In the early morning of late summer and early autumn, the cool mountain wind blows through the Shinano Mountains, filling the vast dense forest with silence and tranquility. The Hokushin Five Sacred Mountains are located at the junction of Shinano and Echigo, consisting of Mount Myoko, Mount Madarao, Mount Kurohime, and Mount Togakushi. It consists of five mountains, Mount Iizumi, with an average altitude of more than 2,000 meters. It has been a symbol of inaccessibility and mystery since the Middle Ages.
In Togakushiyama, it is said that Susanoo Tatesu acted recklessly. As the eldest sister, Amaterasu Omikami locked herself in Amamado in anger. As a result, the whole world became dark, and the gods held a meeting to solve the problem. During the banquet, there was singing and dancing. Amaterasu Omikami curiously opened a gap to peek through the Amado, but she was forcibly dragged out of the cave by Amaterasu Rikogami. Then the world regained its light. It is said that the origin of Togakushi was hidden in the Amandou. Allusions to Huli.
Therefore, there is also a small-scale Togakushi Shrine in Togakushi Mountain. The local mountain people do not pay much attention to such myths and legends. They are more accustomed to worshiping the holy Kanyin Bodhisattva enshrined in the shrine. In the era of unity of gods and Buddhas, the sky is The gods also ask the Buddha to enlighten him and become a Buddha. The simple understanding that worshiping gods is not as good as worshiping Buddha is deeply rooted in people's hearts.
There were not many hikers in the early morning. The mountain people who came down to fish looked at the two travelers with bamboo hats curiously. The older mountain people saw the swords hanging on their waists and hurriedly pulled the children in the village to turn around. Then they left. The two travelers turned a blind eye to the behavior of the mountain people and slowly walked into the dense forest.
Togakushi Mountain is very big. After climbing a few ridges, the sun was already rising high. The two of them came to a river beach to take a rest. There was also a woodcutter sitting by the river collecting firewood. The woodcutter was about forty years old. A middle-aged man, his bronze skin was exposed from the worn linen shirt. The woodcutter smiled friendlyly when he saw the two men's attire. He lowered his head and sorted the pile of firewood. The tallest man in the pile of firewood was at least There is a small portion of 200 kilograms.
The two travelers took a few sips of the clear river water, then suddenly raised their heads and said, "Qiaojia, we are travelers from the north. I heard that the Wuyue Mountains in Beixin are steep and majestic, and I would like to ask you what scenic spots are nearby."
The woodcutter seemed to be startled by the two people's inquiry. He pointed to the ridge for a long time and said: "The most convenient way to go up the mountain is from there. On the other side of the mountain is the Togakushi Shrine. If you turn around now, you can still go there before noon. There are no others. Yeah, hehehe..."
"Oh! Where does the woodcutter live?"
"My family lives in a nearby hut. The small place is relatively secluded and not worth mentioning, hahaha!" The woodcutter seemed unwilling to say anything. He arranged the firewood and smiled at them, then carried the firewood pile and slowly walked into the dense forest.
Toda Gobei walked briskly through the mountains and dense forests. This mountain road would have taken an ordinary hiker at least two hours to walk, but it only took him one hour to complete it. If you include his back, He carried one hundred and eighty kilograms of firewood. This speed was absolutely astonishing. Every early summer, he would carry an ax into the mountains to collect firewood. He would collect firewood twice a day until the first snow fell in Shinano.
Life in the mountains is difficult. Take advantage of summer and autumn to collect more firewood and store it so that you can survive the winter when the mountains are closed by heavy snow. Less than half of the young people in the village are busy outside in the mountains, either hunting or collecting firewood. For example, he Each person is responsible for fetching firewood for dozens of people. The winter in the mountains is too cold. During the months when the mountains are closed by heavy snow, they rely on stored grain and firewood to survive the winter. The more prepared they are, the easier it is to survive the winter.
After climbing over the mountain ridge and seeing the village in the valley right in front of him, he suddenly stopped. He was surprised to find that the two hikers he met an hour ago appeared strangely outside the village. Toda Gobei was very nervous: "This section
I have been on mountain roads thousands of times and am familiar with every plant and tree here. There is absolutely no way anyone can walk faster than me, even if I am carrying firewood..."
In just a short moment, his thoughts changed like lightning. From the surface, it seemed that Toda Gobei just saw two familiar strangers and subconsciously slowed down. Then he took heavy steps and walked down the hillside step by step. He just walked to
At the entrance of the village, he saw two travelers standing there and looking at him leisurely.
"Sure enough, there is a problem!" Toda Gobei's eyes showed a hint of vigilance, and the next moment he turned back into a simple and honest woodcutter, smiling friendly at the two of them, and just about to walk over.
The way was blocked by two people.
"It turns out that the Qiao family lives here! If I had known earlier, we would have followed the Qiao family. We followed the path pointed by the Qiao family and walked half a circle before we found this place. Thank you so much!"
A trace of gloom flashed across Toda Gobei's face. The two people were talking nonsense to stop him, and it was obvious that they were coming from bad intentions. Guessing their intentions, they simply stood there and said nothing, but they heard the two people say again: "
It turns out that this is Togakushi Village! Ordinary people may not be able to find this place even if they wander around the mountains for seven or eight days. With the help of deception, even if there are tens of thousands of troops, they can't even try to get in. It is indeed a geomantic treasure land. The only disadvantage is that it is too remote.
Well, it’s not easy for Toguriu to live in seclusion here for more than three hundred years.”
Toda Gobei's face became darker and darker, and his two sand bowl-like fists clenched loudly. Suddenly, an old voice came from a distance: "Gobei! Since the two guests have come from afar, let's
Invite them to come into the village and talk to us again! If we have friends coming from afar, if we don't treat the guests with courtesy, we will be said to be ignorant of the rules."
"Yes!" Toda Gobei responded in a muffled voice, and his shoulder bumped into the two of them. The two were slightly knocked back two steps, and Toda Gobei squeezed against their bodies.
past.
"Good guy, you really have the strength to compete with a bull." The two of them were amazed and followed him.
The scale of Togakushi Village is not small. Except for the carefully disguised valley, the entire valley is the living area of the village. What is strange is that their huts are not built together, but scattered roughly here and there.
The huts are spread across half of the valley. It is obvious that no outsiders have invaded here for many years, so there are no hidden sentries outside the village, which allowed the two strange hikers to take advantage of the loophole.
There were very few men in the village, and those who came and went were mostly women and children. Seeing Toda Gobei coming back carrying firewood, he greeted him in a friendly manner, and at the same time looked at the two strange strangers curiously. Toda
Gobei led the two of them to the densely packed house group in the center of the village, and saw the elderly man talking in a thatched house.
The two looked at each other and took off their hats to reveal two featureless young faces: "I am Captain Mochizuki Zaemon. This is my younger brother, Captain Mochizuki Zaemon. I have met the leader Togakushi."
The old man was as skinny as a piece of rotten wood. He was sitting cross-legged on the porch and seemed to be taking a nap. He opened his cloudy eyes when he heard the two people announcing their names: "Huh! I am actually the leader of Togakushi, Moriu Michizansai, I don't know the two Koga
What's the point of a ninja coming to my country?"
Lieutenant Mochizuki Zaemon said loudly: "I came here under orders to ask the Togakushi ninja to serve my lord."
Toda Gohei threw down the firewood and snorted coldly: "I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you two. I, the Togakushi ninja, will abide by the ancestral precepts and never come out of the world. If you two have nothing else to do, please come back!"
"Dohansaiden is aware that today's world is in chaos and it's time for a hero to show off his skills. Togakushi ninja has no talent but sticks to his family and works for the villagers. It's a waste! Doesn't Dohansaiden think about the villagers?
When will these miserable days of hunger and hunger come to an end! Why don't we go out and help my lord? It won't take long for the Togakushi ninja to be freed from his poverty-stricken life."
"Wise words! Get out of here with me quickly!" Toda Gohei stretched out his iron palm and pushed towards the two of them. If this palm were pushed to the body, even ordinary samurai would stumble several times, but he did not want to hide his secret knowledge.
Brother Mochizuki gently dodged the palm. Toda Gohei immediately changed his move when he missed it. Suddenly he stepped in front of him with a swipe sound. The five fingers of his left hand turned into eagle claws and grabbed Mochizuki Saemon's shoulder. He slapped his right hand slowly.
He turned his palm into a fist and struck him with a heavy blow.
"Humph!" Captain Mochizuki Zaemon suddenly disappeared out of thin air, and suddenly appeared behind him the next moment. Feeling that he had been teased, Toda Gobei was furious. His two fists turned into two hammers and danced quickly, swearing
It takes two thieves to capture him.
"Go soldiers, don't stop! Isn't it the way to treat guests if you hurt someone? Why don't you retreat quickly!"
Toda Gohei did not dare to contradict the leader and had to retreat in dismay. Moriyu Michiansai sighed slowly: "I, the Togakushi ninja, have lived in the countryside for hundreds of years and been forgotten by people. I thought I would live peacefully like this forever, but I didn't expect it.
What is supposed to come has come, what Gobei said just now is right, my ancestors have already established the ancestral precept not to leave the mountain, so let you two come here in vain."
"You can tell from Dohansai's tone and movements that he doesn't mean what he says!" Captain Mochizuki Zaemon felt relieved, and after organizing his words a little, he said: "I know a little about the ancestors mentioned by Dohansaiden, and the Togakushi-ryu in the Genpei era.
The first Metogakushi Daisuke helped Kiso Yoshinaka seize Kyoto, but he was defeated and died, so Togakushi sneaked back into the mountains to escape the world. This ancestral precept must have been set in that era!"
"I see that you have studied our Togakushi ninja very deeply!" Moriyu Daohansai sighed, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Since you dare to come to Togakushi, you must have someone to rely on, tell me your intentions!"
Captain Mochizuki Zaemon knew that he had successfully passed the first hurdle, so he took a deep breath and said slowly: "Since Dao Xianshai can reveal our identity in one breath, he must be paying attention to the outside world, so you should know that this is the case recently.
Over the past hundred years, wars have occurred repeatedly and the people have suffered greatly. Nowadays, people hope that the world will be stable and peaceful, and our Lord is a descendant of the Ashikaga family, a noble family of the Genji family. I will not mention the specific achievements, but I should always remember the name of Ashikaga Kamizisaburo in Dokansaiden.
Bar!"
"Ashikaga Ususaburo? Isn't that the name of the third generation governor of the Ashikaga family in the Kamakura period? Could it be that another Ashikaga Ususaburo has emerged in the past twenty years?" Moriyu Michiansai frowned and thought for a long time but couldn't think of a clue.
, smiled for a while and said: "More than twenty years ago, I disguised myself as a businessman and traveled around the world, and I knew something about the outside world. This small place has been closed off for many years and has not seen outsiders. I don't know what has happened in the outside world in the past twenty years."
Regarding the changes, please ask the two of you to answer them for me."
"I see, this will be easy to handle!" The two brothers Wangyue looked at each other and smiled, and then talked about a series of great changes from the beginning of astronomy to the third year of Hongzhi. This talk lasted for three whole days. The two brothers simply lived in Taoism.
The story of the events and consequences is explained clearly in Xiansai's Shikiya, focusing on the name of Ashikaga Kamisuzaburo. The Ashikaga family rose rapidly like the rising sun. The Battle of Katsuragi River shocked the world. The battle of Kawanakajima shocked the Kanto region, and the imperial court sealed it as a guard.
The name of the general, etc.
"I didn't expect that the general situation of the world would change so much in the past twenty years. The arrogant Hosokawa family is declining, and everything will eventually come to an end just like the passing of the four seasons... Thank you both for your enthusiastic answers, but it is hindered by the family ancestors.
I have set a rule and it is not convenient for me to give a clear answer, so please go back first!"
"...How could this happen?" In the past three days, the two of them had also gotten to know Senyu Daoxianzhai, and they knew that this person was open-minded and open-minded. They also thought that this mission could be easily accomplished. However, they did not expect that the old man would eventually issue an eviction order.
Captain Mochizuki Zaemon held down his angry brother and left Togakushi Village as he was told. In any case, not refusing on the spot was a good start, and the two of them did not dare to expect more.
Shortly after Brother Mochizuki left, dozens of people, old and young, crowded into Moriushiki's house. There were old people in their seventies and eighties as well as teenagers. Not only were they of different ages, but they were also dressed in different costumes. Some of them were
He looked like a rustic ordinary villager, and some looked like a fisherman who had just returned from fishing. He was crowded in the hut and listened to Moriyu Daoxianzhai in silence as he recited the stories the two of them had told. The old man spoke very quickly and briefly, only
It took two hours to finish what they had talked about for three days.
The old man dressed like an old farmer smacked his lips and said: "It seems that this noble son of the Ashikaga family is quite powerful! He has conquered such a large territory at such a young age, half of Shinano fell into his hands, and General Asahi was in his hands
When I was so young, I was still running around in the mountains of Shinano Kiso Valley!"
"Isn't that right! A little kid who is only ten years old dares to fight in a joint battle, and he actually wins. This is something that we mountain people can do. I think he will definitely be successful in the future! Listen to me!
What Jiro said is absolutely correct!" Ueno Manjiro is a strong man with a full face and a beard. He never leaves his tattered bearskin coat all year round. When he talks, he talks about things and hides his words.
A few young people in the back made me laugh.
Toda Gobei was furious with these crooked guys. He shouted angrily: "Stop talking nonsense! Don't forget that we have ancestral teachings! How can we go out to do those things! So don't think about anything anymore. Soon
It's going to snow, and we still have a lot to stock up on for the winter. At dawn tomorrow morning, all the men will go hunting with me in the mountains, and the women will go collect firewood."
The leaders of the Togakushi ninjas are those who are capable. The old and young here either have ancestors who had a Togakushi leader, or they are the mainstay of the village. For example, Kataoka Heizaemon's father was the previous generation of Togakushi leader. It seems that this old man
I don’t quite agree with Toda Gobei’s attitude either.
"Let me tell you! It's better to go out and see the world! Look at the tatters worn by the little kids in our village. They are all wearing the same old clothes we wore when we were kids! When the little kids grow up, we can mend the clothes.
Starch and wear them for smaller children. Many people have never seen new clothes in their lives. How poor are the mountains!
There is nothing but endless woods. The few plowed fields in the valley can only grow some vegetables. The village relies on hunting animal skins, firewood and fresh fish to sneak into the towns in exchange for some grain and salt to eat during the day.
I don’t dare to go there. I have to walk more than ten miles of mountain roads in the middle of the night to exchange for things and then move them back overnight. Life has become more and more difficult in the past few years. The climate has become more and more wrong in the past few decades. How many people died in our village during the drought a few years ago?
It's better to let the sons and daughters go out to make a living, which can at least subsidize the living expenses of the village!
It's not good for Gobei to be so stubborn. When Dao Xianshai wanted to go out to see the world, the village unanimously agreed. In the past three hundred years, there are not a few ninjas in our village who have left one after another, and some have come back.
Once you leave, you will disappear, you should know this!"
"We people in Togakushi Village know that no one will harm our own people. When we go out, we are bullied and deceived by others. What should we do if they have evil intentions towards us?" Toda Gobei shouted emotionally: "I will do it.
I don’t understand why we need to go out. Wouldn’t it be nice for us to live peacefully in Togakushiyama?
Even if life is more difficult, we can still get through it if we hold on. I don't object to people outside the tribe making a living, but this man's requirements are different. He wants our entire village to work for him. Don't forget the story of the decline of the Hosokawa Kyōcho family.
If the person who surrendered was defeated and we got involved, wouldn't everyone be doomed?"
Juumahachiro stood up and said with a smile: "Actually, the problem is not big. If that person is defeated, we will go back to the mountains. Don't forget that our ancestors hid back in Togakusa Mountain to build our village? I see that
He doesn’t seem to have malicious intentions, and with such a famous name and such a big foundation, he can’t deceive us country folk.”
"I heard that there is a proverb in the country that says, you must not have the intention to harm others, but you must have the intention to guard against others! I think what Gobei said is reasonable, it is better for us to deal with it carefully." Several of Toda Gobei's close friends also said
Unable to bear it any longer, the argument became more and more intense and the atmosphere in the house became tense.
"Gobei! Originally, I wanted to tell you this secret after you inherited the leadership. Since this is an opportunity, I won't hide it anymore!" Moriyu Daoxiansai sighed: "There is another one in the ancestral precepts.
A secret that only the successor leader can know, and if you meet a master, you can serve him!"
"How is this possible? I don't believe it!"
Kataoka Heizaemon said sadly: "The location of our Togakushi Village has been exposed, can we still expect that person to be merciful and let us go? Besides, everyone knows what the situation is in the village. In the village, hungry people
After a full meal, there is no food to eat. The colorful world outside is always attracting people in the village. They are polite first and then soldiers. They talk to us about the feasibility of investment first. If it is not possible to hire our ninjas, how many people do you think there are in the village?
Will I follow you to starve and freeze?"
"This..." Toda Gohei hesitated. The mountain people have never seen the world and the people's customs are so simple. But he has no reason to prevent the villagers from pursuing a more prosperous life. Moreover, he is also the leader of the next generation of Togakushi ninjas. He can only continue to be stubborn.
It will push yourself against the villagers, which is completely contrary to the original intention of thinking about the villagers.
Senyu Daoxianzhai saw that he was still hesitating, so he continued to explain: "The reason why we practice the ninjutsu handed down from our ancestors is to pass on the legacy of our ancestors to future generations. Isn't it just to put it to use one day? We In addition to ninjutsu, what else can the mountain people of Togakushi Village do? Brutal strength or hunting skills? Gobei! Your idea is good, but it is indeed time for our Togakushi Village to change. You understand, I What do you mean?"
"Understood! Let's surrender!" Toda Gobei nodded firmly. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!
ps: Two updates of 1.2 million words, consider it a small burst! Ten thousand words a day is a lot of pressure, so Wu Mei doesn’t have much energy to write bursts, so she can only try her best. I was too embarrassed to ask for things before, so I took advantage of this opportunity. Wu Mei shamelessly asks for a reward, thank you!