The New Year is coming, and I wish you all a happy New Year.

In the Heian and Kamakura periods, mounted archery was the highest of the eighteen martial arts that a true samurai had to master.

At that time, it was popular among the samurai to fight on horseback, and two samurai on horseback rarely fought in close quarters, but mostly raised bows against each other on horses, and decided the victory by riding and shooting.

This method of warfare continued in the Kamakura period, but in the Sengoku period, the status of mounted archery gradually weakened due to the grouping and large-scale expansion of warfare and the introduction of iron artillery.

However, for a samurai, mounted archery is still a powerful weapon that must be mastered.

After peace, the samurai is the best way to practice riding and archery, and there are no more than the three kinds of hanging hats, flowing horses, and dog chasing, which are also called riding and archery by the samurai.

Among the three things of riding and shooting, dogs chase objects, which is closest to the actual combat of war, and it is also the most exciting, and the scene is bloody.

In general, in the ordinary dog chasing competition, in the arena between length and width, 36 samurai on horseback were ordered to shoot 150 fighting dogs with bows and arrows, and the one who shot more won the game.

Inu-chase is generally held as a major sacred festival of the samurai, and in the ninth year of civilization, due to the end of the Onin War and the accession of shogun Ashikaga Yoshisho, a grand inu-chase was held in Kyoto.

At that time, 1,500 fighting dogs and more than 100 samurai on horseback performed this scene in front of the Shogun's Imperial Palace.

Now that the dog chasing contest is about to begin, with the drums on the high platform beating three times in a row, the crazy roar of the dogs came from the cage where the 150 fighting dogs were locked in the venue.

All of a sudden, the fishy smell was tangy, and the fighting dogs on the field were in the dog cages, jumping up and down, and kept yelling at the stands.

Another drum sounded, and as the fence was pulled up, the fighting dogs rushed forward en masse from the narrow passage.

Suddenly, the center of the field, which was forty rooms long and wide, was full of fighting dogs that had just escaped from the cage.

The retainers of the Takeda family on three sides of the stands, and the family members couldn't help but look forward to this upcoming ceremony of dog chasing.

Regardless of the retainers, the old and the young are keen on this way, looking at the vigorous galloping on the field, it seems to be like a fighting dog jumping out of the wooden fence, everyone points and points out, and comments with others with great interest.

Sanada Yutaka sat beside Li Xiao, holding a folding fan and shaking it gently, as if relying on the old and selling the old, and said: "When the Hojo family ruled the Moon Wheel Temple, it was said that they were addicted to dog fighting. ”

Li Xiao smiled slightly when he heard this, this statement sounded like the reason why Song Huizong was obsessed with calligraphy and painting, and even lost his country.

Li Xiaoyan said: "I heard that the Sakumo Hall of the Sagami Hojo family inherited the Hojo family's dog chasing things, and is one of the first-class masters. ”

Sanada Yutaka smiled, continued to shake the folding fan in his hand, and said: "How did the Hayunden inherit the Hojo family's theory, it is just to deceive the world and steal the name, but the bow and horse technique of the Hayunden is from Ise-ryu. Since the imperial court has set a position, they are public warriors, and the two are exemplary etiquette models, and they are the world's teachers. Since the opening of the Imperial Palace, he has held a position as a samurai, and it is not Ise-ryu, that is, Ogasawara-ryu. ”

"I heard that the deacon of the Shogunate and the shogunate office, the one who achieved the great success of the extreme Ise-ryu, Ise Sadamune, is a subordinate brother. So it's not surprising that he is a master of dog chasing. However, today's trickle of arching and horsemanship, which can be called a model of samurai etiquette, is to recommend the Ogasawara family first, followed by the main family. ”

Li Xiao was slightly stunned when he heard this, Zakumo Hall is Hojo Sakumo, it turns out that he is not a ronin born as mentioned on the Internet, the father of Ise Sadamune, that is, his uncle Ise Sada, has a prominent status, not to mention the power, and is the teacher of the two shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, and the adoptive father of Ashikaga Yoshimasa.

And Hojo Sakumo and his father are both shogunate Shen Cizhong, and they can become Shen Cizhong, this family character is equivalent to the family character of a country's guardian, and it is a veritable second generation of officials now.

Li Xiao heard Sanada Yutaka praise Ogasawara bow horse flow so much, and said: "The Ogasawara family is the ancestor of the Takeda family, so the bow and horse skills of the two are also related to each other. ”

Just as Li Xiao and Sanada Yutaka were chatting, at this time, thirty-six samurai of the Takeda family were on horseback, and they were dressed in gorgeous samurai clothes, and their clothes were tattooed with their own family crests.

At this moment they sat majestically on horses, quivers, and longbows, waiting behind the wooden fence.

The relatives on the side couldn't help but cheer for the athletes in their families at this moment.

After a while, these samurai on horseback were about to rush into the field, shooting the fighting dogs with bows and arrows, and whoever shot the most would win.

On the other side of the field, a few people tried to throw several large pieces of bloody fresh meat into the field.

This action immediately attracted the competition of fighting dogs on the field, and the roar did not stop for a while, and blood and flesh flew sideways.

And Li Xiao saw this scene, and couldn't help but be dumbfounded, thinking that if the warrior accidentally fell off the horse for a while, I am afraid that he would also suffer the fate of this minced meat.

However, the retainers of the Takeda family on the side watched it, and couldn't help but smile and point, commenting on which fighting dog was more ferocious.

The samurai on horseback stood in a parallel row on the sidelines, but they looked eager to try, excited, and did not show the slightest sense of fear.

Since the older retainers in the Takeda family will not participate, they are all young children who are selected for the competition, and many of them are expected to show their skills in the competition, and are appreciated by Takeda Shingen, so that they have become envoys, Ao Jinxi, and the most unfortunate is also mixed with a flag book.

"Li Xiao, look," Sanada Yutaka suddenly pointed his folding fan at the thirty-six samurai on horseback and said, "The Chukyuyama family and the Kibe family of this family are both very good at arching horses, and the Kibe family is a tributary of the Ogasawara family, and the Akiyama family and the Ogasawara family can also be said to be the same clan. ”

Li Xiao looked carefully, and sure enough, nearly half of the thirty-six horseback warriors were painted on their clothes, all of which were family crests of the Akiyama family and the Kibe family.

Of course, Li Xiao also saw three familiar faces, among them were Akiyama Kinhisa and Akibe Masataka, both of whom were close to Takeda Katsuyori, and one was even more stunned, that is, Li Xiao's future fierce general, Akiyama Kinhisa's brother, Tsuchiya Masatsune.

Li Xiao couldn't help but be surprised that it was so big, and he also came to participate in the dog chasing competition.

However, looking at the other party's head shaved for half a month, it seems that he has just dressed in Yuanfu, and he will be twelve years old during the New Year.

At this age, it was not too early at that time.

However, with his body, to participate in the dog chasing competition, Li Xiao couldn't help but be a little worried about him.

"Let's go."

With an order from the high platform.

At this moment, one side of the wooden fence was pulled up, and thirty-six samurai on horseback, holding the reins, rushed into the field.

The fighting dogs in the center of the arena saw a samurai rushing in on horseback, and first subconsciously fled to the corner to avoid it.

At this time, the samurai on horseback, almost at the same time, drew their bows and arrows together, and shot at the fighting dogs that were running wildly on the ground.

Chirping!

The arrows burst through the air, and a long series of beeping sounds were heard first.

The arrows used by the samurai were specially made arrows, and each arrow was shot in the air with a hissing sound.

From time to time, bows and arrows flew through the air like flying locusts, and the fighting dogs on the field could not dodge and were shot one after another.

The war horse galloped, and the warriors calmly sat on the war horse, drew the second arrow, and aimed at a galloping fighting dog on one side, which was an arrow.

Suddenly the dog's blood was splashed on the field, and the frightened fighting dogs flew in all directions in panic, and then the difficulty was revealed, and as soon as the speed of the fighting dogs accelerated, many of the arrows in the hands of the samurai were shot into the air.

This second arrow is not easy to hit, this fighting dog is more than human, faster, and smaller, so it can be said that it is more difficult to shoot.

Therefore, the samurai who can shoot the fighting dog can show their excellent bow and horse skills.

The vigorous posture of the samurai on horseback galloped on the field, and although it was very difficult, in the center of the field, there were still fighting dogs shooting and shooting.

Some fighting dogs were pierced by arrows and were killed instantly, while others were frozen on the ground with bows and arrows, unwilling to struggle.

There are also many fighting dogs that have been shot and wounded, and they pounce on the injured riders, and bite the horses under the opponent's feet.

The scene suddenly became lively and mixed, with the angry shouts of the samurai, the sound of arrows, and the howling of fighting dogs, while in the stands, the spectators looked nervous and clenched their fingers.

Whenever a samurai mount was bitten on the field, many people would make a noise and worry about the other.

But more people are more secretly addicted to the thrill.

But in Li Xiao's eyes, how could he think of Spanish bullfighting, which is also the same show.

However, the bloodiness is even more excessive, and if this scene is seen by the current Animal Protection Association, it must be vigorously prevented.

"My lord, Your Highness Yixin, have left."

Just as Li Xiao was looking at the events on the field, Shigang Kazuyu's eyes never left, Takeda Yoshinobu in the stands.

Li Xiao heard Shigang Kazuyu's reminder, and suddenly sighed, looked up at the stage, and indeed Takeda Shingen was approaching with his side, and was getting down from the stands, slowly leaving the field.

Takeda Yoshinobu left the scene at this time, very suspicious, did he decide to do it, it seems impossible, the New Year is only a short time, he can't be ready so soon.

Soon, a small note quietly reached Li Xiao's hand.

This was privately passed on to Li Xiao by Takeda Katsuyori, and it was written that Takeda Yoshinobu had returned to the residence early because he felt unwell.

Li Xiao looked at it with a look of unbewilderment, and the guess in his heart became stronger, and he immediately told Sanada Yutaka about the situation.

After hearing this, Sanada Yutaka also immediately sent someone to issue an order to the ninjas under his command to strengthen the monitoring of movements in the vicinity, and sent someone to track the whereabouts of Takeda Yoshinobu.

The current situation is quite painful for Takeda Katsuyori and Li Xiao, who speculated that Takeda Yoshinobu might rebel.

The first hand of the rebellion is in the hands of Takeda Yoshinobu, if he does not get the news that he did not act, it is impossible for Li Xiao and Takeda Katsuyori to launch, so they can only wait and see.

(To be continued)