In early spring and February, the ice and snow melt and the river thaws, and it is a good spring light for the spring flowers to bloom and the warbler flies, and the Echigo that has been frozen for several months is like a giant slowly waking up, and it is radiating strong vitality at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This is the reserve of the Kira family, young strong men from the ages of thirteen to twenty in each village, who must be selected from the reserve of one month to three months according to the law class, and according to the performance, the old landlords of each village will select outstanding young people for secondary intensive training, and this secondary intensive training is not at the head of their own village, but is assembled in the military camp outside Kasugayama Castle.

There are hundreds of large and small villages like this, ranging from three or four thousand to tens of thousands of people, forming a network of villages, including 70 percent of Echigo's nearly 800,000 population, and providing as many as 85,000 reserve soldiers.

The original intention of letting these young people take reserve duty for one to three months a year is to maintain strong morale and combat effectiveness, anyway, the grain of the Kira family is too much to eat, and the food to feed these young people for a few months should be to strengthen their physique, and the days after these years are getting better and better, but the peasant families are still rarely seeing meat, and the reserve for the Kira family can eat at least some meat every three or five times, and it is also very refreshing to eat when they are full.

In the past few years, the development of Niigata was stopped due to the total population and fertilizer shortage of Echigo, but with the increasing national strength of Echigo in recent years, the increase in the growth rate of 20,000 to 30,000 newborns per year has made the problem of food a problem in Echigo, and the development of farmland has become an indispensable link.

Even if the population is insufficient, it is necessary to continue to open up wasteland, and as long as half of the 200,000 towns, Echigo Hirano is 1 million anti-new land, which is calculated according to the average standard of Echigo with one anti-grain production of three stones. This will increase the production of three million stone of grain, even if the supply of fertilizer is insufficient, it does not matter much, relying on two seasons of rotation and a small amount of fertilizer to maintain the output of more than two stones, this is an increase of two million stone of grain, this number can be called amazing.

It is one thing to say that there is not enough manpower and fertility to grow high-yield fields, and it is another thing to be satisfied with the existing stone height if there is land, and people who have no foresight must have near-term worries, and the followers of the Kira family have warned about the rapid growth of the population, and at this rate, the population will exceed one million in no more than ten years, and the total population of Japan in the Eiroku period was only more than 10 million.

What is the concept of one country occupying one-tenth of the total population of sixty-six countries? It is equivalent to saying that he has one territory and six territories, and if he needs to recruit military service, he can easily raise an army of 100,000, although it is completely meaningless in the eyes of the lord, but for the warriors of this era, population and land are resources. Echigo, with its population, a large amount of land, and a strong territorial defense advantage, is an extremely difficult opponent.

During the reign of Kira Yoshitoki. Echigo suffered only a few small-scale invasions. The Ashina family, the Mogami family, the Date family, and the jumping clowns of the Echichu Jimbo family all rushed into Echigo without exception and fled in embarrassment, and the people of Echigo were proud of their strength from the bottom of their hearts, and a sense of belonging to the Kira family was quietly established.

In the castle tower of the mountain castle in spring, Yoshitoki Kira sits on the terrace and talks about the past and the present with Konoe for a long time on the green mountains and green waters outside the window, and a small incense tripod in the room exudes wisps of green smoke to make people feel relaxed. Holding a tea bowl and smelling the fragrance of tea, Konoe is a very high cultural literacy of the minister, whether it is Chinese poetry and songs, painting and calligraphy are extremely proficient, what is even more rare is to be able to speak and also have a lot of research on the ancient books of the Ming Kingdom. Let Kira Yoshitoki feel the treatment of a gentleman's fellowship like a spring breeze.

These two people are in high positions and are not idlers who have nothing to talk about, chatting and chatting will always bring about the current affairs pattern, Konoe said for a long time: "When the prestige of the court and the shogunate is ruined by traitors today, and this chaos is in the great changes of the five countries of Kinai, the ambition of the wolf son of Miyoshi Changqing has long been known to the world, and last year it formed an alliance with Echizen Asakura Kingo Hall, Omi Asai clan, etc., and its power is becoming more and more difficult to sustain itself!" ”

Kira Yoshishi shook the folding fan and said with a smile: "The Miyoshi family is only from the Awa Ichisuke country, and it was originally the first-class leader of the Awa Hosokawa clan, and only with the courage of a generation of brothers, it was forged to dominate the hegemony in the country, and this family suddenly rose and could not be guaranteed to die suddenly." ”

Konoe hesitated for a long time and said, "Yoshitoki means ......"

Yu Ke didn't say anything, just guessing a possibility! The Sanhao family relies on the brothers Miyoshi Changqing and Miyoshi Yixian to support the family business, which is really unstable to say! "Kira Yoshitoki will not reveal his true thoughts, and he will never tell Konoe that the changes in this Ki have something to do with him.

Konoe replied for a long time: "There is a martial artist named Maori clan in the Western Kingdom, and the lord Maori Yuan is an immortal genius, and he suddenly broke the Ouchi and Nizi two great names in the Western Kingdom with the body of An Yunguo, and His Royal Highness attaches great importance to this person's ability, what do you think when you don't know righteousness?" ”

"An Yun's Maori Yuan! The skills are not small, but most of the samurai in the West are grass on the wall, from Yamana, Ouchi, to Niko, Maori, all show that the temperament of the samurai in the West is comparable to that of the people of Yamashiro Country, perhaps influenced by overseas factors! In short, Yu is not optimistic about how much this family can do. ”

Kira Yoshitoki is also a self-proclaimed shogunate general, and he still admires Mori Motoshi's personal ability, but he is not optimistic about the future achievements of the Mori family, and the samurai of the Western Kingdom are comparable to the Kanto samurai in terms of undisciplined conduct, and they have always been the places where the most loyal and righteous appear to be famous, such as the one-sixth hall or the Yin and Yang One Taishou are talking about them, which is simply a fantasy in the relatively conservative Kanto.

The samurai of the Kanto region also had no discipline, but they sold the main family and sought self-reliance, although there were alliances, but large-scale submission under the name of a samurai had never appeared, and the nominal ruler of the Kanto region for two hundred years had always been the Kanto Duke, followed by the Kanto governor, unlike the western country, which was simply deprived by the shogunate.

Konoe mentioned a few more lives a long time ago, but it was nothing more than that the daimyo of the East China Sea in Kinai were sent away by Kira Yoshitoki, but he hesitated a little when mentioning the name of Oda Nobunaga, and then said: "This Oda Dan is a strange person, located in Owari Province in the hinterland of Tokaido, Yu Zhi has met with him." It's a bit hard to see. ”

Konoe felt that he was joking for a long time and didn't take it to heart, and the two talked for a while and mentioned the action of Kanto, Kira Yoshitoki took the opportunity to say: "Today, I went to the Ashikaga family to raise tens of thousands of troops to enter the Kanto, in order to eliminate the chaos in the Kanto region, and remove the disadvantages of the shogunate's inability to control the Kanto region for two hundred years. ”

"This is natural, what help do you need when you don't know righteousness?"

Kira Yoshishi was waiting for his words, and said solemnly: "In this operation, Yu is determined to eliminate the scum of the Ashikaga family. That Furukawa Gongfang Ashikaga Fujimasa, who repeatedly provoked me to go to the Ashikaga family! Wipe out this stupid puppet once and for all, and eliminate a hidden danger for the shogunate. ”

Konoe thought that he was asking for support in the name of a crusade against Kanto, but he didn't expect him to make such an exaggerated request, and he trembled in surprise and said: "What does Yoshiki mean to make the Furukawa Gongfang family extinct?" The Furukawa Ashikaga clan is the only one in Ashikaga Fujimasa! This...... This is no small matter! ”

"Brother is too worried! This is not a big deal, the Furukawa Ashikaga family originally had five brothers. The eldest man, Ashikatsu Toto, was killed by the Hojo clan, and the second son, Ashikaga Ume Chiyo Wangmaru, was killed by the Tsukita clan. The third man is this Ashikaga Tomasa. Not long after he became the Furukawa Gongfang, he killed his two younger brothers with his own hands, what qualifications does such a vicious person have to be the Furukawa Gongfang? Surrendered to the Hojo clan, who killed his father and brother, and became a puppet, how could he order the Kwantung samurai to be loyal to the shogunate? ”

In fact, there are too many strange facts that this Furukawa Gongfang has done, and he has long since not used Kira Yoshitoshi to deliberately collect information to fight it, and he did stupid things to advise the Hojo family and was "gifted" back, and later felt that his love for the Hojo family was not deep enough. took the initiative to hook up with the Miyoshi family to make an anti-Kira alliance, and almost made the Hojo clan faint angrily, and the people who were framed by his alliance also hated this public party who could only shout slogans and had no real skills, and he was originally anti-Kira and was forced not to rebel.

Such a strange thing is simply a pig teammate of the Kanto Takeshi family. This time it was to lead the Kira family to victory, Kira Yoshitoki felt that the attack on Kanto was to grasp the key point, whether it was against the Sagami Hojo clan or other Kanto daimyos, they couldn't rush them openly, and choosing Ashikaga Fujimasa was a very good target, and dealing with Ashikaga Fujimasa was the best way to hit him from personal morality.

Earlier, Ashikaga Fujimasa's congenital hostility towards Kira Yoshishi had long caused him strong dissatisfaction, this stupid military and political strategy can be described as scum, and it ended before the anti-Vietnam alliance was formed, and Kira Yoshimasa had long disliked him for standing in the position of the Kanto Prince, and it was reasonable to deal with him this time.

"Although there is nothing wrong with saying this, but after all, it is the Furukawa Gongfang, isn't it a little ...... to kill like this" Konoe Maejiu still shook his head, as a traditional minister, he was very unsupportive of his behavior, but it was inconvenient to say it because of the relationship between righteous brothers and in-laws.

Kira Yoshishi didn't have so many worries, since that Claudia carried out an all-round spiritual baptism on herself, she didn't care about the threat of overstepping the rules at all, if the world's samurai daimyo were in the form of rules, he should honestly serve His Royal Highness in Kyoto, and be a Taiping famous family riding horses and walking dogs all day long, but is the world really as simple as doing things according to the rules? They all do things according to the rules, so how did the Yingren Rebellion and the Mingxi coup come from.

"Brother is thinking badly, Furukawa Gongfang was originally the great enemy of the shogunate, the remnants of the Ashikaga clan of the Eternal Rebellion, and now it is up to me to complete the unfulfilled ideal for the shogunate for many years, if it weren't for the fact that assassinating that waste would bring dishonorable accusations to the Ashikaga family, this waste would have been dead for a few years." Kira Yoshitoki's contempt for Ashikaga Fujimasa has reached the point of nakedness, and he completely looks down on this Furukawa Gongfang in his words, and even treats him as a dead man.

Konoe understood his murderous intent for a long time, and Ashikaga Fujimasa was certain to die, and sighed: "I don't have to ask much about this matter...... It's just that Yoshitoki has thought about what the consequences of losing the public side of the Kanto region will bring, after all, the eight countries of the Kanto region are the birthplace of the samurai, and your killing will add a little new turmoil to the world. ”

Kira Yoshitoki raised his eyebrows, and said with a treacherous expression: "This is exactly what Yu is going to say, the Furukawa Gongfang family is going to be extinct, but the Kanto Gongfang will not disappear just now, Yu needs his brother to do a big thing for me to go to the Ashikaga family, and it will not only be good for Yu when it is completed." It is good for the Kanto samurai and even the ministers of the court and the nobles of the shogunate. ”

Konoe leaned forward involuntarily and asked, "What's the big deal?" ”

"Yu wants to turn this fake Ashikaga into a real Ashikaga! The Kamisui Ashikaga family became the Kanto Ashikaga family, or the Kamakura Ashikaga family. Kira's eyes were bright, and he smiled as if he was telling a very beautiful thing.

The words came out of his mouth easily, but they fell into the ears of Konoe Qianjiu no less than Hong Zhong Dalu, and he trembled so much that he almost fell down, Konoe looked at him in shock for a long time and said, "You...... You're going to ...... His Royal Highness will never agree! Absolutely not! ”

Kira Yoshitoki smiled disappreciatively, and suddenly retorted loudly: "His Royal Highness will definitely agree, and he must also agree!" Yu has no credit or hard work for the shogunate to build the eastern country, and has fought several bloody battles in the past ten years to turn the tide. If it weren't for the full support of Yu Qin, His Royal Highness might still be like an imperial palace in Sakamoto or Kuchiki Valley!

Now the great chaos in Kinai is entangled for a while, only Yu has achieved a series of brilliant results all the way in the eastern country, and at this time, if he destroys the Furukawa Imperial Palace and seizes the control of Kanto, why can't he be the Kanto Ashikaga family! If there is no support from the Ashikaga family in the Luozhong War. Can His Royal Highness sit firmly in the Nijo Imperial Palace? Although this is a bit excessive, Yu does not think that he has done anything wrong. On the contrary, it was the time when His Royal Highness the Duke smashed the vase that made Yu remember it deeply. When I think about it, I still feel a pain in the corners of my forehead! ”

Konoe was suppressed by his venting for a long time, and stammered: "You ...... when you are righteous You say such transgressive words! Aren't you afraid that Yu will go to His Royal Highness to sue you? ”

Kira Yoshishi smiled at him and said, "Brother won't!" My Ashikaga family is one with the same qi and branches, and the combination of Yu and His Royal Highness is too close, and the Ashikaga family and the Ashikaga shogun's family are combined, and the two benefits are divided, and the wisdom of the elder brother should know that the surface of the shogunate is just an illusion, and as long as there is a hint of wind and grass, it may push the fragile shogunate into the abyss. At this time, if Yu and His Royal Highness fall out, it will certainly be a heavy blow to Yu, but I am afraid that it will be a bigger blow to His Royal Highness. ”

"You're gambling! You must know that His Royal Highness has a very strong self-esteem! Konoe Qianjiu smiled angrily, picked up the folding fan and knocked on the case: "You are really dizzy." Don't you know what it means? What lies ahead of you is not a majestic path, but a bottomless path to hell! ”

Kira Yoshishi opened the folding fan and still retorted as before: "How come? Just like my brother said, Yu only needs to carry up the family, and nothing else! Isn't His Royal Highness about to give birth to a son-in-law? Yu was willing to write another oath to the shogunate, the imperial court, and send it to Ishimizu Hachimangu and Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine, and made a heavy oath to the Great Bodhisattva of Hachiman, and to be loyal to His Royal Highness and his sons and grandchildren forever. ”

"You're playing with word traps! What if the grandchildren are not there? Konoe said indignantly: "If you do this, you will be condemned by the heroes of the world!" ”

Kira Yoshitoki sighed, "Eh! Brother, why bother! How can Yu ensure that he is behind him, you must know that it is not easy to be loyal for a lifetime! Besides, the Kamakura public tried to conspire with the shogun several times back then, so how could he be demanding that Yu ensure that future generations would remain loyal for hundreds of years? If the Ashikaga shogun's family was prosperous at that time, my descendants would naturally be loyal, but if the shogunate declined, even if my children and grandchildren would not replace them, how could I guarantee that Hosokawa Masagen and Miyoshi Nagakei would not emerge again? ”

Konoe thought for a long time and sighed: "That's what I said!" If the shogunate is strong, everything is easy to say, if it is not strong, it will be difficult to ensure that there will be a coup d'état, or there will be ugly things such as the Sakai Duke and the Gangju Duke that make the relatives and enemies happy! ”

Kira Yoshishi said: "Brother should know that my ascension to the Ashikaga family is the family of His Royal Highness, so why not take another step with this experience?" The left and right are just to change the Miao character from Kira to Ashikaga, from the general's family to Ashikaga Lianzhi, I will never do the stupid thing of changing the Miao character today and unveiling the anti-flag tomorrow! My name for the Ashikaga family was given by His Royal Highness the Prince, and if he dared to commit a foolish thing of rebellion, His Royal Highness only needed a word to withdraw his name and attract the world's heroes to discuss it. ”

This statement is reasonable and evidence-based, and Konoe thinks about it for a long time and thinks that it is indeed reasonable, and the current situation of the shogunate is indeed inseparable from the help of Kira Yoshitoki, and the Ashikaga family is a powerful member of the Ashikaga family, and in the Kamakura period, it has made countless military exploits for the Ashikaga family.

Although the blood relationship is not as good as the Ashikaga Renzhi, the importance of being a clan and the influence on the Ashikaga family for three hundred years cannot be underestimated, and the current family governor Yoshiro Yoshishi has repeatedly made miraculous contributions to the shogunate, and has been treated as a new lianzhizhong, but he is not a complete form, and he only gives a name but cannot hide the embarrassing dilemma that his Miao character is not Ashikaga. (To be continued......)