In October, Mutsu is already a snowy northern country, and thousands of miles away in Kyoto, where the autumn leaves turn red, and the Nijo Imperial Palace in Ukyo is a picturesque place, and Ashikaga Yoshiteru stands by the pond and throws bait at will, attracting a group of red koi in a short time.

Ashikaga Yoshiki watched the fish swim gently and muttered, "Eating and sleeping every day and spending day after day are really happy!" Yu Zhen wants to try what this kind of life is like......"

But after a while, a handful of bait was eaten by the koi carp, the koi who had eaten the bait still gathered by the pond for a long time, Ashikaga Yoshiki clapped his hands to indicate that there was no bait in his hand, they swayed and dived into the water in twos and threes gathered together to play at will, Ashikaga Yoshiki stared for a moment and sighed lightly and slowly left, his faltering steps seemed to have a thousand pounds of weight on his shoulders.

On the other side of the courtyard, a tall and burly middle-aged man flashed out by the corner door, looking at his age of about fifty years, with a thick beard on his mouth, a bronzed face accompanied by angular facial features, gray sideburns and eyes full of vicissitudes of life revealed a wealth of life experience.

Dressed in a swarthy and simple navy blue straight-hanging gown, the most conspicuous thing is that he did not shave the head of the moon that all the samurai of the Western Kingdom loved to keep, but simply erected it with a headband like Oda Nobunaga's hair bundle, this samurai was Hidetsuna Ueizumi, a hired guide in the art of war by Ashikaga Yoshiteru.

Shioka Kazuha came out of the shadows of the woods and said, "His Royal Highness has been in a bad mood lately, and in recent days, he has often stayed by this lotus pond and said some strange things. ”

The pond overlooks the clear blue water by the pond of Shangquan Hidetsuna. The koi fish swam and frolicked freely, and said meaningfully: "Recently, Kyoto has not been peaceful, and rumors are flying all over the market, probably because people's hearts are fluctuating and affecting the mood of His Royal Highness!" ”

"Rumors? What rumors? Hayashi Shisuke was stunned for a moment, patted his head and said, "I'm sorry! I was a little distracted just now, and I didn't think of any rumors...... What exactly is a rumor? ”

Kamizumi Hidetsuna's eldest disciple Keikane Kaida grinned and said: "I help this guy wander all day long, every day I think about his research Juai Jushu and what new swordsmanship, and when I go back to the house at night, I close the door and I don't know what to ponder, I haven't seen him go out to play next to him in the past few years, it's really boring!" ”

Yanagi Zongyan said curiously: "Huh! That's true. I really haven't seen Shisuke in and out of the wine house or the whale house. Isn't there a problem with not being good at drinking and not being lustful? ”

"This ...... Probably...... Probably no problem! Lin Qi lowered his head in embarrassment, and several five big and three rough men laughed loudly, similar innocuous jokes not only did not affect friendship, but were an indispensable adjustment link in the boring process of study.

The life of the swordsmen with thick lines is simple and simple. Every day, from morning to night, he either practiced swordsmanship or practiced spearmanship. Occasionally, group trips are not in Kyoto to compete with the swordsmen of various dojos. It was to go to the Enryakuji Temple of Mt. Hiei in Omi Province, and the Yamato Kofukuji Temple and the monks and soldiers in the temple learned the marksmanship, and unknowingly, the news of a group of swordsmen in the Kyoto Shogun Imperial House spread. Everyone in the world knows that Ashikaga Yoshiki loves swordsmanship, and the level of several swordsmen near the shogun is even more eye-catching.

This group of swordsmen is headed by Ueizumi Hidetsuna, he comes from the war-torn Ueno country in the Kanto region, and has served for a period of time under the Kanto Ashikaga family, it is said that he retired from his post for personal reasons and wandered to practice swordsmanship, and came to Kyoto four years ago to be recruited by the shogunate, and soon was valued by Ashikaga Yoshiaki with his amazing swordsmanship, but in a few years he was introduced by the shogun as a confidant, and became a new force in the Nijo Imperial Palace.

The ronin swordsman Hayashi Hayashisuke from the Dewa country, the outstanding disciple Shioka Kazuha under the seat of Tsukahara Buta, the proud protégé Keikan Hikita who inherited the mantle of Hidetsuna Izumi, and the Yamato swordsman Yagyu Sogan, who has become famous in Kinai in recent years, have successively joined the Nijo Imperial Palace and served as the swordsmanship teacher of the shogun.

But the actual situation is that their reputation is not loud, Kamiizumi Hidetsuna is getting older and is reluctant to go out to pick up a scene everywhere, the eldest disciple Kaida Keika has excellent talent and extraordinary swordsmanship, but he is too young and likes to be brave and ruthless, he can only be regarded as a more famous samurai in the circle of young swordsmen, and the unknown Hayashi Shisuke comes from the remote countryside of Dewa, and in the past few years, he was an enemy on the street to barely count it as a piece of news, and in addition to this, the introverted Hayashi Shisuke has almost no deeds to circulate.

Only the young and strong Yagyu Soyan and Shioka Kazuha are slightly famous, the two also used to learn with a real sword in the dojo of Sakyo in Kyoto, and the very strong combat power of the bell roll a knife flow against the Katori Shinto who is also good at fighting, and it is the duel of the real sword that makes the competition between the two full of legends, and the two fight dozens of times without winning or losing, so they were invited by Umizumi Hidetsuna to join the Nijo Imperial Office as a swordsmanship.

The life of the swordsmen is very simple, or practice in pairs or practice alone, occasionally go out to travel for a few days to find a master to learn, or alone into the deep mountains of Tanba to exterminate the bandits and break into the great reputation of Nuo, etc., their life is simply like the idol faction of the Warring States Period, so chic and free without getting involved in complicated battles, their income and reputation are not half a point worse than those hard-working samurai, this good life is simply not too comfortable.

For example, Kamiizumi Hidetsuna, who is respected by outsiders like Kashima Sword Saint Tsukahara Bu Tsukahara and is regarded as a new generation of sword saints by Ashikaga Yoshiteru in Kyoto, and Hayashi Hayashisuke's happy and decisive decision to kill one person in ten steps, and the happy revenge of Keikane Hita who killed more than a dozen Miyoshi samurai in a row, are all beautiful lives that young people yearn for, and it is not surprising that in recent years, more and more samurai have come to apprentice and seek art.

In the evening, Hidetsuna Kamiizumi likes to take a walk in the autumn foliage forest of the Imperial Palace, and the melodious bells are heard from time to time in the woods near the edge of the palace adjacent to the temple group of Ukyo, and the beautiful autumn foliage forest is admired by the red and golden leaves.

In the depths of the woods sat a middle-aged samurai about forty or fifty years old, who was ordinary-looking and modestly dressed, not like the luxurious clothes in the palace. But it looks very strange to appear in the red leaf forest inside the wall of the palace for no reason, and what is even stranger is that he will doze off against a towering tree in the red leaf forest of the palace, and his strange behavior is strange everywhere.

Hidetsuna Kamiizumi seemed to have expected that there were people in the woods, so he walked over to the middle-aged samurai and sat down without pausing, and waited patiently for a while before hearing the dozing middle-aged samurai talking unconsciously in his dream: "The death of Miyoshi Repair Hall may have a hidden secret, and the chaos in Kyoto has a huge relationship with Matsunaga Bullet, and perhaps the target is His Royal Highness the General of the Nijo Imperial Palace." ”

The words without a beginning or end made Umiizumi Hidetsuna hesitate for a long time, as if he was deliberating the meaning of this short sentence, and muttered: "Iwami Mamoru has worked hard, may I ask how much adverse effect the chaos in Kyoto will have on the Nijo Imperial Palace?" What kind of danger will His Highness the General encounter? ”

Hattori paused for a moment and said, "There are a lot of rumors circulating in Kyoto. There is the one which I produce under the bottom, and there is the one which Matsunaga bomb is making, too. There are also people who do good things in the market and take a walk at will, and the true and false news are mixed together, and I can't guess the specific behavior of the three good families...... It can only be found that there is a huge controversy within the Miyoshi family, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu does not have the prestige to suppress internal disputes, and the Miyoshi family is very chaotic, and no one can say what will happen to them next. ”

Hidetsuna Kamiizumi said, "I see. Rumors are elusive things. Presumably, the people who create rumors can't grasp the exact direction of rumors. So what does Iwami Shouden think of the violent death of Miyoshi Repair Temple? ”

Hattori Baocho closed his eyes again: "The Miyoshi family is completely ruined, maybe it will fall apart soon, and Kyoto will soon be in chaos." I hope His Royal Highness the General will make plans early. ”

"What are you going to do...... It's also very difficult to plan for the current situation of the Nijo Imperial Palace. Kamiizumi Hidetsuna smiled bitterly and asked: "How could the Miyoshi family fall apart, the Miyoshi family and the others are still there, Matsunaga Shu and Naito Sokatsu, the Miyoshi family shouldn't fall apart so quickly!" ”

Hattori Hocho replied ambiguously: "There is just one sentence below, it is possible that the Miyoshi family will become stronger or weaker, but whether the Miyoshi family becomes better or worse, it is unfavorable news for His Royal Highness the General, and the attitude of the Miyoshi Sanren towards the Nijo Imperial Palace is far less respectful and restrained than the Miyoshi Repair Palace, which is a huge hidden danger." ”

Kamizumi Hidetsuna comforted: "It's still unknown how many threats there are, Iwami Mamoru doesn't have to worry about the sky, maybe His Royal Highness the General will be safer, after all, with the support of His Royal Highness the Princess, the samurai family in Kinai will not dare to act rashly!" ”

"I hope so!" Hattori Baocho smacked his lips and smiled disapprovingly, if the samurai in Kinai were so obedient, he wouldn't have to work hard, and the battle for domination in the world was not a game of number addition and subtraction in a commercial house, just show the stone height and let the heroes bow their heads and worship, this kind of good thing has not been encountered from the Genhei era to this day.

The two looked at each other and fell into a brief silence, unable to see whether Hattori's face was good or bad, he was always a poker face that remained unchanged for thousands of years, Kamiizumi Hidetsuna didn't know him before, and he had only heard his name for a long time in Kanto and didn't see him, when he joined the Kanto General's Mansion, Hattori Hattori had already gone to Sakamoto Castle and was lying dormant in Sakamoto.

He once suspected that this poker face that had not changed for thousands of years was a false face of Yi Rong, and he had never seen a smile or a normal expression other than a straight face, if it wasn't for Yi Rong, it must be that this person has a gloomy nature and has never been smiling, no matter which one of them is not a good thing for Hidetsuna Imizumi, which shows that Hattori Baocho is a samurai who is difficult to deal with.

After being silent for a while, seeing that Hattori didn't say anything, he asked, "What if...... I mean, if Nijo Goku is in danger, how much support can Sakamoto Castle give? ”

"I don't think there will be much support!" Hattori replied with a blank face: "Ise Shouden should know the situation in Kinai, since the trouble caused by Takayaden in the sixth year of Eiroku, Kyoto has been completely out of the control of the shogunate, and the pressure on Dewa Shouden to sit in Sakamoto Castle is very great. ”

Kamiizumi Hidetsuna frowned and said, "I know that Yamamoto Sado Shouden's retirement and return to Kanto to live in seclusion will have a great impact on Sakamoto Castle, but do you really have no spare strength to help His Royal Highness Gongkata?" ”

"No, I know the inside story in Sakamoto Castle, the 6,000 troops stationed in Sakamoto, Otsu, and Katata must be guarded by thunder, and the 6,000 troops in Ika-gun must withstand the pressure of the Asakura clan and the Asai clan and cannot move, and only 20,000 troops are left to be called up as a special force, but the shogun Yamajo and Nakao Castle also need to be watched, and at least 5,000 troops are needed to help defend the military threat of the Miyoshi Army."

"This is a problem, can't we make peace with the Asakura clan and the Asai clan?"

Hattori Baocho shook his head and said, "It's very difficult to try once, Asai Nagamasa's asking price is too high, and this person seems to be prejudiced against his own family, so he didn't negotiate." ”

"What if it's a raid on General Mountain Castle and Nakao Castle to seize the initiative on the battlefield?"

Hattori looked at him in surprise and replied, "Do you mean to be the first to go to war?" It is not difficult to capture the two cities, but the difficult thing is that taking the two cities will attract the attack of the Miyoshi family, the Asakura family, and the Asai family, which will pose a huge threat to Sakamoto Castle. ”

"If His Royal Highness the General is in danger, what if he raids and raids the General's Mountain Castle and Nakao Castle?"

Hattori's face fell, and he was not very satisfied with Hidetsuna's single-mindedness for the sake of Nijo Gosho, and said in a stiff tone: "I'm sorry, I can't answer this question, Ise Mamoru can ask Nakajo Dewa Moriden if you are interested." ”

Kamiizumi Hidetsuna smiled awkwardly, and his tone became more and more soothing: "His Royal Highness the Minister's order is to let His Highness protect the safety of His Royal Highness the General, so please ask Iwami Mamoru to forgive me if I say a few more inappropriate words, after all, we are still ministers of the shogunate, and we should add His Royal Highness the General's Guide to the Art of War, and we should do what we can." ”

Hattori Baochang glanced at him and said expressionlessly: "The mood is understandable, but after all, we are the retainers of His Royal Highness the Shogun, and it is enough to respect His Royal Highness the Shogun, and the difference between the shogun and the Kwantung general must be obvious!" The Kwantung samurai should be attached to the banner of His Royal Highness the Kwantung Princess, and this has been the principle of the samurai for hundreds of years, and Ise Mamoru must understand this truth as a Kwantung samurai! ”

Umiizumi Hidetsuna was silent, his background and upbringing, education and family kinship in the Kanto region, but he is the imperial swordsmanship teacher in the Nijo Imperial Palace at the moment, although he is not responsible for the duties and is not simply for the general, he always wants to do something for the shogun, this may be the little idealism of being a swordsman.

The mixed thoughts in his mind turned back and forth, and when he came back to his senses and looked up again to find that there was still a figure in the woods, Hattori Baochang disappeared without a trace when he lowered his head and pondered, and he looked left and right without hesitating for a moment and sighed: "It's the same source first-class, why is it here!" (To be continued......)