In July of the third year of Eiroku, in the southwest of Echigo Naoetsu Town, Miaokakuji Temple, Asayama Hishinori and Toraya Soyi were playing chess with chess pieces, the indoor incense burner exuded a faint fragrance, the wind chimes outside the window gently shook the raindrops on the eaves and fell gently, and the water bamboo in the distance made a dingdong sound, and a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere made people unconsciously relax.

Over thirty years old, Tiger Zai Zongyi to the same young as a few years ago, holding a black chess piece quietly staring at the chessboard and contemplating, coarse tea and light rice did not lose half of his calm and calm bearing, after several years of meditation gradually some generation of monk temperament, he is no longer a penniless young monk in the past but a well-known master of learning in Echigo, profound Zen theory and excellent cultural literacy make his reputation gradually spread to Kanto.

As the Kira family grew in popularity, the humble Myokakuji Temple became an eye-catching place in Echigo and even the Kanto region, and merchants from all over the world would stay at Myokakuji Temple for a moment to pray for peace and happiness, and legend has it that incense in this temple would be blessed by the gods and Buddhas, who always favored the Kamikawa Ashikaga family.

Before leaving Kyoto, Toriya Soyi had listened to the teachings of Kuaikawa Shaoxi in Myoyun Temple, and his teacher passed on to him the eight-character mantra of "reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles", so Toraya Soyi worked hard to implement the concept of the unity of knowledge and action, except for the implementation of the pen and hard work, these years did not nest in the small world of Naoetsu without leaving home.

He was like an ascetic, and he only took a few disciples to travel through most of Hokuriku and Kanto, and visited the training centers of Mt. Iinerope in Shinano and Mt. Haguro in Dewa, and meditated with the monks of Shingon Buddhism for more than half a year. Over the years, there have been many famous mountains and rivers from Mino Province to Kyoto. And then to the many places that I have visited since Echigo. The travelogues recorded in the geography of mountains and rivers, culture and customs are more than a foot, including his own handwritten records and oral records for his disciples, and the content is rich and has become a lifelong travelogue of Paul.

And Chaoshan Richeng is getting more and more wide and fat, and the original majestic figure is slowly having a horizontal trend, a rich fat face is full of red light, and even the appearance of a fierce god is reduced by seven or eight points, and the corners of his mouth always have a faint smile like a Maitreya Buddha, at this time he was stunned for a long time with a white chess piece and didn't know how to fall.

The white dragon has been cut in two, and the black side has become unstoppable and has begun to divide and encircle white. Seeing that there was no need to continue the fight in this game, Chaoshan Richeng simply dropped the chess pieces and admitted defeat, put down his mind and turned to enjoy the scenery outside the window, and said: "After the new rain in the empty mountain, the weather is late in autumn, the bright moon shines among the pines, and the clear spring stone is upstream...... The poems of the Maha monks are as elegant as the orchids after the rain, and there is a feeling of refreshment and joy when you look at it just for the first time! ”

Hu Zai Zongyi put down the chess pieces and threw them away, looked at the rockery and stream in the courtyard and said lightly: "The Dongpo monk once said that there are paintings in the poems, and there are paintings in the poems. There are poems in the paintings, and he is good at expressing the quiet landscape and the tranquil and calm mood. It makes people feel like they can't put it down after reading it. ”

The breeze blew away the clouds to reveal the long-lost sun, a ray of sunlight fell under the eaves and gradually the courtyard sounded frogs chirping and cicadas chirping, and the faces of the two showed a faint smile, obviously indulging in the peaceful and peaceful beauty after the rain, just at this time a noise came from the vestibule to interrupt their peaceful and tranquil state of mind.

A little novice hurriedly ran in and said, "Master, the Shanpu Faqiao has started to make trouble again, and a few senior brothers can't stop him!" ”

"Sure enough, it's the Shanpu Faqiao again......" Huzai Zongyi smiled bitterly, shook his head helplessly and said, "Let's go to the Sugiura Faqiao!" Just be careful not to let him hurt people. ”

The little novice hurriedly took the order to retreat, and Chaoshan Richeng pinched his long beard and said thoughtfully: "How could His Royal Highness think of sending this Dharma Bridge of the Xiang Sect to the Miaojue Temple to be controlled? The poor monk has also tried the ability of this Shanpu Faqiao, and the poor monk's brute strength can't even pull him, and this strange power is really extraordinary! ”

Tiger Zai Zongyi said: "His Royal Highness's thoughts are as elusive as white clouds floating in the sky, but this Sugiura Faqiao has indeed become more and more restrained in the past half a year, and half a year ago he still had to make trouble every day for a while before he could sleep, either hurting the monks in the temple or smashing Garan to cause a storm, and now it has been reduced to ten days and eight days before he thinks of making a fuss, and he has not hurt anyone for a long time." ”

Asahyama Hisaka laughed: "This should be the credit of Master Zongyi's degree, isn't the poor monk's Buddha son of the Nichiren Sect also given by Zongyi?" Meditate all day long to study Buddhism and cultivate life, to gradually reduce the fat weight, sure enough, it is always good to stay in this Buddhist temple for half a year, and it is really not good for the body to run back and forth in the past few years! ”

As a diplomatic envoy of the Kira family, of course, Asayama Hisaka can't stay in the temple all day long in a daze with nothing to do, in recent years, he has been in Beijing to communicate with the imperial court, contact the temple and the monk group and the Daimyo meetings in various places have really moved around a lot, including the outpost contact of Harima Province's strategy is also done by Asama Hisaka, Hideharu Hatano of Tanba Country, Hatakeyama Takamasa of Kawachi Country, and Tsutsui Shunmasa of Yamato Country are also introduced by him to Honta. Without him, he would not have been able to carry out this strategy against the Miyoshi family in Kinai all these years.

Asahyama Richeng is a flower monk who can't help but have five precepts, and he will inevitably gradually become wide and fat when he is sent to live a flashy life in Kinai, this time because of the strategic adjustment of the Kira family and temporarily transferred him back to rest, so Asayama Richeng ran to Miaokakuji Temple and did not leave, this half a year has been a small day to be very moisturized, not only to lose weight successfully but also to make the face better and better.

Facing the expression of the hippie smile of the mountain Richeng, Huzai Zongyi said a little helplessly: "This saying can not be passed on, the poor monk has not been the master of the Riyana Dynasty, it is because the Riyana master has quit meat and eats some coarse food in the temple all day, but it is not the poor monk who has become the master of the Riyana Dynasty!" ”

"Hey, it's almost all about ......" Asama Hisaka was about to speak, when he caught a glimpse of the little novice running in and said, "Master! Sugiura Bridge is quiet! He was persuaded by the little master who placed the order, and swore to the gods and Buddhas that he would never make trouble again. ”

"Oh? Is it Longxing Temple with the wind? And what did he say to Sugiura Hohashi? Tiger Zai Zongyi said with some surprise: "When did Sugiura Faqiao become so easy to talk to?" The poor monk has tried to persuade him many times to no avail. ”

Xiao Shami snorted and said, "It's just that the Shanpu Faqiao was quieted down after a few words by the little master with the wind, and the disciples don't know the specific situation." ”

Asahyama Hisaka asked suspiciously: "Who is this Longxing Temple Suifeng?" ”

Huzai Zongyi said: "This junior brother of the poor monk of Longxing Temple who is barely counted by the wind is an excellent talent recommended by the family teacher Xi Xuanmi. It is said that it was originally a member of the same clan of the Ashina Mori clan, a powerful native of the Mutsu Aizu region. The common name is Hyotaro Ashina. At the age of fourteen, he became a monk at Longxing Temple in Shushan, Aizu Province, and soon went to Fanhe Temple to worship under the monk Emperor Shun, and after two years went to Enryakuji Temple, Mitsui Temple, Kofukuji Temple and Myoshin Temple to practice, a few days ago he came to Myokakuji Temple with a letter of recommendation from his teacher, and he was only twenty-four years old now. ”

"I see, the young monk of the Tiantai Sect!" Asayama smacked his lips and said, "I practice in several large temples in Kinai...... It seems that he is also a scholarly monk with unparalleled talents, and it is because of this reason that he can persuade Sugiura to pass the bridge! With such a talent at such a young age, it looks like a promising and excellent Buddha! ”

"Probably so!" Tiger Zai Zongyi said lightly: "It's just that this junior brother who came to Echigo with the wind seems to have other ideas. Recently, I have been practicing near Naoetsu and hardly lived in the temple, but I don't know how to run into Sugiura Bridge today and persuade him to stop......"

Asama Hisakari said with a smile: "Young monks always prefer to experience life, just like Master Zongyi has also traveled thousands of miles!" It's good to walk around and see more, and it's good to do knowledge and study Buddhism in the temple after all, and it's a nerd who can only read the scriptures. ”

"A few days ago, Senior Brother Suifeng once looked for a poor monk, hoping that the poor monk would introduce him to His Royal Highness the Public Minister."

"Oh? I want to see His Royal Highness! What does this mean? Asayama Hitomori held his chin and pondered, "Could it have something to do with the Aizu Ashina clan?" ”

"This poor monk doesn't know." Hu Zai Zongyi shook his head noncommittally and said: "The poor monk is planning to meet His Royal Highness Gongfang, so he will take him to Kasuga Mountain City by the way, whether he can meet His Royal Highness depends on his fate." ”

……

A few days of clouds and rain harvest is not the end of the rainy season, and the work of just a few days is a sudden change in the wind and clouds. The wind and rain accompanied by thunder and lightning came more violently than usual, and the simultaneous swelling of several rivers in Echigo put tremendous pressure on the flood discharge and dredging. Fortunately, the Shin-Hori River, excavated by the Shinano River and the Agano River, was put into operation, which greatly facilitated the flow of floods and prevented the dams from being washed away and farmland flooded during peak flooding.

One of the important aspects of the establishment of Niigata Town was to bring a halter head to the Shinano River and Agano River, which are often flooded by rivers, so that the two fierce horses could be tamed and turned into a hydraulic resource that could be used by Echigo farmers.

If it weren't for the Kira family's complete system, I'm afraid that this year's autumn harvest situation would be even more severe than last year's, and the news from the Kanto region was far more serious than the Kira family had imagined, and Kamakura was also stormy and rainy, and the seawalls were washed away in many places, and the sea water poured back into the farmland, causing huge losses to the Hojo family.

Kai was also devastated by a violent storm, and it was a foregone conclusion that nearly half of the barley planted would be destroyed, with one-third of the barley in Minami Shinano being damaged, and the damage in Kita Shinano and Ueno was quite severe, and the situation in most of the other countries in the Kanto region would not be better than here, and even the two countries of Sunen, Sanitichi and Owari Ise were also damaged to varying degrees.

The ministers gathered in the assessment room of the Kasuga Mountain Castle, and Kira Yoshishi stared at a set of loss figures with a grim face, and said in a cold voice: "Another catastrophe for three consecutive years, this is the second time in the past ten years that it has been affected by disasters for three consecutive years, right?" Since the Yingren Rebellion, in the nearly 100 years of Chenguang, not to mention the continuous artificially created fires, even natural disasters have become more and more frequent, in the past ten years, there are always seven or eight years of disasters, and the harvest has become an unattainable thing, maybe the days in the future will be more sad, you must be psychologically prepared as soon as possible! ”

Langoka said in surprise, "What does His Highness mean?" ”

Kira Yoshishi said slowly: "The monarchs should know that whenever the shogunate changes, the rise and fall of the dynasty always starts with the outbreak of large-scale natural disasters, which can be referred to the history of the Ming Kingdom to know the changes. Natural disasters arise and fires arise, this is the law. The reason for this is nothing more than that the samurai and peasants can't have enough to eat, so they can only cause turmoil! According to Yu's years of intensive research and development, severe cold hits every once in a while in history. The abnormal weather has increased exponentially, not only in a corner of Japan, but also in the Ming Kingdom. ”

Hosokawa Fujitaka nodded and said: "This subordinate has indeed heard the merchants of the Ming Kingdom say that about twenty years ago, there were several frosts in July, and the bad weather of rain and snow in August was either cold and freezing rain and snow became more or drought year after year, and even the warm areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang could not escape this fate, so many maritime merchants would take risks to do their smuggling business." ”

Honda Shi Zhengyan said: "Hongzhi four years of great wind and rain in the west. Amagasaki, Bessho, Naruo, Imatsu, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Koba, Suma, and Akashi were attacked by Tsuna, and the violent waves broke through the embankments and washed away many fishermen on the shore, causing immeasurable losses to the population and agriculture in many parts of the western country, and the damage to the Akamatsu family in the western country was particularly severe. ”

Kira Yoshishi knew the great power of the Xiaoice River period, and the Ming Empire was dragged down partly because of the deformed internal decay of the whole and partly because of the continuous disasters brought about by the terrible Xiaoice River period, and the "Guangdong Tongzhi" recorded "the first year of Zhengde, the rain and snow in Wanzhou, the capital of Qiongzhou", and "the fourth year of Zhengde." Snowfall in Chaozhou, Guangdong, thick feet". The name of this Qiongzhou is obviously Hainan Island, which shows what a cold season it is.

It is not advisable to talk about this matter in depth, otherwise it is easy to bring out a series of problems, so Kira Yoshishi only gave a few shallow instructions and said: "Natural disasters are always inevitable, and we are powerless to intervene, but man-made disasters must be prevented as much as possible, and then the focus of the monarchs should be on the prevention and control of disasters in the future, and drought and flood prevention are particularly important." ”

Then there is the discussion of the information from the Hida country, since the end of February to send troops to the Hida, Yasuda Nagahide's strategy can really be described as smooth sailing without any difficulties, the self-proclaimed sister of the Koji clan Miki Ryori cobbled together 1,500 troops, under the onslaught of the Vietnamese army, did not last long and then melted away like the ice and snow like the scorching sun, Miki Ryori and Miki Zigang father and son were captured on the spot, and the so-called Miki coalition army was suddenly scattered.

In the northern part of the Hida country, Jiangma Shisheng found that the situation was not good and hurriedly surrendered, and successfully transformed from a vassal to a leading party to fight for the Vietnamese army, and then more and more Hida people joined the Vietnamese army, and it didn't take long for it to swell to more than 4,000 people, almost including the vast majority of the power of the Hida country.

All the territories of the Miki family were pacified, and the stubborn people who were unwilling to surrender could only take dozens of soldiers to huddle in the small city, trying to use this little strength to repel the powerful Yuezhong army.

Just such a group of hilarious Hida people really let them drag on for more than a month, not to say how powerful their combat effectiveness was to block the attack of the Vietnamese army, but that Yasuda Nagahide consciously indulged these resolutely resisting countrymen to flee back, and then cleaned them up little by little to change their skills.

The city lords of these small cities are not very capable of pulling strong men, and their ability to pull strong men is not small, as large as two or three hundred peasants and as small as ten or eight strong men, and the Vietnamese army led by Yasuda Changxiu is like a full-powered road roller all the way through, all of which have been done quite smoothly, and they have almost won one small-scale cage battle after another with a complete victory without injury.

But soon encountered a thorn in the way, that is, hiding in the west of Hida Province Zhuangchuan River valley Uchijima Clan, the lord of Guiyun City, this person claims to be the first-class heroic figure in Hida Country, just because it is located in the most remote west of Mount Gozen, the single passage connecting Hida Province is in his hands, and he can close the door to be the king of the mountain, and the only road to the other than Hida is Zhuangchuan.

Yasuda Nagahide did not think that the Uchijima clan would resist him before this, and the Etsuchu army led by him did not choose the more shallow Zhuang River to enter Hida, but invaded Miyagawa, the main tributary of the Shintotsu River, so when the army fell into the large basin to the east of Hida, there was no way to launch an attack on Guiyun Castle, which was hidden by the mountains.

In desperation, he had to send an order to the Great Bear Ashide, telling the Kira Navy to cut off the foreign trade in the upper reaches of the Zhuangchuan River basin in time, and invade the Shirakawa Township of the Uchijima clan along the Zhuangchuan River, which is a valley isolated in the mountains, and the resident population of the valley is less than 8,000 people.

The Uchijima clan originally didn't plan to carry it to the death, but just wanted to take advantage of the geographical advantage to exchange some benefits, even if the main force of the quasi-Kira army was in the Miyagawa Valley, he probably wouldn't go around it with great difficulty, so he made a posture that I am not afraid of you, and boasted to the wealthy clan landlords in Shirakawa Township that his family's Guiyun City was the first fortified city in the world, even if the famous Kira Yoshitoki and Uesugi Terutora came in person, there was still no way to take his Uchijima family. (To be continued......)

PS: The legal name is the one who follows the wind, and it is for Nanguangfang Tianhaiye.