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The time was already June of the fifth year of Yonglu.

During this month, various sacred ceremonies are held throughout Mino to pray for a good harvest this fall. One of the grandest is the harvest festival at Tengryuji Temple near Inabayama Castle. This festival is actually Saito Michizo's sacrifice to the god of Hachiman (I really don't understand what Hachiman Damyojin has to do with the harvest), and the dog chase of the traditional riding and archery three things.

The god of Hachiman Damyojin is the clan god of the Kiyokawa Genji clan and the martial god that the samurai believe in representing their own martial arts. The god of Hachiman is also known as the bow and arrow Hachiman, and in the Warring States period, in addition to the battle, there is also a sacrificial purpose, in the Heian Dynasty, the military attachés see that the emperor holds the bow and arrow, and the position of the bow is like the sword held by the civil official when he went to the court.

So there's nothing better than holding a riding and archery ceremony to worship the god Hachiman.

On this day, Saito Michizo convened all the generals of the Saito family to hold a dog chase ceremony, one of the three salutes of riding and shooting. The ceremony was held in the suburbs, not in the city, and the place where the dog chases was held was a square of forty rooms in length and width, surrounded by wooden fences. Then, on the front and to the left and right sides of the site, high platforms were erected so that the retainers and their families could watch.

In the stands, Saito Michizo and Saito Longxing's ancestors and grandsons also looked happy and sharing the joy of family at this time, and they didn't seem to be able to see each other's intrigue at all.

Meanwhile. Under the side of the stands. Sitting below is the Oda family's mission to the Saito family this time. See this scenario. Many people in the Saito family immediately understood Saito Michizo's intention to hold the Dog Chase Competition, and it turned out that he was showing off the strength of the Saito family to the Oda family

Soon after, the dog chase ceremony began. 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 their bows against each other on horses. Victory is determined by mounted 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.

The best way for samurai to practice riding and archery on weekdays is the three types of samurai, such as the Kasa hanging, the flowing horse, and the dog chasing the object, which is also called the three things of riding and archery by the samurai. And among the three things of riding and shooting, dogs chase objects. The closest to the actual combat of war is also the most exciting. A way of riding and shooting that sees blood in the scene.

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.

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 Saito family and their families on three sides of the stand couldn't help but look forward to this upcoming dog chase.

Regardless of the retainers, the old and the young are enthusiastic about 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 is pointing and pointing, and they are quite interested in commenting with others.

And while everyone was talking, thirty-six Saito family horseback warriors, dressed in gorgeous samurai clothes, all 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 tentatively threw 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.

At this time, after seeing such a scene, the retainers of the Saito family on the side couldn't help but smile and point and comment on which fighting dog was more ferocious. On the other hand, the samurai on horseback stood in a parallel row outside the arena, but they all looked eager to try, looking excited, without the slightest sense of fear.

Since the older retainers of Saito's 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 Saito Michizo, so that they have become envoys, Ao Jinxi, and the most unfortunate is also a flag book.

"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 field saw a samurai riding a horse rushing in, 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.

"Squeak!" 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 "ah" sound, worried about the other party. But more people are more secretly addicted to the thrill.

And just when everyone was paying attention to the situation on the field, no one noticed that Saito Ryuxing, who was still in the field, had asked a shadow warrior to change his clothes, and then secretly left.

(Ahem, today's "Warring States Eagle" has been updated with a total of more than 30,000 words, and the new book "Giant Tree Lord" has also been updated with more than 5,000 words, but at this time I am already dizzy, and my waist is a little painful, I really can't hold on anymore, I hope you are satisfied with today's update speed.) Finally, I would like to ask you for support for the new book "Lord of the Giant Tree"! (A pie-in-the-sky event, cool phones are waiting for you!) Follow from ~ Dian/Chinese network public account (WeChat add friends - add public account - enter ddxiaoshuo), participate now! Everyone has a prize, now pay attention to ddxiaoshuo WeChat public account! (To be continued......)