On June 5, the twelfth year of Tianwen (1543), Imagawa Yoshimoto continued to fulfill the task assigned to him by Taiyuan Xue Zhai of "visiting the family members of each family tree". This time the destination was Imagawa Branch House in Yuanjiang.
Mingshi. After the death of the previous head of the family, Sena Ujisada, his son Senaji Toshiki inherited the position of governor, but still stayed at the Imagawa Hall to handle government affairs for Imagawa Yoshimoto. The affairs within the territory were handled by Senaji Sadayuki.
My younger brother Sena Sadakiyoshi is in charge as the acting family governor.
As for why such an arrangement was made - it was all because of Sena Jisada's loyalty, or painstaking efforts. Imagawa Yoshimoto can still clearly remember Sena Jisada's instructions before his death, which was 2
What happened two years ago (December 11, the Astronomical Decade (1541)):
Sena Shizada took a deep breath and spent a lot of energy before speaking a long sentence:
"The only thing I'm worried about is your temperament, Your Highness. I know that you don't want to be the governor of the family, and you were forced to do so by Master Yudai and Xue Zhai. But right now, no one can do it for you. Only you can be the governor of the Imagawa family.
.So there is no other way. You have to rein in your temper and stop focusing on elegance all day long. You have to deal with government affairs. First, Master Xue Zhai is not young anymore, so you can no longer entrust everything to him."
"Second, I guess you won't like to hear what I said, but I still want to say it. People who are about to die should speak kindly. Others are afraid of offending others when they say these things, but I am not afraid of a dying person. Veteran
I know that you have a deep relationship with Master Xue Zhai as a master and disciple, and I also know that Master Xue Zhai is loyal to you. But it is necessary to be on guard against others. Even if Master Xue Zhai does not have any evil thoughts, there is no guarantee that the people around him will not.
Use your brain. If Master Xue Zhai is really unfavorable to you, how should you deal with it? It is safest to have the power in your family in your own hands."
"I know that asking you to work diligently is probably more difficult than reaching the sky." Sena Shizada coughed heavily several times, then raised his hand again and grabbed Sena Shitoshi, "So, I have the courage to do it.
, Your Highness, please keep Inuko by your side. Although Inuko will inherit the Sena family after the death of the old minister, please leave all territorial matters on the Yuanjiang River to the old minister's clan brother Zhenqing. Let Inuko follow you.
, to handle government affairs for you, so as not to hand over all the power to Master Xuesai alone. If there are any misunderstandings around Master Xuesai in the future, His Highness can rely on Inuko, and the Sena family will be the wings of the Imagawa clan for all their lives."
"Gengoro, my father is dead, and you have to shoulder the burden. You must serve His Highness wholeheartedly and dedicate yourself to the public. You must not have a day or even a moment of leisure. If you neglect your duties, you will be disobeying my father."
Sigh... Thinking of Sena Ujisad's voice and smile, Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't help but let out a long sigh. Partings were normal in the world, but the departure of such a loyal elder would still make him sad.
Two years later, when I looked back at Sena Ujisada's last words, I discovered that the conflict in the family had already been buried, and Sena Ujisada had long been aware of this problem - Imagawa Yoshimoto's undisciplined style of neglecting his duties would make the retainers
He was angry and disappointed, and his approach of entrusting all government affairs to Taiyuan Xuezhai would make his retainers angry at Taiyuan Xuezhai, who had monopolized power, and eventually rebelled in anger.
It was precisely because Sena Jisada was worried about this kind of thing happening that he insisted on letting Sena Jishun enter the center of Imagawakan to assist Taiyuan Xuezhai in governing the country. As a governor of a family like Sena Jishun, he might be able to
To a certain extent, it checks and balances Taiyuan Xuezhai as the family head and disperses his power, so as to alleviate the concerns of the Imagawa family retainers about Taiyuan Xuezhai's arbitrariness.
For the sake of the interests of the Imagawa family, Sena Shisada even did not hesitate to commit a taboo - letting a commoner take over the duties of the governor of the family, and sending his legitimate son to the Imagawa Hall far away from the territory. If you are not careful, you may become the governor of the family.
Fighting, the tragedy of family division.
Imagawa Yoshimoto turned to look at Sena Ujitoshi, who was riding a horse half behind him. He was obviously about the same age as him, but his tired look seemed to be as old as 30 years old. The white cheeks
Thick dark circles and wrinkles at the corners of the eyes are clearly visible.
Imagawa Yoshimoto knows that this is all due to exhaustion. Sena Ujitoshi has been Taiyuan Xuezhai's deputy for many years, handling the most complicated taxation and land inspection matters, almost 360 days a year, every day.
From working at Mao Shi to Xu Shi, even meals were taken care of casually. When Taiyuan Xue Zhai was out, Sena Toshi was the backbone of various government affairs in Imagawa Hall, and he had to work day and night.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sena." Imagawa Yoshimoto slowed down his horse and suddenly said.
"Huh?" Sena Ujitoshi was a little stunned by the sudden concern and greeting from Imagawa Yoshimoto. Without paying attention to his horse head, he surpassed Imagawa Yoshimoto - for a rule-abiding person like Sena Ujitoshi, this was a surprise.
It was a huge overstep for his horse to overtake the governor during the march - so he quickly reined in the horse and slowed down, almost throwing himself off the horse. At the same time, he hurriedly apologized: "I'm sorry! I was negligent!"
"Haha, Sena, you've been with me for several years, why are you so reserved?" Imagawa Yoshimoto smiled and stretched out his hand, grabbed the reins of Sena Ujitoshi's horse, and led him forward, "In terms of seniority,
Who should you count as mine? Nephew? Or clan brother?"
"Probably a nephew." Sena Toshiba obviously knew the genealogy of both the Imagawa clan and the Toe Imagawa clan very well.
"That's a relative. I'm your uncle, why should I be so polite? You married my sister, so you're still my brother-in-law. Why are you so polite?" Imagawa Yoshimoto teased, then let go and let go of the horse's reins, "Follow me.
Come up."
"Even if you are a close relative and have a master-slave status, you must not overstep your bounds." However, Sena Ushitoshi has his own stubbornness in this regard and still controls the horse speed meticulously, half a step behind Imagawa Yoshimoto.
Conversation, "This is what Jia Yan taught many times during his lifetime, and I will not forget it in the next day."
"You're always like this." Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't resist him, so he laughed it off.
Not long after, the Sena family's residence, Yamashiro Castle, appeared in front of them. Sena Sadad, who acted as the family governor, was waiting outside the city gate early in the morning. When Imagawa Yoshimoto and his entourage arrived, he immediately greeted them with a big ceremony.
"See the main hall of the family governor." Sena Sadakiyoshi bowed respectfully to Imagawa Yoshimoto, then turned to Sena Ujitoshi and asked to perform the etiquette of a retainer who has met the master of the family.
"Uncle, you can't do this!" Sena Ujitoshi was so frightened that he quickly got off his horse and held Sena Sadaqiyo's arms to prevent him from kneeling down. "How can we let the elders give such a gift to the younger ones?"
"Even if you are a close relative and have a master-slave status, you must not overstep your bounds." Sena Sadaki was no less stubborn than Sena Ujitoshi. He struggled to break away from Sena Ujitoshi and still completed the task meticulously.
The etiquette, "This is what Ie Yan (Sena Kazuhide) taught us two brothers during his lifetime. I will keep it in mind day and night. See you, Your Highness!"
They are really carved from the same mold. The Sena family has a very strict upbringing - Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't help but sigh at the side - the same stubbornness, the same loyalty and duty. Perhaps this is why Sena Shisada can safely supervise the family.
You can temporarily entrust your position to your younger brother without worrying about why he takes the opportunity to seize power. In the eyes of the Sena family, even thinking about it is a sin, let alone doing anything illegal.
After lunch, Imagawa Yoshimoto, led by Sena Sadakiyoshi, inspected the territory around Sheyama Castle and left before evening.
"Your Highness, won't you stay for dinner?" Sena Ujitoshi rode away with Imagawa Yoshimoto on horseback, and asked at the same time: "Didn't you say before that you still have questions to ask my uncle?"
"It doesn't seem necessary now. I already know the answer, but I have a question for Sena: Why are you willing to be loyal to the Imagawa family?" After thinking about it for a moment, Imagawa Yoshimoto decided to add another half sentence: "No.
You must answer me with reasons like 'This is the duty of the Sena family', 'This is my father's teachings', etc. Give me some other reasons."
"Huh?" The two answers that Sena Ujitoshi had on his lips were rejected in advance by Imagawa Yoshimoto, and he was speechless for a moment. Imagawa Yoshimoto originally thought that Sena Ujitoshi would fall into deep thought and think about another answer.
But Sena Shitoshi did not show a thoughtful expression, but blushed a little embarrassedly. It seemed that he had already had the third answer in his heart, but he just couldn't express it.
"What is it?" Imagawa Yoshimoto asked seductively, which made Sena Ujitoshi's face turn even redder.
He hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke softly and hesitantly:
"Because it's good to have His Highness here...because His Highness is a gentle and good person."
"Ah?" Imagawa Yoshimoto was also a little embarrassed by Sena Shijun's sudden embarrassment, "Because I'm very gentle?"
"Well... His Highness is always very gentle, treats the people around him gently, and takes care of the feelings of those around him. I almost never see His Highness scolding his retainers and servants." Sena Ujitoshi looked away, carefully choosing his words, and finally
As he spoke, his eyes started to burst into tears, "When my mother was in the enemy's hands... it was only because of His Highness's kindness that Jia Ci was able to survive. When I was exiled to the streets, His Highness came to visit me again and again. Even if it was just for His Highness's sake.
Be gentle, and I will be loyal to you for the rest of my life."
"Sena, don't cry. Why are your eyes turning red? It's just like before." Imagawa Yoshimoto was a little overwhelmed by Sena Ujitoshi's tears, and stretched out his hand to pat him awkwardly.
He tried to change the subject: "What happens when I retire? Will you continue to be loyal to the Imagawa family?"
"Young Master is also a gentle child." Sena Ujitoshi mentioned Imagawa Goro, and a warm smile suddenly appeared on his face, "Young Master will become a gentle warrior like His Highness in the future, and I will naturally continue to serve him
Be loyal, and so will your children."
"Then what if a good person appears who is gentler than me and treats you better?" Imagawa Yoshimoto finally asked a question like a thorn in the side, "Will you leave me and follow him?"
"If such a good person really appears in Suruga, then he will definitely be attracted by His Highness, and will be appreciated by His Highness. In the end, he will definitely become a member of the Imagawa family and work with you to be loyal to His Highness." Toshi Sena