My initial goal was Sakai and Kyoto, and if I only considered the distance of the road, it would be most convenient to go to Awa and then go straight to Settsu Province via Awaji Island. However, at present, Awaji Island is occupied by the Awaji Eighteen Naval Army under the Miyoshi family, and if you take this road, it will be very problematic in terms of safety. The sailors of this era are actually pirates, most of whom are outlaws who live in barren coastal areas and really can't survive and take risks. They are sometimes fishermen, but even when it comes to fishing, they don't mind making a little extra money if it's cheap. Among them were also low-level samurai, who had turned into professional pirates, and were the backbone of the so-called "water army". Some of these "sailors" combined with the "merchants" along the coast of the Ming Kingdom to become famous Japanese pirates.

With this in mind, I chose to take the Sanyo Road to and gave up my intention of going to Sakai Town. If you're going to Kyoto, it's a little longer, but it's much safer and in better condition. If you take the Shinkansen of Komoto Hyundai, you will take this same route, starting from Kochi City, arriving at Okayama via Seto Ohashi at Sakadeko Port, and then changing lanes, and you will be able to reach Kyoto in about 10 hours.

Of course, the Seto Ohashi certainly doesn't exist now. We boarded the ship at Sakadeko Port, bypassing Yoshima, Iwakurojima, and Kakuishi Island on the way, and traveled about seven nautical miles north to the northern shore of the Seto Inland Sea.

Okayama Castle belonged to Bizen Province, and 16 years later, it would become the main castle of the Ukita Nao family, and the Ukita Hide, one of the five elders of the Toyotomi family, was born in this castle in the same year. However, at present, the castle has not been expanded, and the scale is still small, and the lord of the castle is the Jinguang Zonggao of the Urakami family.

If you are taking the Shinkansen, the first stop after landing is Kojima. This is the place where the Uki family arose, and the traditional character "child" on the family crest originated from Kojima. When the Naokie family was young, due to the secret rebellion of the retainer Ukita Yamato, the residence of the Uki family, Toshishijo, was captured by Shimamura Toyogo, and his grandfather Noh family seppuku, and the Nao family escaped with his father. Later, the Naojia left the Urakami family and was ordered to enter Otoko Castle to guard against the Hosokawa family's military situation in Kojima, and gradually grew into an important minister of the Urakami family.

When I walked to the vicinity of Kojima, I couldn't help but stop for a while. It is said that when the Naoke family entered the nearby Otoko Castle, they brought only 30 ashigaru with them, but later the former ministers and soldiers from the domain of his grandfather Noke continued to defect, and the military rations began to be scarce. In order to save military rations, the Naoke personally went to work in the fields with his important retainers, Togawa Hideyasu, Nagafune Sadakin, and Oka Toshikatsu. And in order to maintain enough military rations for the battle, he often went on hunger strike with his retainers several times a month. Despite the hardships of life, the retainers were united, and this cohesion eventually led Naoke to become the Sengoku daimyo who controlled Bizen and Misasaka......

……，……

It's only been two months since I came to the Sengoku period, but I've begun to forget about some things in modern society, and I'm becoming more and more like a native of the Sengoku samurai. If this continues, I'm afraid that I will gradually forget the Warring States materials in my memory. So along the way, I try my best to remember the history and people of this place whenever I go to a place, and sometimes I go to the places where some important events took place to explore the terrain. I told these things to Natsu and Kira Shujing, and at the same time, I consolidated my own memories. When I speak, I must always pay attention to the era, and I must not bring out things beyond this era.

However, sometimes I am always careless, and then I have to try my best to cover it up, or to say that these things are my guesses, and try to make inferences from the current situation so that these things seem to make sense. In the process, I unexpectedly discovered the ins and outs of many historical events. I believe that if I return to modern times now, I will definitely become a super-first-class expert in the history of the Warring States period.

I felt that Kira Hideki was admiring me more and more, and even had some awe. His knowledge and vision are constantly improving. However, I felt that I could no longer encourage this trend, so I gradually reduced these discussions. If you want to remember it in the future, let's remember it secretly in a small notebook!

As for Xiao Xia, my reputation has been brushed all the way from the friendliness and intimacy at the beginning, to the respect, and until now, I have worshipped......

When I arrived in Kyoto, it was already the middle of October of the lunar calendar, and the weather was relatively cold, so I prepared a set of winter clothes for each of the three of us. Before, when I was passing by Kawanoe Castle, I made the decision to sell Kira Hidekei's horse in the town and got 50 taels of gold. This horse has been with Kira Hidekyo for more than three years and has a deep relationship, but considering that it is easier to attract thieves with a horse, he has to dispose of it. Now we have a lot of entanglements. In order to compensate for Xiujing's loss, I handed over all the gold to him to carry, hehe!

Then I was going to stay in Kyoto for a few days, so I found a dormitory to stay in. Perhaps out of nostalgia, the house I chose is located near Yasaka Shrine. In modern times, this is the location of Shijo Gion, and it is the highest-standard downtown town. But in this day and age, it's just a small street.

"Brother, do you want to go and meet His Highness the General? Let the shogun confirm the status of the family in Tosa. Kira Hidekei suggested.

"Meet His Highness the General? There's no need. ”

This is not to say that it is impossible to see it, although the shogun is called the leader of the samurai family and has a high status, but today, he has been reduced to the point of being under the wing of the Sasaki Rokkaku clan. When Shogun Yoshito (later Yoshiteru) was in his prime, the one who presided over the ceremony was Rokkaku Joyori. As the head of the Tosa Kira family, I think it will be easy to meet the shogun after giving the gift. At the time of the Onin Rebellion, the ancestor Kira Nobutsu followed Hosokawa Katsumoto to Katsuraku, and even met the emperor and was given the position of Suruga Mamoru. After that, Mamoru Suruga became a generational official of the Kira family.

"And the general is no longer in Kyoto now." I continued.

"Where?" Xiao Xia asked.

"In the Valley of Kuchigi. Since his birth, His Royal Highness the Shogun has been driven out of Kyoto several times by the governor Hosokawa Harumoto together with His Royal Highness the previous general. finally reconciled with Hosokawa Harumoto, and was driven out of Kyoto twice by the Miyoshi clan with Harukoto. After His Royal Highness the General was kicked out five years ago, the Rokkaku family took in His Royal Highness the General and His Royal Highness the former leader, His Royal Highness Qingyuan, and then His Royal Highness the General never returned. "I seriously recalled Ashikaga Yoshiteru's life experience.

"This ...... Is this still the general of the Seiyi as the leader of the samurai! Kira Hidekyo was extremely surprised.

"This is the troubled times of the Warring States...... The order of superiority and inferiority has been disrupted. Looking at the original national divisions, who else was there besides Ise Kitabatake, Tosa Ichi, and Hibiki Sister Trail? Looking at the Hosokawa, Spo, and Hatakeyama families, what were they like at the time of the Onin Rebellion, and what are they like now? After the death of Ouchi Yoshixing and Yin and Yang Taishou Nizi, who once controlled the 8 countries, what are these two now? Oh, and the Ouchi family has perished in April of this year. ”

“…… So, let's go out and see the scenery! I patted Xiujing on the shoulder.

I stayed in Kyoto just to see the scenery.

In 1553, after Miyoshi Nagakei expelled the Ashikaga shogun Yoshito from Kyoto, Kyoto's government was jointly led by Kyoto Governor Matsunaga Hide and Ise Sadataka. Soon after, Matsunaga Shu also served as the acting official of Sakai Town, and after the pacification of Settsu, he became the lord of Takiyama Castle, so Kyoto is currently in charge of Ise Sadataka. This man's abilities can only be regarded as average, and under his rule, Kyoto, which has been war-torn several times, appears to be very depressed. When we walked out of the house, we saw only a few pedestrians on the road, and some of the buildings on both sides even had remnants of war. Due to the sluggish business, along the way, I found that several of the houses had posted notices such as "closed" and "clearance".

On the notices posted by a department, I was surprised to find that there was news of the clearance of iron cannons. This piqued my interest.

All the way from Tosa to Kyoto, Kira Hidekei was convinced of me. If there's anything I can't look at, it's my martial arts. Not to mention that he has received strict training in swordsmanship since he was a child, it is Xiao Xia, although he has always focused on bows and arrows, he can easily defeat me with a scabbard. And I also have the self-knowledge that I don't have much hope in swordsmanship, at least for a short time. Now it suddenly occurred to me that maybe I could rely on iron cannons to greatly improve my combat effectiveness.

"Let's go in and have a look." I say.

It was rare for someone to enter the door, and the shopkeeper immediately greeted him. He wore a dark royal blue coat with moire patterns, a large belt around his waist, and at the same time tied with silk silk. He wears a dark blue scarf on his head, instead of his usual bun. I looked at it carefully twice, and suddenly thought of a possibility.

"Are you...... Ming people? I asked in Chinese.

"That's right...... Do you speak official language!? The shopkeeper replied with a stammering mouth. From the accent, he speaks Cantonese. This is very normal, for a long time in the beginning, it was either Cantonese or Fujianese who went to sea. The Hakka dialect that is popular in Southeast Asia and Central and North America in modern times is based on Cantonese and Hokkien.

"Hehe, a little." I replied with a smile. Although it is centuries apart, it can be regarded as a foreign country. I was a little excited. However, as far as I know, at this time, the Ming Dynasty had already imposed a ban on the sea, and there were almost only pirate merchants on the sea......

"Excuse me, has the Ming Kingdom lifted the sea ban?" I asked tentatively.

"There is no decree from the imperial court. He was hired by the Westerners of Ho Kyong O to go to sea and served as a general in the fleet. The shopkeeper explained.

Ho Ho Mirror Ao? Isn't it Macau? It dawned on me that at the beginning of this year (1557), the Portuguese obtained the right of residence in Macao from the Cantonese Legation.

I nodded. Out of the friendship of my fellow villagers, I would love to talk to him more. In today's book, there are not many opportunities to speak Chinese.

"In Shimojira Xuanjing, you can also call me Jiang Xuanjing. Haven't asked for your first name yet? ”

"Don't dare to be. The surname of the contemptible person is Li, the name is Tong, the word Fangliang, and the name of the Chaozhou Mansion! Li Fangliang said.

"It turned out to be Shopkeeper Li," I replied, "The business in the store doesn't seem to be very good." ”

"Who said it wasn't," Li Fangliang frowned when it came to business, "The contemptible people thought that the capital city that came to Yuben should be very good for business, but I didn't expect it to be so depressed." Now I have to clear the goods and go back to Sakaimachi...... Alas! I don't know how to explain to the owner of the ship after I go back! ”

"It's normal to have twists and turns in the market. You must not be harsh. I comforted.

"I hope so, Brother Xie Jiang's auspicious words," Li Fangliang hugged his fists and said, "I don't know what Brother Jiang needs, the contemptible person will definitely give the best price." ”

"I want to buy an iron cannon ...... below"

"Iron cannon, the original price is fifteen taels of gold. There are three more in the store, if Brother Jiang wants it, he can give thirty taels of gold together. All the remaining gunpowder projectiles and arquebuses will be given! He said cheerfully.

Thirty taels of gold is a hundred and twenty pieces of gold. As far as I know, even in Sakai Town, the price of iron cannons is around fifty kan. This is indeed a very good price. Although I originally only planned to buy one, with such a good price, it would be good to prepare one for Xiujing and Xiaoxia.

"Then thank you Shopkeeper Li." I changed my words back and asked Xiujing to take out the gold. Xiujing and Xiao Xia kept looking at me blankly, and after hearing my greeting, he hurriedly responded, and then weighed thirty taels and handed them to the shopkeeper.

I took the three iron cannons, handed one to Xiujing and Xiao Xia, and then hung the gunpowder bag, projectile bag and fire rope around my waist, and said goodbye to Li Fangliang with a fist: "Don't disturb the shopkeeper Li, I will say goodbye." ”

"Brother Jiang, walk slowly." Li Fangliang sent us out of the house.

After walking out for a while, Xiujing couldn't help but ask me: "Brother, what you said just now was Mingguo dialect or Nanban dialect?" ”

"It's Ming dialect." I replied.

"Oh, you can explain the Mandarin! I still know so many stories of the Ming Kingdom...... Have you ever been to the Ming Kingdom? Xiao Xia looked at me suspiciously.

"How come, I've been in Xiyang Temple." I say. After making up my mind to accept it, I now consciously maintain the exact surname of Kira Xuanjing's identity, "These are all taught to me by my uncle and grandfather when I was at Xiyang Temple. ”

Kira Xuanjing's grandfather, Kira Xuanjing, and his uncle, Kira Xuanyi, studied under Nancun, the "ancestor of Nanxue", and studied the four books of Chinese and the Book of Filial Piety. Later, Xuanjing died, and his son-in-law Xuanzhi succeeded him as the head of the family, and Xuanyi became a monk in the Bodhi Temple of the Kira family, Xiyang Temple. Xuanjing was less than a year old when he became a monk, and he was always raised by his uncle and grandfather Xuanyi. This family history is recorded in the Tosa Monogatari.

"It turns out that my brother still has this past." Xiujing nodded.

"But my lord, what are you spending so much money on this thing?" Xiao Xia began to feel sorry for the thirty taels of gold.

"Don't underestimate this iron cannon," I took the iron cannon in an aiming position, "If you practice skillfully, it will be much more powerful than Xiao Xia's bow and arrow!" ”

"How long does that take to practice? Xiao Xia's archery skills have been practiced since he was a child. Natsu shook her head.

"It won't take long. One day is fine. Let's go, let's find a place to practice. I answered with confidence. In this era, there were many schools of iron cannons, each with its own secret skills. However, as people in the 21st century, it is natural that they know more about how to shoot firearms than they do. They still have to slowly explore the knowledge of reload, recoil, firing angle, ballistic line, etc., but I have a ready-made one in my head.

I took the two of us to Shijo River, which is on the edge of the Kamogawa River, and walked downstream along the river for about a kilometer. The upper reaches of this river are called Kamo River, and the lower reaches are called Kamogawa River, but the writing is the same, and they are both called Kamogawa...... The area where I am now is the famous Rokujo River, and the west bank opposite it has been used as a place of execution since the Heian period. So not only is it remote, but it has always been considered a fierce place, and few people will come over. To the southeast of Kawara is the Toyokuni Shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, which is a national treasure. But now it's just as desolate.

I made Natsu build a fire. Then he made a mark on a nearby tree with a rib difference, and drew a few irregular concentric circles with it as the center of the circle.

"It's the target." I say.

After walking about thirty meters, I removed the fire rope from my waist, cut off three sections about a foot long, and then filled the strip with gunpowder and projectiles. Xiujing and Xiaoxia stood next to me, watching my movements seriously. However, judging by their expressions, it was clear that they were very skeptical of my marksmanship.

I lit an arquebus, fastened it to the arquebus, and pulled the trigger...... Ten shots later, the two of them were convinced. Except for the first two shots, the remaining eight shots were all in the circle, and the sixth and ninth shots almost hit the center of the circle. Where the tree was hit by the projectile, sawdust splattered, and eight small holes had formed.

"My lord is amazing!" Natsu exclaimed.

"This power...... Much scarier than a bow and arrow. Xiujing touched the bullet marks on the tree and said.

"You two are going to try it too?" I'm in a good mood. The practice worked well, and since then, I have at least the strength to protect myself. And maybe I'll be a celebrity of iron guns.

The two of them enthusiastically followed my example by filling the ammunition, pressing it with the sticks, and then hanging the lit arquebus. I chose another big tree and helped me mark the target.

"Alright, put your shoulder against the butt...... Shoot! ”

"Bang! Bang! ”

After the shot, Xiao Xia couldn't help but take two steps back, and the iron cannon almost fell to the ground. She rubbed her shoulders and put down the cannon in frustration. Xiujing was a little better than her, but she didn't shoot either.

"It's hard to hit the first time, try again!" I comforted.

"Forget it...... Xiao Xia still uses a bow and arrow! I'm used to it. Xiao Xia shook her head quickly.

I was tempted to explain the shooting essentials to her in detail, but after organizing the language, I gave up my efforts. Those terms and knowledge are difficult to explain and understand for a while. People in this era rely more on personal experience in archery and shooting, and many things are known but not known for their reasons, and they can only be understood but not spoken, so there are so many so-called "secret skills" and "mysteries".

After missing the target four times, Xiujing finally found a little feeling. In the end, four out of ten shots were fired in the circle, the first shot missed the tree, the next three shots were all above, and one shot was below, but they were still far from the center of the circle, and the last shot did not know where to go.

"Brother's ability, I really can't catch up with Xiujing." He rubbed his shoulders and smiled wryly.

"It's okay, just practice more. Ammunition and arquebuses were sufficient. I nodded understandingly, "Let's go back now." ”

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