March 30 Sunny and hot

Preparations have been going very well in the past few days, as all the grain to be sold has been transported to the Wooden Bird House, and the cart ready to leave for Shinano has been hired.

When the owner of Sanliemon came back that day, I told him what I was doing and what I planned. He was stunned for about five minutes, and then he looked at me as if he were looking at a bodhisattva in the temple (I'm not in favor of a cult of personality!). ）。 No matter how I excused myself, the boss insisted on giving me 30% of the shares of Wooden Bird House, and in the end I had to accept it.

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In the evening, I carefully checked all the goods that were ready to be shipped. After locking the warehouse door, I hummed a brisk tune and walked to the front hall. "Now as long as you get the 'Picking' for customs clearance, everything is OK!" Thinking of the bright future, I can't help but get excited again.

"Loyal Guard, come on!" That's when the boss of Sanliemon stopped me.

I followed my boss into the bookkeeper's office.

When I got inside, the boss pointed me to the place in front of the table. "Tadahei, something unexpected happened." After seeing me sit down, he finally opened his mouth, but his voice was a little dull.

My heart sank.

"That's right! You...... You've been drafted! He said to me with a sad face.

"How...... How so! Hearing this, I almost fell to the ground.

"You've been here for a short time, and you've just turned sixteen. No wonder I don't know......" the boss began to explain.

I gradually understood what was going on. It turns out that in Owari and even in Japan as a whole, the daimyo always fought during the winter and summer farming slack. Therefore, they generally gather the young and middle-aged people in the territory as soon as the agricultural work is over, and conduct military training in formation according to the battle sequence. For all sorts of justified and unspeakable reasons, in short, nothing more than territory, official position, dominance, and the like, they are always either calculating to attack others or guarding against others' attacks. The regulations of the Oda family stipulate that all able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 30 must serve in the military.

Looking at the notice handed over by the boss of Sanlyemon ordering me to bring my own weapons and assemble at the designated place, I really couldn't laugh or cry. "During the military training organized by the school during the summer vacation, I made a sick note to fool me through! When I got to Japan, I had to ...... But ......, and ...... And also......!!! ”

"Should I ...... You can't really go to war, do you? "That's what worries me the most.

"When the first lord Nobuhide was there, he often went to war with the Saito family or the Imagawa family, and in the past few years it was just a few small frictions on the border and two civil strife. It's been a long time since there has been a foreign use of troops, and there shouldn't be any major wars! ”

"That's fine!" I was a little relieved. "Shinano's business...... I'm afraid I'm going to bother you to make a trip yourself! "I thought about business again, and I was really a little unwilling.

"That's all there is to it! ......" The boss nodded helplessly, and took out five copper coins and handed them to me. "Take these and arrange them at home!"

"Boss! I only did it for five days! How can you ...... "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to excuse yourself! This business is thanks to you. Besides, I'm old, and the business of the store will depend on you in the future! "The boss of Sanliweimen persists." Besides, if you go for more than two months, Xianzhi will also ......"

"Then I won't say anything out of sight!" I took the money. "So I'll go back first! I'll be back as soon as the training is over. ”

"Take care!"

"Farewell!"

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"I really don't know what these guys think, a good life is just a day and night, and even I will suffer! How is it that all the heads are flooded! Bring your own weapons! Trouble! What a hassle! I thought as I walked into the blacksmith's house.

It was time for the lamp, but it was still bustling, with a reddish fire in the furnace, a hammer clanging on the anvil, and the blacksmith and his two apprentices sweating profusely. There are three hardships in the world, supporting the boat, striking iron, and selling tofu! That's true. "It's Brother Zhongbei!" Seeing me walk in, the blacksmith was busy greeting me warmly. "All the horseshoes have been re-nailed! The cart will be overhauled tomorrow. And ......"

"Master blacksmith!" I hurriedly stopped him. "I'm here today to buy ...... Want to buy ...... A gun! (The knife is definitely expensive)

"One Gun !!" The blacksmith looked me up and down, and I could see that my heart was hairy. "It's better for you to hire some wild warriors, there are many such people in the tavern, after all, safety is important!" After watching it for a long time, he came up with what he thought was the correct answer. (The term ronin is not used in this article.) Unemployed vagrants with certain skills can be called ronins, the scope is too big! ）

"You are mistaken! It was I who received a conscription notice asking me to bring my own weapons! I explained to him with some embarrassment.

"You...... It's the first time you've enlisted in the military, right? Hearing my words, a "weird" look appeared on his face.

"yes!" I wonder why he asked.

After receiving my affirmative answer, the blacksmith showed a "I see" expression. After wiping his hands with a cloth on the table, he turned around and took a gun from the top of the shelf and handed it to me.

I looked down and checked it, the head of the gun was shiny and the body of the gun was heavy, and it was indeed a weapon to "boost qi".

"The head of this gun is made of iron and steel, and the rod is made of the finest Ueno cedar wood. What do you think? He enthusiastically introduced.

"How much does it cost?" I asked with satisfaction.

"It's just 3 runs and 700 texts!"

"Three...... You'd better give it a change! His gentle and clever words made my heart tremble, which was enough to buy 7 stone of rice.

"Then look at this one!" The blacksmith thought for a moment and then took out another one. "The head of the spear is made of muddy iron and stainless steel, and the rod is made of locust wood. As long as 1 900 texts! ”

"You'd better just give me the cheapest one of yours!" I made the request.

"Well......," he said, picking up one from the corner. That's it! Cast iron, bamboo pole, 120 Wen! ”

"That's it!" I paid for the gun, turned and walked out.