A golden wind blew, and the dense yellow leaves in the woods made a rustling sound. In the autumn sun, I sat on the hillside and looked out at the official road below. There are a few of my men there, who are checking on people they think are suspicious.

More than two months have passed since the Cheongju alliance was formed, and everyone has relaxed from the tension of guard. I heard that Tokugawa Ieyasu had formed an alliance with Oda not long ago and obtained the understanding of the Imagawa family. The hostages who were stranded in Sunfu Castle also returned to Okazaki. The entire Tokaido is a scene of singing and dancing, and in this case, I have been sent to guard this outpost!

10 li to the east of this post is Mikawa's first checkpoint (which is also a tax collection station), and 65 li to the west is Kiyoshu Castle. I haven't been able to go home often in the past two months, I really miss Xianzhi! Our mission here is mainly to hunt down spies and guard against thieves. In fact, with just these few pieces of material, it is impossible to catch such a professional technician as the "ninja". And the security of Owari is not so bad that it will allow thieves to run to the point of going to the official road. But I didn't lead a soldier after all, and I was still a recruit in the two dozen or so who had just enlisted in the army. I applied to Oda Nobunaga for two veterans to be assistants, and they are still two old friends, Murai Sadakatsu and Yamauchi Kazutoyo!

"It's so calm!" Sadakatsu Murai came to my side with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"What? Isn't that good? I looked at him as he sat down.

"I ...... I am not a person who talks about fighting and killing all day long, and I also understand that peace and prosperity are everyone's blessings! But ......" Murai Sadakatsu shook his head with a wry smile. "You should understand that in this troubled world, the only way to get ahead is to make war achievements! Aren't you a living example yourself? I'm 25 years old this year, and I don't know when I'll be able to restore my family's samurai lineage! Do you know? There are people who have struggled all their lives for this goal, and in the end they have not been able to achieve it! ”

"It turns out that I always wanted to be a businessman, but I somehow became a samurai! Maybe ......" I remembered the words of the old man Miao Le Zhai. "Maybe that's everyone's fate!"

"I've heard about your previous experiences, and it's truly remarkable! The people in the town say that if it weren't for this war, you would have become a successful businessman, or even a wealthy businessman! Sadakatsu Murai seemed to understand.

"I don't dare boast like that in front of you!" I suddenly remembered that he was a genius in internal affairs. "Maybe I'll want you to take care of it in the future!"

"Haha! Your Excellency is ......."

"Come and taste it! See how it tastes! "Murai Sadakatsu still wanted to continue to be modest, and Yamauchi Kazutoyo walked over with a big bag of chestnuts." The chestnuts on the mountain are ripe and fall all over the ground! I picked up a lot in the morning and it was just cooked! Taste it! As he spoke, he handed it to us.

I took a few in my hand and looked at them. The chestnuts are large and plump, and the color is pure, and the smooth shell has a warm moisture. I gently cut one open with my fingernails, and the fragrance came to my nose. Throw the fat flesh into your mouth, and the mouth is full of sweetness.

"It's delicious! It tastes great! "I praise it from the bottom of my heart.

"Of course! This is a 'gift from the mountain gods'! Kazutoyo Yamauchi said proudly.

"What is the 'Gift of the Mountain God'?" I asked casually.

"What?" He looked surprised. "You don't know the 'Gift of the Mountain God'?"

"Lord Zhuxing is not an Owari person." Sadakatsu Murai explained for me. "Tell him about it!"

"Oh! That was more than 200 years ago...... "Kazutoyo Yamauchi said. "One year there was a great drought in Owari and Mino, and there was no harvest in the fields. In winter, even the stored grain is eaten! There was famine everywhere. There was an old man who went into the mountain by himself in order not to drag down his family. While he was cold and hungry, he saw a beggar roasting chestnuts in the fire. The beggar saved the old man and fed him. But the next morning the beggar was gone, leaving only a large pile of chestnuts beside the old man. The old man returned home with the chestnuts and told the villagers about his experience, and sure enough, the villagers found many chestnut trees in the mountains. No one in Zhiduo County starved to death that year, and everyone said that the beggar must be a mountain god! As a token of gratitude to the mountain gods, no one is allowed to harm chestnut trees in this area, whether they are chopping wood or wood! ”

"What a moving legend!" I nodded. "These chestnuts are really delicious!"

"Of course! The chestnuts of Chita-gun of Owari are famous! Kazutoyo Yamauchi puffed up his chest.

"That's a good point!" Sadakatsu Murai said. "In the past, when there was no war, merchants from the capital and Sakai often came here to harvest chestnuts!"

Eating chestnuts and listening to their stories, I suddenly felt that being a samurai as long as I didn't fight was actually quite good!