed in it and could not be returned.

In these years, no one has played any free trade with you, and all merchants have a fixed supply of goods and will not accept customers at will. Toyama Daigoro was so anxious that he hurriedly spent money to find a relationship, and after tossing for more than ten days, he finally found someone who was willing to take over, and the price had to be discounted.

It can be regarded as a stop-loss, but it has also lost more than 200 yuan of silver inside and out, which means that I didn't make a cent today and lost my old capital.

For a while, Daigoro Toyama suddenly fell into a situation of shyness in his pocket.

Seeing that the New Year is approaching, I agreed to pay for 25 pieces of sesame oil every year, but I couldn't make it up.

I don't know if the kind abbot of Myohin Temple is willing to understand.

Toyama Daigoro lives with himself, and he is quite apprehensive in his heart, and he can't be optimistic.

……

"Daddy! The situation is not good! The master of kindness is really not kind! Toyama Kinjiro hurriedly ran back to his house, and before anyone entered the door, he shouted first: "He made it clear that twenty-five pieces of sesame oil money cannot be missing, and it must be collected within three days, otherwise the ancestral spiritual position of our Yuanshan family will be moved out of the courtyard and enshrined in the crowded grass hall with those lowly mud legs!" ”

When Kinjiro grew up, his father had already made a fortune, but deep down he knew the problem of his family's origins, so he wanted to distance himself from the peasant class.

"Alas, it's really not kind, but I've been giving it for seventeen years, and I can't do it for one year less?" Daigoro Toyama was mentally prepared, but he was still disappointed when he heard this, and then sighed and frowned. When he looked up and saw the panicked face of the second son, he suddenly became angry again and scolded:

"You loser boy! If it weren't for the fact that you were infatuated with the daughter of the Southern Barbarian under Shengrui City and came back after learning a belly of gossip, the Honest Master would not have looked at our family so unpleasantly! I think that pink-haired foreign woman is a big goblin! ”

Kinjiro Toyama, who was scolded by his father, shrunk his shoulders and didn't dare to look up, but he still whispered in defense: "Arya is very kind in her heart!" And half of her body is of Fuso blood......"

"I dare to talk to you!" Toyama Daigoro's heart was blazing, and he immediately stretched out his hand and slapped him twice.

Kinjiro Toyama pouted and lowered his head, neither hiding nor shouting pain.

At the age of fifteen, just after adulthood, it is the strongest stage of psychology against elders. What's more, what about the girl he regards as a goddess?

When the old father saw that his young son, who had always loved him, was marked with a red mark on his face, all his anger suddenly disappeared, and he only felt regret and distress. But for the sake of face, he didn't want to soften his face, so he changed the topic coldly:

"Jinji, I guess when you went to Myogenji Temple, you also went to Shengrui City, right? How's your brother's ashigaru head doing? Can you find a way to get someone to say something to help our family get through this difficult time? ”

When it comes to business, Kinjiro still knows how to be measured, and regardless of the pain in his face, he hurriedly replied: "I did go, and I also met the eldest brother, the situation over there is quite good, it is said that he has a hot fight with the lord's favorite little surname, and he hopes to be promoted to be a leader this year." But it is impossible to ask for help from nobles these days, because the lord (Miyoshi Nagaji) saw that there were few Nichiren sect believers at the New Year festival, and he was in a very unhappy mood, so he went hunting with his cronies, and the ghost knows when he would be able to come back! ”

"Promotion! That's great! Toyama Daigoro was first happy, and then couldn't help sighing: "Alas, but far water can't quench the thirst...... Anyway, how long has the lord been in power, why do you go out to hunt eagles? ...... It's a bit ...... It's a bit ......."

"Dad, can't you borrow some money from so many old colleagues?" Kinjiro Toyama made this suggestion.

"Nonsense!" Toyama Daigoro glared, and his tone was not good, "In order to get out the unlucky batch of unsalable inventory in my hand, I have already used all the connections that can be used!" Otherwise, how could you have such a headache for a mere twenty-five yuan of silver? ”

"If so...... It can only make the mud legs in the village bleed! Kinjiro Toyama came up with another idea.

"Alas...... It's not suitable either! Toyama Daigoro hesitated for a while but shook his head, "Last year's harvest was not good, and the farmers didn't have much money to spare, so if you ask them to pay at this time, I'm afraid it will be very difficult." Even if it is squeezed out, it will offend people miserably......"

"There has to be a priority! It's a matter of urgency, there's no way! A cold glint flashed in Toyama Kinjiro's eyes, "There are not many temples of the Nichiren Sect in the entire Shikoku, and once this connection is broken, it will be difficult for us to find a way to make money in the future!" You don't need to worry about the mud legs, I bring three or five reliable people, and I ask for a knife, and I don't believe that I can't get the money! ”

"It's the same reason, but there is no way, I'm ashamed of the folks......" Toyama Daigoro sighed with emotion, and then glared at his son again: "I know that this connection can't be broken, and I know that the master of kindness can't get used to the Southern Barbarians, so don't look for that 'Yaria' in the future!" Two little widows and one big girl in the village are not enough to serve you? ”

How can the village girl's goods, which were used by her father and eldest brother, be compared to the beautiful and heroic, Valkyrie-like Miss Aria?

Kinjiro Toyama really didn't dare to say this, so he only drooped his head and replied in a low voice, "Yes." ”

Young people's emotions come and go as quickly as they come. In an instant, Kinjiro Toyama cleaned up his mood, didn't think about these negative things, but held the handle of the knife tied around his waist, raised his head, and said firmly and decisively: "Dad, don't be tired at your age, I'll gather the reliable Lang party and collect money from door to door!" ”