A few days later, Aju was recruited back by Kira Manshomaru. Seeing her tired face, Kira Manshomaru asked him to rest first. It took two days before he learned from Katsuhime that he had been staying at Atago's house for the past month.
It wasn't very pleasant. Her original excitement of returning home was completely shattered by her indifferent family. If Kira Manshomaru hadn't sent someone to recruit her, she would have packed her bags and moved back.
The life of the Atago family is very bad. It can be said that it is not much better than being unable to open the pot. The twenty-odd members of the family have nothing to eat and drink. Except for the family director who often goes out to find some food for the Wu family to fight the autumn wind, which is still okay, the other men can only find ways to survive.
Earn some extra money in Kyoto, such as teaching Cuju, painting, or telling the Tale of Genji to some arty wealthy businessmen, and you can barely make a living.
Ah Ju has another mouth to talk to when she returns home. This life must be more difficult. Moreover, she has been away from home for ten years and is very estranged from her relatives. Her parents gave birth to several younger brothers and sisters after she left. Life at home is very tight.
Aju's elder brother is already married, and his younger brother Gang Yuanfu has not yet found a suitable marriage partner because their family is too poor.
In order not to embarrass her family, Aju took out the fifty pounds she had accumulated over the past few years to subsidize the family. For the sake of money, she reluctantly allowed him to live there. As the excitement of returning home passed,
, Juji felt uncomfortable with the fake smiles and unfamiliar interpersonal relationships at home, especially when her father took away twenty pieces of clothing and said that he had not changed into new clothes for more than ten years, so he had to buy a decent new hunting suit anyway.
His eldest brother asked for ten guan of money to pay off the debt. The greedy child at home stole the 10 guan of money and bought cakes to eat. Although he was severely beaten and couldn't go out for half a month, the fifty guan money was only used.
It was all used up in a month. Fortunately, Kira Manshomaru sent someone to pick her up, so she finally left the Atago house in peace and dignity, retaining some dignity as a relative.
"This speed of losing money is really weird. Fifty kusen is enough to last half a year for the Hattori family of over 100 people, but the Atago family of more than 20 people can't even survive for a month. It's true that if you don't commit suicide, you won't die!"
Kira Manshomaru shook his head. He was no longer interested in studying the corruption of the ministers. When he returned to his residence, he saw Aju sitting in the small garden in the backyard in a daze.
The sound of the stream rushing and flowing, and the crisp sound of the frightened deer's bamboo tube hitting the stone bowl after it was filled with stream water, made the courtyard seem particularly quiet and peaceful, as if you were in a paradise, completely isolated from the noise, Kira Mansomaru said with emotion:
"This is Zen!"
Kira Mansomaru hesitated for a moment, then walked to her and sat down, "Aju, are you okay?"
"Your Highness!" Aju smiled gently, shook her head gently and said, "Aju is fine, Your Highness, don't worry."
"You still say that you are fine. How can you say that you are fine if you are not happy at all?" Kira Mansomaru sighed secretly, and then advised: "You choose the path yourself, and you have to take responsibility for it, so please don't force yourself too much."
"Thank you, Your Highness, for enlightening A Ju! A Ju understands what His Highness means!" A Ju bowed gently, then smiled tenderly and took out a paper crane from his sleeve, held it in his hand, and said happily: "A Ju will look like
This paper crane spreads its wings and embraces nature. Your Highness must have come to Sakamoto for this reason, right?"
"Huh? What kind of unfolding rhythm is this?" Kira Mansomaru smiled bitterly and shrugged.
"So, A-Ju will work hard! Your Highness, please work hard too!" A-Ju carefully put away the paper crane, bowed lightly and ran away with small steps.
"Embrace nature! When did Chizuru give this meaning to her again? Okay, let me give you a hug too?" Kira Manshomaru stretched out his hands, and lay back on the porch, "As expected, it's still a hug.
It’s naturally more comfortable!”
…
On October 19th, at the Sakamoto New Town construction site, while a group of civilians were busy with construction, Saijo Bei and Akabi were wearing armors, each holding three sticks that were more than three rooms long, training against each other. Although Akabei was wearing a bright red armor,
They are beautiful, they are both samurai, and they are also very powerful. Unfortunately, they were built less than two months ago and there is no tacit understanding at all. Whenever they are in a stalemate with Saijo Bei for a while, the formation will be damaged and gradually turn into a rout.
"Eighth match, Saijo Bei wins!" Hidetaka Nakajo, who served as the referee, wrote and drew another horizontal bar on a charcoal board. After careful counting, there were eight horizontal bars, which is eight consecutive victories. Needless to say, the opponent is currently
A big duck egg.
"Damn it, why do you always lose! Miyake Kan'emon! It's your fault this time! Why is it you every time? Can't you stand up?" One samurai took off his helmet angrily and accused another samurai.
.
"Asshole! Is this my fault? Dong Sanhe was the first to lose, why didn't you go to them and tell them!"
"Hush! Bastard! Do you want to die? Now we are not allowed to mention things. We are all comrades-in-arms. If we raise regional issues again, we will be kicked back to Sanhe." After hearing the warning from their companions, several warriors immediately fell down.
He was mumbling some curse words or saying something, so he walked to the shade of a tree and took the time to rest.
Kira Mansomaru asked: "How many times a day do you need to do this kind of sparring?"
"There are twenty times a day. It is the request of the gym owner to improve the actual combat level through sparring. Therefore, in order to speed up Akabi's overall combat power, the number of sparring sessions is specially increased, and sometimes additional training is required after dinner." Hidetaka Nakajo replied.
road.
"Pay attention to keeping up with the three meals a day. High-intensity training will collapse if there is not enough food to supplement it. Rice is too expensive and difficult to digest. The staple food is mostly pasta and brown rice. There should be no shortage of miso and fresh fish as supplementary food.
.”
"yes!"
After resting for about twenty minutes, the two sides stood up and continued sparring. From the sparring, we could see the level of the two reserve teams. It was obvious that Saijo Bei was more skilled in cooperating. In the spear formation, it was easy to form a half due to their numerical advantage.
In a situation of siege, although Chibei was a samurai and had stronger personal combat power, he was always defeated time and time again due to lack of cooperation.
Sure enough, Chibei didn't last long and was defeated again. This time there were still people yelling angrily, and of course more people looked disappointed. Saijobei didn't react at all, as if he was used to this kind of immortal treatment. Look.
At this point, Kira Manshomaru shook his head: "Just practicing like this is not enough. Call Akabi Ashigaru General."
After a while, the four Ashigaru generals stood in a row with serious expressions. Looking at the expressions on their faces, Kira Manshomaru knocked on the table and asked: "Do you know why I called you here?"
The four people answered in unison: "Because of failure."
"That's right! It's because of failure!" Kira Manshomaru pointed at the four people angrily and scolded: "You can still realize that it is because of failure. At least it is not hopeless. Look at what you have done?
I've only been away for a month and I'm like this. Don't you feel ashamed that I'm beaten by Saijo every day until I can't fight back?"
"shame!"
"Then why do you have to accept humiliation again and again? Why fail? How to avoid failure? Look for the reasons within yourself. Don't focus on the difference between eight hundred and five hundred. Those three hundred people can't save you, and the enemy on the battlefield can't.
Talking to you about fairness and justice, why did I let Saijo prepare 800 elite warriors to fight Chibei 500 samurai? Give you a month to think clearly!"
"Yes!" The four Ashigaru generals looked ashamed after being reprimanded. If the Kira family had not strictly prohibited seppuku, someone might have performed the restricted scene live.
"Also, don't waste every break. I see you are all sitting there with nothing to do. Are you that idle? Why don't you communicate with the warriors under your command? Why did you fail? Summarize the reasons for each failure and make corrections.
Do you understand that the plan is tested again and again until it no longer fails and can win?"
"yes!"
"Okay! Go back and do what you should do!" Kira Mansomaru waved his hand and sent the four ashigaru generals away, then turned to Isshiki Shiro next to him and said: "Shiro, I intend to let you go to Chibichu for some training.
, do you think so?"
"Great! Oh no! Thank you for your grace, Master! I have long wanted to practice in Chibei, but what about the art of bow and horse?" Isshiki Shiro hesitated in the middle of speaking.
"First sharpen your muscles and bones. Aren't you always dissatisfied with the spear skills you are good at? Go to Chibi and practice! Watanabe Takatsuna's spear skills are very powerful. Archery and Naito Masashige can teach you riding skills.
Just take the time to practice! Compared to that idiot Zenjiro, you are more suitable to be our general who charges forward."
"Yes! I, Shiro, thanked the master!" Isshiki Shiro stood up happily, and under the approving gaze of Kira Mansomaru, he happily caught up with the four ashigaru generals.
Nakajo Hidetaka said with a wry smile: "His Majesty Kira's power is gradually increasing, and the four Ashigaru generals have not dared to raise their heads to look at you from the beginning to the end."
"Oh? Really? Am I really that fierce?" Kira Mansomaru rubbed his cheeks and said distressedly: "If I'm too fierce, will no noble women be willing to marry me?"
"..." Hidetaka Nakajo turned his head with black lines on his face, pretending not to hear what was said behind him.