In July of the third year of Eiroku, in the Myokakuji Temple in the southwest of Naoetsu Town in Echigo, Asayama Hichijo and Toraza Souichi were playing chess each with chess pieces. There was a faint aroma from the incense burner in the room, and the wind chimes outside the window were gently shaking. The raindrops on the eaves were gently shaking.
Falling gently, the water bamboos in the distance made a tinkling sound, creating a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere that made people relax unconsciously.
In his thirties, Toriya Souyi is as young as he was a few years ago. He is holding a black chess piece and staring at the chessboard in deep contemplation. His simple life has not lost any of his calm and calm demeanor. After several years of meditation, he has gradually become a generation of eminent monks.
With his temperament, he was no longer the penniless young monk of the past but a well-known intellectual master in Echigo. His profound Zen philosophy and excellent cultural qualities made his reputation gradually spread to Kanto.
As the popularity of the Kira family increased day by day, this inconspicuous Myokakuji Temple became a eye-catching place in Echigo and even Kanto. Business travelers from all over the world would stay at Myokakuji Temple for a while to burn incense and pray for peace and happiness.
, Legend has it that if you burn incense in this temple, you will be blessed by the gods and Buddhas, because the gods and Buddhas always favor the Ashikaga family.
Before leaving Kyoto, Kozai Souyi once listened to the teachings of Kuai Chuan Shaoxi at Miaoyun Temple. His mentor taught him the eight-character mantra "Read ten thousand volumes of books and travel ten thousand miles". From then on, Tozai Souyi
So I worked hard to implement the concept of integrating knowledge and action. Apart from writing and keeping records, I did not stay in the small world of Naoejin for these years.
He was as simple as an ascetic monk, traveling with only a few disciples throughout most of Hokuriku and Kanto, and visited shugendojos such as Mount Iinawa in Shinano and Mount Haguro in Dewa, and even met with the Yamabushi monks of the Shingon sect.
I have been practicing meditation for more than half a year. Over the years, I have recorded more than a foot of travel notes on mountains, rivers, geography, culture and customs, from Mino country to many famous mountains and rivers in Kyoto, and to many places I have visited since Echigo.
Among them are his own handwritten records and those dictated to his disciples. The rich content makes Paul a lifelong travel diary.
On the other hand, Asayama Hichiro is getting wider and fatter. His originally majestic height has also gradually become more horizontal. His plump, rosy face and even his fierce look have been reduced by seven to eight points. There is always a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
Like a Maitreya Buddha, he was holding the white chess piece and was stunned for a long time, not knowing how to move.
Asayama Richeng's white dragon had been cut in half, and the black chess team was already unstoppable and began to divide and surround the white chess. Seeing that there was no need to continue fighting in this game, Asayama Richeng simply dropped the chess piece and surrendered.
His mind turned to admiring the scenery outside the window, and said: "After the new rain in the empty mountains, the weather is late and autumn comes, and the bright moon shines among the pines. The clear spring rocks flow... The poems of layman Mojie are as elegant as the orchids after the rain. It is just a first read.
It’s such a refreshing feeling!”
Huzai Zongyi put down the chess pieces and looked at the rockery stream in the courtyard and said calmly: "Dongpo layman once said that there are paintings in the poems of Wei Mojie. Watch the paintings of Mojie. There are poems in the paintings. He is good at it.
It expresses the quiet landscape and calm and calm mood, making people feel unable to put it down after reading it.”
The breeze blew away the clouds, revealing the long-lost sun. A ray of sunlight fell under the eaves. Gradually, frogs croaked and cicadas squawked in the courtyard. There were faint smiles on their faces. They were obviously intoxicated in the peaceful and peaceful scenery after the rain. It just so happened.
At this time, a noise coming from the vestibule interrupted their peaceful mood.
A young novice monk hurried in and said: "Master, the Sugiura Dharma Bridge has started to cause trouble again, and the senior brothers can't stop it!"
"Sure enough, it's Sugiura Hobashi again..." Toraya Souichi smiled bitterly, shook his head helplessly and said, "Let Sugiura Hobashi make trouble! Just be careful not to let him hurt anyone."
The young novice monk quickly accepted the order and retreated. Chaoshan Richeng pinched his long beard and said thoughtfully: "How could His Highness Gongfang think of sending Xiangzong's Dharma Bridge to Miaojue Temple to control it?"
The monk also tried the ability of Sugiura Dharma Bridge, but with the brute strength of the poor monk, he couldn't pull him up. With this strange strength, he is indeed an extraordinary person!"
Toraja Souichi said: "His thoughts are as unpredictable as the white clouds floating in the sky. However, this Sugiura Hobashi has indeed become more and more restrained in the past six months since his arrival. Six months ago, he still had to make trouble every day for a while before he could sleep.
Next, I either hurt the guardian monks in the temple or smashed the Jialan and caused trouble. Now it has been reduced to ten days and eight days before I think of making a fuss. It has been a long time since I hurt anyone."
Chaoshan Nichiyō chuckled and said, "This should be the result of Master Zongyi's salvation. Wasn't the poor monk, a Buddhist disciple of the Nichiren Sect, also saved by Zongyi? He spent the whole day meditating and studying Buddhism to cultivate his health and nature.
Now that I have gradually reduced my obese weight, it is indeed better to stay in this Buddhist temple for the first half of the year. Traveling back and forth in the past few years is really not good for your health!"
As the diplomatic envoy of the Kira family, Asayama Hichijo certainly cannot sit idle in the temple all day long and meditate. In the past few years, he has traveled a lot in Beijing to communicate with the imperial court and shogunate, contact temple communities, and meet with daimyo from various places, including Harima Kokutiao.
The outpost contact of the strategy was also made by Asayama Hichijo. Hatano Hideharu of Tanba Kingdom, Hatakeyama Takamasa of Kawachi Kingdom, and Tsutsui Junmasa of Yamato Kingdom were all introduced to Honda by him, and he took control of them in these years without him.
Running around in Kinai will make it impossible to implement the strategy of counterattacking the Miyoshi family this time.
Asayama Hichijo was originally a flower monk who was obsessive about the five precepts. He was sent to Kinai to lead a flashy life, which inevitably led to him gradually becoming fatter. This time, due to the strategic adjustment of the Kira family, he was temporarily transferred back to rest, so Asayama
I just ran to Miaojue Temple and stayed there. In the past six months, I have lived a very happy life. Not only did I lose weight successfully, but my complexion is getting better and better.
Faced with Chaoshan Richeng's playful and smiling expression, Huzai Zongyi said helplessly: "Can't these words be spread out? The poor monk did not save Richieng Master. That was Richieng Master who abstained from eating meat and fish and stayed in the temple all day.
The reason for eating rough food is not that a poor monk can become a Riyana master!"
"Hey, they're all pretty much the same..." Asakayama Richeng was about to say something when he caught a glimpse of the young novice monk running in quickly and said: "Master! Sugiura Dharma Bridge is quiet now! The young novice Sui Feng who was put on the order
The master was convinced and swore to the gods and Buddhas that he would never make trouble again."
"Oh? Is it Sui Feng of Ryuuxingji Temple? What did he say to Sugiura Hobashi?" Toraya Souichi said with some surprise: "When did Sugiura Hobashi become so easy to talk to? The poor monk tried to persuade him many times.
It’s all ineffective.”
The little novice monk murmured: "I just saw Suifeng Dharma Bridge and Master Suifeng said a few words and then became quiet. I don't know the specific situation."
Chaoshan Richeng asked in confusion: "Who is this Suifeng of Longxing Temple?"
Toraja Souichi said: "This junior fellow of Ryukoji Temple, who is barely considered a poor monk, is an outstanding talent recommended by my master Kian Genmi. It is said that he was originally Ashina Mori, a powerful national in Mutsu Aizu area. A member of the same clan, his common name is Ashina Hyōtaro. He became a monk at the age of fourteen at Ryukoji Temple in Aizu Doshu Mountain. Not long after, he went to Fenhe Temple to worship under Master Shohuang Shun. Two years later, he went to Kinai Enryaku Temple and Mitsui Temple. He is practicing at Miaoshin Temple, Kofukuji Temple and Miaoshinji Temple. A few days ago, I came to Miaokuakuji Temple with a recommendation letter from my master to practice, and I am only twenty-four years old now."
"So that's it, you're a young monk from Tiantai Sect!" Asakayama Hichijo said, smacking his lips: "He practiced in several big temples in the region... He seemed to be a scholarly monk with unparalleled talents. It was for this reason that he was able to persuade Sugiura Hobashi. Come on! With such talent at such a young age, he looks like an outstanding Buddhist disciple with a bright future!"
"That's probably it!" Toraya Souichi said calmly: "It's just that Junior Brother Suifeng seemed to have other ideas when he came to Echigo. Recently, he has been practicing alms near Naoejin and has hardly lived in the temple. I don't know why he came to Echigo today. When I met Sugiura Hobashi, I persuaded him to stop..."
Chaoshan Richeng said with a smile: "Young monks always prefer to experience life, just like Master Zongyi who has also traveled thousands of miles! It is always good to walk more and see more, and stay in the temple to learn and study Buddhism. After all, Li is a nerd who can only read scriptures. The unity of knowledge and action that Master Zongyi often talks about is probably this!"
"A few days ago, Junior Brother Suifeng approached the poor monk and hoped that the poor monk could introduce him to His Highness Gongfang."
"Oh? I want to see His Highness Kōkō! What does this mean?" Hijo Asayama held his chin and thought attentively: "Could it be related to the Aizu Ashina clan?"
"I don't know about this poor monk." Torazai Zongyi shook his head noncommittally and said: "The poor monk was planning to meet His Highness Kongkata, so he took him to Kasugayama Castle along the way. Whether he can meet His Highness Kongkata depends on his fate. Already."
…
The few days of cloud lull and rain are not the end of the rainy season. In just a few days, the storm has suddenly changed again and the mountains and rain are about to come. The violent winds and rains accompanied by thunder and lightning are more violent than before. Several rivers in Echigo surged at the same time to release floods. Dredging has brought huge pressure. Fortunately, the Shinnogawa River excavated from the Shinano River and Agano River have been put into use, which has brought great convenience to flood discharge and ensured that the dams were not washed away and farmland was submerged during the flood peak. Bad events.
One of the important significances of the establishment of Niigata Town is to put a halter on the Shinano River and Agano River, which are often flooded, so that the two fierce horses can be more tame and turned into water resources that can be used by Echigo farmers. Several new rivers The branch-like river network formed by the Horikawa gradually spreads to the coastline. It not only can discharge floods and wash away dry runoff, but also plays an important role in irrigating the land and expanding the area of paddy fields.
If the Kira family hadn't had such a complete system, I'm afraid this year's autumn harvest would have been even more severe than last year. The news coming from the Kanto region was far more serious than the Kira retainers had imagined, and Kamakura was also experiencing violent storms all the time. The seawall was washed away in many places, and the seawater poured into the farmland and was flooded, causing huge losses to the Hojo family.
Kai was also devastated by a violent storm. It was a foregone conclusion that nearly half of the barley grown was destroyed. One-third of the barley in Minami Shinano was lost. The damage to Northern Shinano and Ueno was quite serious. As for the other countries in Kanto,
The situation will probably not be better than here. Even the Junyuan Sanline and Owari Ise countries have suffered varying degrees of losses.
Officials gathered in the assessment room of Kasugayama Castle. Kira Yoshi stared at a set of loss figures with a stern face and said coldly: "Another major disaster for three consecutive years. This is the second time in the past ten years that we have been hit by a disaster for three consecutive years.
Right? In the past hundred years since the Yingren Rebellion, not to mention the continuous man-made wars and fires, natural disasters have also become increasingly frequent. In the past ten years, seven or eight years have been disaster years, and the good harvest has turned into a hopeless one.
Things that are out of your reach may be even more difficult in the future, so you should be mentally prepared in advance!"
Langang Toutang said in surprise: "What does His Highness Gongfang mean?"
Kira Yoshishi slowly said: "Everyone should know that when the shogunate changes, the rise of dynasties always starts with the outbreak of large-scale natural disasters. You can refer to the history of the Ming Dynasty to know the changes. When natural disasters arise, war will begin.
This is a rule, and the reason is simply that the warriors and peasants couldn't have enough to eat, so they had to stir up turmoil! According to Yu's years of intensive research, I found that severe cold would hit at regular intervals in history, and abnormal weather would increase exponentially. Not only
This is the case in my corner of Japan, and the same is true in the Ming Dynasty."
Hosokawa Fujitaka nodded and said: "This minister has indeed heard from businessmen in the Ming Dynasty. About twenty years ago, there were several severe weather conditions such as frost in July and rain and snow in August. It was not freezing rain.
More snow means successive droughts, and even the warmer areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang cannot escape this fate, so many maritime merchants will take risks and engage in smuggling."
Honda Toki said honestly: "In the fourth year of Koji's reign, there was a severe storm in the Western Kingdom. Amagasaki, Bessho, Narubi, Imatsu, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Maeba, Suma, and Akashi were attacked by Tsunami. The violent waves broke down the embankments, destroyed the villages, and swept them away.
The many fishermen on the shore have caused immeasurable population and agricultural losses in many places in the Western Kingdom, and the Akamatsu family in the Western Kingdom has been particularly severely damaged, so they gave us an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."
Kira Yoshishi knew the great power of the Little Ice Age. Part of the reason why the Ming Empire collapsed was due to the internal decay of the deformed whole, and part of the reason was the continuous disasters caused by the terrible Little Ice Age. "Guangdong Tongzhi" records that "Zhengde
"In the first year of Qiongzhou Prefecture, there was rain and snow in Wanzhou" and "in the fourth year of Zhengde, there was snow in Chaozhou, Guangdong. It was about a foot thick." The name of Qiongzhou is obviously Hainan Island, which shows how cold this season is.
It is not appropriate to talk about this matter in depth, otherwise it will easily lead to continuous problems, so Kiragi just gave a few brief instructions and said: "Natural disasters are always inevitable, and we are unable to intervene, but ** must try our best.
To stop it, we cannot allow it to spread and cause disasters. Then you must focus on preventing and controlling disasters in the future, and drought and flood prevention are particularly important."
The next step was to discuss the intelligence coming from Hida Country. Ever since the troops were dispatched to Hida at the end of February, Yasuda Nagahide's strategy has been going smoothly without any obstacles. Miki Yoshiyori, who claims to be the country's sister, the Koji clan, scraped together a thousand dollars from here and there.
The five-hundred-strong army did not last long under the fierce attack of the Vietnamese and Chinese troops before the ice and snow melted away like the scorching sun. Miki Yoshiyori and Miki Jizuna and his son were captured on the spot, and the so-called Miki Allied Forces suddenly dispersed.
Ema Tokimori, a powerful national in the northern part of Hida Province, realized that the situation was not good and hurriedly surrendered, and successfully transformed from a surrender to a leader to serve as a frontline for the Vietnamese Army, and then joined the Vietnamese Army. More and more people came, and it didn't take long before they swelled to more than 4,000 people, almost including the power of most of the people of Hida Country.
All the territory of the Miki family has been pacified. The die-hards who are unwilling to surrender can only huddle in a small village with dozens of soldiers, trying to use this little strength to repel the powerful Vietnamese and Chinese troops. They are nothing more than a small village. The local servant lord led dozens of soldiers to the stronghold on the mountain to hold on. However, he waited and waited but did not see the Vietnamese army coming. Instead, he ran down the mountain hungry because the food in the stronghold on the mountain had been exhausted.
Such a group of ridiculous Hida people really made them drag on for more than a month. It's not that they have great combat power to block the attack of the Vietnamese army, but that Yasuda Nagahide consciously indulged these resisters and resolutely The Chinese people fled back, and then they were picked up little by little so that they could change their skills.
The lords of these small towns are not very capable, but the ability of the young men is very small. There are villages with two or three hundred peasants and as small as ten or eight strong men. The Vietnamese army led by Yasuda Nagahide is like a full-speed car. It was like a powerful steamroller crushing them all the way, and everything went smoothly, almost winning small-scale cage battles one after another without any injuries.
However, he soon encountered a thorn in the way, that is, the lord of Guiyun City, Uchijima Ujiri, who was hiding in the Shogawa River Basin in the west of Hida Kingdom. This man claimed to be the first-class hero of Hida Kingdom, just because he was located in the most remote place. To the west of Gozendake, if you control the single passage connecting Hida Country, you can become the king of the mountain behind closed doors. The only road leading outside Hida is Shogawa.
Yasuda Nagahide had not thought that the Uchijima clan would resist him before, and the Vietnam-China Army he led did not choose the shallower Shochuan River to enter Hida, but instead invaded through the Miyagawa River, the main tributary of the Jintsu River, so when the army After falling into the large basin in eastern Hida, there was no way to launch an attack on Kuiun Castle, which was sheltered by mountains.
In desperation, he had no choice but to send an order to Okuma Asahide in Ezhong, asking him to tell the Kira Navy to promptly cut off foreign trade in the upper reaches of the Shogawa River Basin, and follow the Shogawa River to invade the Uchijima clan's Shirakawa Township, which had always been isolated in the mountains. One of the valleys in the middle has a permanent population of less than 8,000 people. Except for a waterway in Ezhong, it can be said to be completely isolated from the world, so it is called an isolated island on land by the people of Hida Country.
Uchijima Ujiri didn't originally intend to carry it on, he just wanted to take advantage of the favorable location in exchange for some benefits. Even if the main force of Kira's army was in the Miyagawa Basin, he probably wouldn't go around it at all. So I acted like I'm not afraid of you, and even boasted to the wealthy local servants in Shirakawa Township that my home's Guiyun Castle was the strongest city in the world. Even when Kiragi was famous in Hokuriku, Uesugi Teruhora came in person. There is still nothing that can be done against his Uchidao family.
ps:
The name of Dharma is Suifeng, which means Nanguangfang Tianhai.