Whether it is a white cloud or a dog, or a vicissitudes of life, people's lives are always fleeting, in short, compared with the vast eternity without beginning and end, people's lives are too short, or you want to compare them the other way around.

That's the way it is, day after day, and it's been eight years since I took a back seat. I really moved to Sakai Town, just 30 years ago not far from the camp, this place originally had a name, "Ryugering" is still more magnificent, right?

Since I have to retire, I should also build a place for myself to retire, which is not too much, and I have the right to do so. I brought in a lot of artists and builders, and I probably told them to design some ideas, and after several revisions, they finally settled on.

It's just a place for retired old people, and it doesn't need to garrison too many troops, so the basic city walls are not very large, and it can be regarded as a second-rate castle at best. In addition, it is a mountain castle built according to the topography, and the high and low passages in it are like a labyrinth, and a total of nine castle towers of various sizes have been built, and it has become like a castle. There are even hanging galleries between several castle towers, which are absolutely exquisite that Japan has never seen before.

At the beginning of the construction of this castle, there was a small episode, when the Gamo clan suddenly proposed that the daimyo donate money to me, and the amount was not limited, but only to show their reverence for me. I accepted the offer after a little thought, and wanted to see how much the daimyo feared me.

As a result, I was a little surprised, I actually raised 100,080,472 taels of gold in one fell swoop, I really can't imagine that the world has such feelings for me!

Following the example of Osaka Castle, the top floors of all the castle towers are painted with gold lacquer, and the castle between the mountains looks like a "golden castle" from a distance. Especially on a sunny day, the glorious style of the golden wall is like the kingdom of God has descended on the world.

The money was still not spent, and at the request of Xianzhi, I built a temple at the foot of the mountain, which is a combination of classical Japanese gardens and Yangzhou Ming style, with a large area and many courtyards suitable for large-scale events.

When I first saw this castle, I was very satisfied, and I personally inscribed the castle "Yulongshan Castle", and the plaque of the temple is "Tianyi Temple". The accompanying ministers, daimyos, and monks were amazed by the charm of my "Mobao" pen, but in fact, I knew how miserable my words were in the eyes of connoisseurs. However, my concept is that people write rather than words, as long as they feel comfortable.

In this way, I lived in this dragon mountain castle and lived a happy life like a god. In the first few years, there were a lot of people who came to ask for a visit, but I usually didn't see them. Although I am still secretly manipulating some things, now that I have nominally stepped back, I should use this excuse to get rid of those nasty things.

The great general Nobukiyo quickly found his senses, and he did it in a good way, and the success of seizing the land and recovering the mineral resources in the hands of the daimyo made his prestige skyrocket, and the Zhuxing regime completed a smooth transition.

Although the branch may bring trouble in the future, the family with a thin number of people is definitely in crisis. At present, the stars have not seen the signs of trouble, and some crises are also being eased.

The first to become adults were Axue's twins, the elder brother Heikiyoshi was named the lord of the 220,000 stone castle in Minami Musashi Edo, and the younger brother Anqing was named the lord of the 200,000 stone castle of Chikugo Kurume. Originally, I was a little hesitant to let their twins go on separate sides, but Ah Xue herself said that this was the best.

Next were Coral's son Kiyoshi and Ayuki's other son, Kiyomoto, who were given 180,000 koku to Tanba Kameyama Castle and Shinano Ita Castle 160,000 koku respectively. After a series of changes in the past few years, the Zhuxing Clan has a certain scale in various places.

There are several sons below, except for one who was born to Xianzhi, the others were all born to concubines. However, the excessively strong pro-feudal forces may also thin out the strength of the family, so except for the son of Xianzhi, I am going to change to Owari Kiyoshu Castle for 320,000 koku in the future, and the others are no longer ready to divide the feudal clan of more than 150,000 koku.

Things in the world are always changing, and it is inevitable that the cycle of prosperity and decline will be unavoidable, and even those who have established meritorious deeds cannot avoid withering. My first minister, Takenaka Hanbei Shigeharu, died in Osaka in 1595, the fourth year of Bunroku, and it is said that he suddenly fell ill while working at his desk.

For the first time since I was relieved of my post as the Shogun, I left Ryyuyama Castle and went to Tofukuji Temple in Kyoto to hold a ceremony and hold a wake for the Hanbei of Takenaka who had already been transported there. On that occasion, I rarely cried from the bottom of my heart, and wrote down the soul banner of the "Eastern Journey Wishful Treasure Minister". His eldest son was also given the name "Kiyoji" by me, and he succeeded Hanbei as the shogunate boss, but he was relegated to last place in the ranking, but this was also inevitable for the young man.

The shogunate's system functioned normally, and the sons of the 18 most powerful daimyo in Kyoto, together with the heirs of the daimyo cultivated in Osaka, formed a de facto chain. In addition, when I asked Kamiizumi Nobutsuna to train a large number of courtiers with superb martial arts skills in Sakai Town, with the end of the war, there was no longer a need to form death squads, so Shinkiyo formed these people into a "Conduct Inspection Office", and they traveled around the country to supervise and report the "inappropriate" behavior of samurai at all levels. These people are no longer as simple as ninja spying secretly, and they can reveal their identities at any time and ask the local daimyo to punish the retainers who caused the crime. Although it is not very clearly compulsory, these people say that those daimyo naturally have to be carefully weighed, and the shogunate still has to evaluate the behavior of the daimyos!

Everything seems to be so beautiful, but I still have some unfinished things in my heart, and the time has reached the fifth year of Keicho (1600), and I really can't continue to put it off.

"Ah...... What a good tea! Xinqing sighed at first, and then turned the Longquan celadon teacup in his hand with a look of infinite affection. A faint wisp of smoke floated in it, mixing with the fragrance that filled the room. "Only with you, father, can you drink such good tea, I really envy you!" As he spoke, he reluctantly put down the teacup.

"You didn't come so hard to trick me into drinking tea, did you?" I put the wooden spoon on the tray for scooping tea, picked up a white silk scarf, wiped my hands, and asked with a smile. He is now a shogun of the shogunate, and what kind of tea can't he get.

"Naturally, I want to hear your teachings more, and sometimes I don't know the right direction!" Xinqing leaned forward and said earnestly.

Xinqing does come to me very often, at least once a month. I don't really want that, but it seems like it's the only way to do it in the current situation.

In fact, not only me, but most of the founding fathers would have great influence, and this influence is often not so easy to change with the change of simple title. Although Xinqing has also fought a few battles and managed some places, whether it is prestige, ability or character, it is impossible to be the type of Li Shimin or Zhu Di. The main people who play a role in all aspects now are the people who used to fight the world with me, so in a sense, I am still the ultimate decision-maker of the shogunate.

"There are some things you can do as you want, and you don't have to ask me everything!" I lowered my eyes and said slowly, there were some situations that I actually knew better than he did. It's not that I can't let go of power, it's just that there are important things that haven't been done yet.

"The "One Domain, One City Order" that I wanted to implement some time ago did not go well, and the daimyos, especially those in remote places, always prevaricated in every possible way!" Xinqing shook his head, making people feel a little helpless. "It doesn't matter if it's just those people, it's a big deal. But many of your old subordinates also disagreed, saying something 'be prepared for danger in times of peace'. It's really not easy for me to deal with these people, and they are indeed loyal to the Zhuxing family, which leads to our own internal conflicts! ”

"Your own people should be reprimanded and reprimanded, there is no essential difference between 'doing bad things with good intentions' and 'doing bad things with bad intentions' in terms of effect!" Somehow, I suddenly remembered the phrase "Revolution is not a dinner party". "To be honest, some of my old subordinates have no longer kept up with the current situation, and their thinking is still stuck in the mode that war is the only means of struggle, and you don't need to be too polite to them. They just whined a few words at most, no big deal! ”

"What do you mean...... How about I be tougher? My words were somewhat unexpected, and he asked with a skeptical look.

"Be tough! Be as tough as you can! I waved my hand affirmatively forward and made a decisive gesture. You can completely ignore what they say and force it to ...... for a year Simply complete this in less than half a year. The daimyo who did not execute it well will be dealt with harshly, and no room for bargaining will be given to any of them! ”

"Won't there be a problem?"

"Of course, there will be no problem, except for those who really want to rebel, who will cling to so many cities. In the final analysis, this is smaller than the benefits touched by the repossession of the mine, and it will not cause too fierce a backlash! I replied in the affirmative.

"So I'm relieved, and I'll start deploying as soon as I get back!" Xinqing sighed and picked up the teacup again.

"Just go!" I put it this way.

Actually, what I said is not entirely accurate, and it is not easy to change the habits of samurai vigilance. But as long as I suppress the emotions of those who came to complain, the rest will be easy to say, so I don't need to say this to him now.

"I still don't have the courage of your father, if only you're afraid you'll have dealt with it in three or two!" He said as he drank tea, still a little ashamed.

"Not necessarily, if I had dealt with this matter, it would have taken longer!" I shook my head quickly, and then said without thinking, "Because I wouldn't do this kind of quick knife cutting through the mess!" ”