In March, the grass grows and orioles fly, and the mountain flowers bloom on the long embankment of the Edo River, just like a passionate and romantic girl showing her enchanting figure. Walking on the streets of Edo, you can feel the spirit of spring everywhere.
Breathing, every spring is a good time to enjoy flowers and go for an outing. Groups of young people by the river go out together, riding horses and laughing happily, which is very pleasant.
On this bright spring day, as usual, we were hunting eagles on the edge of the Edogawa River wearing hunting suits and cages. Following us were hundreds of knights riding silver armors behind them, and three hundred young samurai riding in silver armor.
The people in brocade robes roared past on tall horses. When passersby saw the white flag symbolizing the direct lineage of the Genji family, they quickly knelt on the ground and watched in awe as the proud young warriors surrounded the young man who looked like a king and galloped away.
It wasn't until smoke and dust covered his far away sight that he slowly stood up.
"Did you see it? That is my future Highness Gongfang from Kanto. It is said that the Young Master is born with extraordinary powers and is extremely brave. He can shoot from left and right with perfect accuracy, and he can leap onto a seven-foot horse without stirrups. His martial prowess is not inferior to that of His Highness Gongfang."
"Of course, you don't have to look at the masters of the young masters. Uesugi Danshoden, Sanada Danshoden, Yamamoto Dokiden, Hosokawa Hyobuden, the swordsman master is Kashima Sword Master Tsukahara Fudenden, and the spear master is
The master of magic is Takigawa-don..."
"Hey! I made a mistake. It can't be called Takigawa-den. It should be called Wada-den..."
More than three hundred young warriors on horseback galloped northward along Edo Castle. A few brave young men took out their strong bows and aimed at the birds in the sky and fired arrows. Almost no arrows were harvested, but they rarely missed. Nagao Kiheiji was worried
He said: "Your Highness, should we wait for Kakizaki-don?"
"No need! It would be a shame for us in light armor to be overtaken by heavy cavalry, especially Heisaburo. We can't admit defeat." Ashikaga Shinohmaru waved his riding whip, looked back and shouted: "Listen to your orders! You can strike now.
The formation rushes to throw away the dragon cavalry!"
"Ha!" The bloody spirit of the three hundred young men was immediately aroused. After a short while, the team was urged to accelerate the horses with all their strength. In a moment, the people and horses on the Musashi Street neighed and rumbled. The business travelers who were coming and going were frightened to avoid them. If they were not blind and deaf,
You must have recognized the five-seven-tung tree that is as bright as blood. No one in the world knows that the flag seal with the blood-tung tree pattern is the royal emblem of the Kanto General Palace.
Hanging far behind the team are five hundred heavy-armored cavalry. This cavalry was the Ryūjo cavalry that shocked Oshu during the Battle of Oshu. Uesugi Kenshin sat down and used it as an assault knife to cut butter, and collided in the Battle of Shirasaka.
The tight formation of the Oshu Allied Forces was shattered, and the Oshu Allied Forces abandoned their armor and fled in panic. This battle brought out the supreme prestige of the Ashikaga family in Kanto. The Oshu samurai who were killed were frightened and their legs cramped when they heard the word Ryujo.
The eldest son of the Kakizaki Kei family died of illness. The second son, Heisaburo, was named Kakizaki Yoshie when he was in the Edo Castle.
The man's courage was extraordinary, and he broke into the Shirakawa Yuki army's main formation in the midst of thousands of troops, and beheaded Yuuki Harutsuna with a large spear.
"Young Master is playing a hide-and-seek game with us again." Kakizaki Yoshitaka laughed and said, "My sons, listen to the order. The army that holds the Young Master firmly is insurmountable. Let the Young Master know that Kiso horse is not the Dragon Rider like us.
opponent."
The five hundred cavalry all agreed, and the horses were whipped by their whips and ran wildly in pain. Long Xiangbei only had 500 troops but could not match the power of the 5,000 cavalry. The conditions for joining this non-percent group were extremely harsh, and they had to be
Only young people who are tall, strong, hard-working and law-abiding can enter. As long as they join, they will automatically become samurai regardless of their origins. Moreover, they are also direct samurai of the Kanto Shogunate. They are so noble and noble that even the Kanto samurai want to squeeze in.
But a moment later, Ashikaga Jinohmaru heard a rumbling sound behind him, his face changed and he shouted: "What a cunning Heisaburo! He came out without heavy armor!"
"Our war horses are no match for theirs, and we only have a divine horse, Your Highness. What can we do?" Nagao Yashiro said.
"Don't be afraid! If you give him the courage, he won't dare to overtake us. Keep accelerating!" Ashikaga Jinohmaru's mount is a purebred Trakna horse. It was not bred at home but was given to him by his father as a birthday gift. This horse is one of the best.
As soon as the chosen sacred horse arrived in the hands of Ashikaga Jinohmaru, he was very fond of it. He would ride it every time he went out. It was also a famous horse in Edo.
Kakizaki Yoshie cunningly asked Ryu Shobei to travel without heavy armor. He only wore light plate armor and robes and carried light weapons such as battle axes and bows, including fan-shaped shields, lances and breastplates.
These five hundred horses were all replaced by Kanto's famous mixed-race BMWs, while the three hundred followers of Ashikaga Jinoumaru were only excellent Kiso horses from Japan. This gap was still very large.
The distance gradually got closer and closer as they ran all the way. As expected, Yoshie Kakizaki slowed down and ran left and right behind, not daring to go further than half a minute. The fine eagle hunting turned into a horse racing contest. Ashikaga Shinohmaru shouted angrily: "Farewell Heisaburo."
If you hide, you dare to compete with me at the racetrack."
"Haha, I don't dare to have a horse racing competition with the young master. If you lose, you will be on the headlines of tomorrow's horse racing newspaper." Kakizaki Yoshie slyly avoided the challenge, and it was absolutely natural for him to compare his mixed-blood horse with the pure-blood horse.
He would never do a business that was humiliating and a sure win, especially if his opponent was Ashikaga Jinohmaru.
Business travelers who first arrive in Edo will find many different things. The cultural circle of this emerging city is completely different from the cultural circle of Kyoto. Kanto is an area rich in war horse resources. Since Ashikaga Yoshitoki, who attaches great importance to horse politics, came to the throne,
The trend of private horse breeding is getting stronger and stronger. There is a well-established maishi in Nerima Town of Edo Castle. Horse masters from various countries in the Kanto region gather here to examine the horses sent by farmers from all over the country.
Horses over three years old are appraised and classified into grades 3, 6 and 9 for sale. The lowest-grade draft horses are used as farm animals for drafting the land. The higher-grade inferior horses can be used to pull carts and rides. The higher-grade horses are the most in demand in the market.
A common means of transportation, higher-end famous horses can often be sold for sky-high prices ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
A simple horse racing competition was born in Arima City. At first, it was just a small competition where some samurai spontaneously competed with their horses at the Setsubun Festival. Then more and more people participated. Somehow, Ashikaga Yoshitoki learned about it, so he
Set up a racecourse in Nerima Town to hold regular horse racing competitions, and gradually establish a complete league system.
The Horse Racing League starts in March every spring and runs until the end of autumn. Each round of competition will give certain bonuses and points according to the top players. After several rounds of points, the top 20 will be able to participate in the finals in late autumn. The final decision will be
The first place, second place and third place will receive bonuses personally awarded by the Kanto General Palace. The first place bonus is 10,000 guan coins of Yongle money, the second place is 5,000 guan coins, and the third place is 2,000 guan coins.
There must be a brave man under a huge reward. Facing an astonishing fortune, not only the common people are excited about it, but also the valuable samurai are attracted to the racecourse to show off their skills. It also attracts the attention of the idle townsfolk.
Watching a game costs as little as a few cents or as much as dozens of cents depending on the seats. It is not expensive for the increasingly affluent townspeople. It is just a simple breakfast or a sumptuous dinner.
The first spectators who spent money to watch the race can also receive a simple horse racing newspaper that is more than a foot long, with the numbers and basic introductions of the contestants printed on it, and a few simple comments attached for viewing purposes. As people watch the race,
More and more, the 10,000-seat racecourse has always maintained an attendance rate of about 6,000 to 7,000, and corresponding horse betting games have been launched. Audiences can spend a few pennies to guess the winner, the number of consecutive wins, and the top three.
Various ways to play such as ranking.
Some smart people have learned to find out the strength of the players based on different odds changes, and then made a lot of money by betting based on the odds of the lottery. A lucky guy once won a huge fortune of 5,000 Guan Wen with only 5 Wen.
Prize, he suddenly became a wealthy man from an ordinary town citizen, and the subsequent gambling trend caused the attendance rate of horse racing to skyrocket. The more people watched, the more people invested. Of course, the Kanto Shogunate, which is the banker, made a profit.
And the more.
Kakizaki Yoshie also tried to participate in horse racing. Because his mount did not belong to local war horses, he was refused to participate in the competition. The reason was that the limited number of war horses from Kanto Shogunfu would affect the fairness. For this reason, he angrily cursed the racecourse.
In a pedantic way, this prohibition blocked a way for the Ashikaga samurai to make extra money.
At the Edo Castle Kendo Hall, a group of teenagers wearing special protective gear and holding bamboo swords practiced in pairs. The old Tsukahara Fuden supervised the children practicing swordsmanship with his hands behind his back. The old man's cloudy eyes stared at the figures of the children without moving.
They are the young highnesses of the Ashikaga family. The youngest Yoshichiyo is only eight years old, and the oldest Torachiyo and Matsuchiyo are only ten years old.
Kamiizumi Ise Mori Hidetsuna invented the kendo protective gear. A piece of bamboo more than three feet long was used as the prototype of the bamboo sword, and then the remaining part of the handle was cut into four, eight, or sixteen pieces piece by piece toward the tip.
Thirty-two pieces, and then made into a bag with thick kapok cloth to cover it, making a bag of bamboo knives with plain little hands that can directly hit each other for practice.
"The way to use the sword lies in the heart. The first step in the way of swordsmanship is to defeat the enemy. If you are not careful when competing with powerful enemies, you will definitely lose. The second step is to strengthen your body. Without perseverance, you will waste your time in this small gym.
, it is better to return home and enjoy the comfort of fine clothes and fine food." Tsukahara Buden's voice was loud and full of energy, and his eyes were like sharp swords as he glanced at the young men holding swords. No one dared to look at him when he looked around.
But the teenagers are not convinced. They have a lofty dream in their hearts. They want to become the greatest warrior, have super swordsmanship, and make great achievements to gain a great reputation. Seven or eight out of ten teenagers want to be the best in the world.
Famous generals, a few want to be an unparalleled famous general with both wisdom and courage.
Tsukahara Bukan keenly understood some of the young people's thoughts and said seriously: "I have been practicing swordsmanship for more than seventy years. I have seen countless talented heroes like crucian carp crossing the river. Miao characters with outstanding talents like you appear every year.
It turns out that among my students you can often see people like this who are talented in practicing swordsmanship, but many of them have failed, do you know the reason?"
"Why on earth?" The teenagers looked up and were very puzzled.
"Because they lack this." Tsukahara Fuden pointed to his chest and said, "No heart! You don't have to practice, you don't have to compete with others, you don't have to practice, you don't have to practice, you play more than others every day, and you practice less than others, practicing kendo is just like being a human being. If you don't pay attention to one thing, you won't pay attention to everything. How can a careless person become a famous general? It should be noted that the gods and Buddhas only look after the hard-working and dedicated people. Those who love leisure and work are spurned by the gods and Buddhas and cannot enter Gaotianyuan after death.
Think about it, your life has just begun. A moment of fun will make the next few decades miserable. If you want to be a famous general in the world, you must have great perseverance and perseverance. Even if the geniuses and heroes who have emerged in the past have a temporary reputation, they have no perseverance. Those who persevere and achieve nothing will eventually die in an unknown place without a trace. You should not imitate such losers. None of the famous generals in the world are losers."
The teenagers were shocked by these words. At such a young age, they could not tell that practicing swordsmanship would lead to such profound knowledge. They were stunned for a while, showed awe-inspiring expressions, and saluted respectfully: "We must remember the teachings of the teacher, and practice with all our heart." Dare to slack off in the slightest and never be the unintentional person who fails."
Tsukahara Buden nodded approvingly, and slowly walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back. He has been dealing with swordsmanship all his life, and has taught students all over the sixty-six countries. It is not an exaggeration to say that the world is full of students. Believers who have been practicing for many years have gradually accumulated rich teaching experience, and they are not yet able to deal with this group of children.
As soon as I walked out of the dojo, I saw Ashikaga Yoshitoki standing in the courtyard watching the children practicing martial arts. Tsukawara Fuden was slightly stunned and bowed and said: "I don't know that His Highness is here. I, Fuden, have been negligent. I'm sorry!"
Ashikaga Yoshitoki quickly stepped forward to support the old sword master and said with a smile: "Sword masters must not be polite. Speaking of which, Yu Qiang felt a little embarrassed to invite the sword master to teach dogs at his old age!"
"His Majesty Kōkata is the lord of Kantō and leads the samurai family of the Eastern Kingdom. As a samurai of Kanto, I, Buden, should also contribute my little strength to His Highness Kōkōta." Tsukahara Buden still insisted politely.
Ashikaga Yoshitoki said respectfully: "Sword masters don't have to be polite. Speaking of which, Yu and the sword master have known each other for a long time. Yu's teacher, Yamamoto Sado Mori, has a close relationship with the sword master, and Nakajo Dewa Mamoru also worshiped the sword master. In training, there are swordsmen such as Shioka Kazuha and Hayazaki Jinsuke who work for me. Speaking of which, the bond between the swordsman and Yu is quite deep.
The first time I met Sakamoto during the Astronomical Years is still vivid in my mind. The Kinai samurai were impressed by the swordsman's demeanor back then. Now, when we meet again after more than ten years, the swordsman is still as strong and graceful as before. It is also very meaningful for Edo Castle to teach the future of the Kanto samurai family the principles of spiritual practice and life."
"His Highness Gongfang, you are ridiculous. I, Buden, am just an ordinary man in the mountains. I have become famous in the world with some attainments in swordsmanship. I am very lucky to be favored by His Highness, Gongfang, as a guide to the art of war." Tsukahara Buden still conceded modestly. Now, the old swordsman, who is nearly eighty years old, has long gone through the age of being full of emotions and anger, and he is not so overwhelmed by a few words of praise that he can't find him.
Ashikaga Yoshitoki just smiled and shook his head, leaning on the railing and looking at the white clouds on the horizon, and said: "What the Sword Master said just now has a profound meaning. If you look at the names of ancient and modern times, you will find that every one of them is a hero with great perseverance and perseverance. .In troubled times, they rose to the occasion and achieved great fame and achievements. These heroes worked hard in their early years. Without a heart full of fighting spirit, it would be impossible to achieve such an achievement."
"His Royal Highness Gongfang completely summarized the experience that I, Buden, have accumulated in my life in just one sentence..." Tsukahara Buden suddenly felt speechless and looked at the sky. After a while, he sighed: "His Highness Gongfang's wisdom is amazing! From This shows that His Highness Gongfang is a heroic figure who has risen to the occasion in today's troubled times."
On March 12, the third round of the Horse Racing League started. Ashikaga Yoshitoki took several wives and children. Dozens of members of his family went to the racecourse to watch the game. The eldest son Ashikaga Jinohmaru was very interested in horse racing. While applauding and cheering, he said: "Horse racing is the wisest decision made by my father. Three years after the race started, a group of outstanding warriors emerged who were skilled in riding skills. The best ones were selected and incorporated into the riding equipment, which has extraordinary military significance."
Ashikaga Tiger Chiyo curled her lips and said: "Horse racing is so boring. It's just a group of people running around lifelessly. It's so boring! I think Cuju is more interesting. The collision of fists and flesh is squeezing together to grab a ball. Grab the ball and hold it. Run half the field and score a touchdown..."
"Wait a minute! Are you sure this is Cuju you are talking about?" Ashikaga Jinohmaru looked at the younger siblings sitting next to him with a ridiculous look on his face, tilted his head and said, "Why do I think this is not Cuju at all?"
"Uh... This is a new Cuju game that has become popular recently. I'll call it Cuju without naming it yet. You can hold it with your hands and run away! Let me tell you, this game is really fun. It's hard to bump into each other. It will become even bigger!" Chiyo Ashikaga Tiger chuckled with a "you know what" expression.
Ashikaga Matsuchiyo turned his head and said: "I still like traditional Cuju, and the collision game is not suitable for me."
The older brothers were talking to themselves, while the younger brothers and sisters were either in a daze and dozing off, or jumping around in the box. It was rare for them to go out together to play, which made the children particularly happy. The naughty Ashikaga Katsumaru He wanted to bully Ashikaga Kichichiyo, but Ashikaga Jinoumaru glared at him and immediately became honest.
At the beginning of this year, Nagao Torahime just gave birth to her fourth son, Ashikaga Zoumaru. Counting twins together, she gave birth to four sons and three daughters, a total of seven children. If Ashikaga Yoshitomo had not invited a female doctor with a master of gynecology to set her bones Keep in good health, such a high-intensity birth rhythm will definitely wear down Hu Ji's body.
These seven children are the eldest son Ashikaga Shinohimaru born in the first year of Eiroku (1558), the eldest daughter Ashikaga Ringohime born in the third year of Eiroku, the second son Ashikaga Katsuohimaru, and the second daughter Ashikaga Yaehime born in the fifth year of Eiroku. The third son, Hoohmaru, was born in the seventh year of Eiroku, the third daughter, Ashikaga Chihirohime, was born in the ninth year of Eiroku, and the fourth son, Ashikaga Zoumaru, was born just this year.
Ii Naotora has one son and four daughters, the eldest son Ashikaga Tora Chiyo, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Torahime, the second daughter Ashikaga Tamahime. The third daughter Ashikaga Chihime, and the fourth daughter Ashikaga Aoihime who was just born this year.
Numata Sandalwood has one son and four daughters, the eldest son Ashikaga Matsuchiyo, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Kohime, the second daughter Ashikaga Shizuhime, the third daughter Ashikaga Kazuhime. The fourth daughter Ashikaga Tsukihime was born last year.
Mochizuki Yoshino has one son and three daughters, the eldest son Ashikaga Kichichiyo, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Kikuhime, the second daughter Ashikaga Naohime, and the third daughter Ashikaga Shigehime who was born this year.
Mogami Yoshihime has one son and one daughter, the eldest son Ashikaga Kumachiyo was born in the 8th year of Eiroku, and the eldest daughter Ashikaga Matsuhime was born last year.
Oda Inuhime has one son and two daughters, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Yukihime. The eldest son Ashikaga Koboshi, and the second daughter Ashikaga Gouhime was born last year.
Oda City Hime has three daughters, the eldest daughter Ashikaga Chacha, the second daughter Ashikaga Hatsuhime, and the third daughter Ashikaga Ae who was born last year.
In just ten years, he and several wives gave birth to nine sons and twenty daughters. During this period, he did not marry any more wives. This was to learn from Minamoto Naka and Ashikaga Taiji. Of course, in this era
There are also many people with similar strength, such as Takeda Nobutora, Oda Nobunaga and Matsudaira Ieyasu.
The Ashikaga family in Kanto has many daughters, but not as many sons as expected. Compared with the samurai family, which often has more than a dozen or twenty sons, his level is still a bit lower. He still wants to work hard to have more children.
A few. See if you can touch the limit.
Several ladies were very unhappy with his paranoia about wanting a son. Hu Ji complained many times: "Two years of one child is endless. Hu Ji has not been riding a horse and shooting arrows for a long time. Your Highness is treating us as a machine for giving birth to children."
ah!"
Every time he encounters this situation, Ashikaga Yoshi has to decisively put oil on his feet and run away. He has given birth to a lot of children and not letting others complain is a bit too much. His attitude is to say whatever he wants about me.
Listen, just don't spit in my face and pretend not to hear.
When there are more children, there are more things to do. It often happens that when the gourd is pressed, the gourd floats up. The wet nurse leads a group of maids and chases the young palace all over the yard like catching thieves. Several naughty boys take advantage of the fact that the father is away on an expedition, and the mother is pregnant and expecting to give birth.
During his free time, he visited every possible place in the Edo Imperial Palace, found out all the secrets that could be hidden, and even drew a map in an attempt to fight against the wet nurses and maids using the method of three cunning rabbit holes.
But these little fools don't understand that they have to go home after running wild all night. When they see their mother, they are so frightened that their legs and feet become weak and they don't know what to do. After being taught a lesson, they become honest and behave like they are before they go back to their old ways and continue running wildly.
As he grew older and ran faster, the maids gradually couldn't catch up with the naughty young master, so they had to ask the Hime Samurai in charge of the garrison to catch the "suspect". Therefore, there were often dramas of catching children in a battle of wits and courage in the Edo Imperial Palace.
Their good days were basically over. As soon as Ashikaga Yoshitoki came back, he immediately sent several boys to their teacher for collective training. They worked from sunrise to sunset every day and had a very regular life. The maids who were proficient in ninjutsu were rearranged in the imperial palace and quietly
Follow behind and be responsible for supervising the specific whereabouts of a few troublemakers. Small mistakes can be ignored and major problems will not be allowed to be indulged.
Using this powerful correction method, several naughty little guys were forced back. The most obedient Ashikaga Jinohmaru became the leader of the young samurai. The ignorant Ashikaga Shinohmaru who just wanted to play was much worse and became a concubine.
Ashikaga Torachiyo and Ashikaga Matsuchiyo are doing pretty well, but the remaining younger sons have no signs of success yet.
PS: I bow and thank Xiao Zimu for the reward. Congratulations on the birth of the first director of this book. Wu Mei, a niche book, finally has a director. I am so excited! So Wu Mei made a bold decision. At the end of the month,
There will be another outbreak one day (the time is temporarily undetermined), and as usual, please support me when the time comes.
PS: At the suggestion of the book friends in the group, I specifically listed all the children of the protagonist born now. In fact, this data is not too exaggerated. At most, it is relatively dense in a short period of time. There are many people in history who have dozens of sons, both ancient and modern.
Both at home and abroad, Yuan Manzhong had more than a dozen well-known sons, and there were countless unknown commoners known as Luoyin.