On June 6, the twelfth year of Tenmon (1543), Imagawa Yoshimoto's next stop was Mitsuke Castle, the residence of the Miura family. Miura Ujimitsu, the head of the Miura family, learned that Imagawa Yoshimoto was coming, so he naturally made preparations early.
He went out of the city to greet him in person. After accompanying Imagawa Yoshimoto on a tour of the territory, he returned to the castle tower to greet him.
The Miura clan is descended from the Kanbu Taira clan, one of the Bando Haira clan. During the Heian period, it became a huge force that dominated Sagami and was called the "Miura Party" by people at the time. Later, the Miura clan's descendants spread out and spread throughout the country.
Many people from the East Kingdom migrated and settled down - the Inadai clan, the Ashina clan, the Wada clan, the Sugimoto clan and many other people were descended from the Miura clan. Among them, the eldest son of Miura Yoshimura, Miura Asamura, came to Suruga and became the retainers of the Imagawa clan.
Suruga Miura clan. Starting from the Imagawa Norigoku era, the Miura clan has served the Imagawa family for more than 230 years, and is second only to the Asahina clan in the family tree.
"That's all in the past..." Mentioning the great achievements and fame of his ancestors, Miura didn't feel complacent at all. Instead, he felt a little sad, "How can Miura still have the same courage as he did back then.
Being able to hold on to this three-thirds of an acre is already a good deal."
"Why do you say that the Miura family is also the genealogy of our Imagawa family. It was once valued as a pen, how can it be so bad as Zaemon Wei said?" Imagawa Yoshimoto explained Miura Mitsu who seemed to be a little presumptuous, "In the "Kana Catalog"
Here, the Miura family is one of the most important ministers listed in the document along with the Asahina family, and they have been given the preferential treatment of first-come-first-served seats without having to draw lots for seats in the Imagawa Hall."
"Haha, Your Highness is joking, we don't dare to compare with the Asahina clan." Miura clan hurriedly thanked him when he heard this, toasted to Imagawa Yoshimoto, and said with a smile: "The Asahina clan has a reputation of daring to fight for generations.
They are the strongest clan in the Imagawa family. We, the Miura family, don’t have that ability, so we can only assist the master’s family in handling internal affairs and appease the newly acquired territory. It is a fluke to be named alongside the Asahina clan in the "Kana Directory".
It’s just a matter of seniority based on my years of service.”
Miura took a sip of his wine, and then said with a wry smile: "Moreover, what is grace in the eyes of our Miura family is a shame in the eyes of the Asahina family. They have oppressed us for generations, but in "
In the "Kana Directory", they were forced to be named together with us and share the same seats. When the Asahina family learned the news, they were very excited and were quite dissatisfied with it. Everyone in the Asahina family said that this was their old master (Imagawa).
Clan relatives) punished them for taking the wrong side in the battle for household governor."
"But we, the Miura family, are not qualified to say that the Asahina family is the only one." When talking about this, it seemed that the sad thing was brought up again. Miura was very apologetic and bowed to Imagawa Yoshimoto and apologized: "During the rebellion of Oga Norimitsu, our Miura family was
I sided with Noroman Oro. During the Imagawa Yoshima rebellion, our Miura family once again sided with Imagawa Yoshima. This time, we did not distinguish between right and wrong. I hope that His Highness, the Family Governor, will be kind and forgive the Miura family for their stupidity."
Choosing the wrong supporter twice in a row in the battle for the house governor is a fatal blow to any retainer. Because of these two mistakes in taking sides, the Miura family's territory was reduced a lot, and the right to speak in the family also plummeted. Originally, it was
The Miura family, which is the oldest family alongside the Asahina family, currently has less than half of its territory than the Asahina family and the Okabe family, and is even inferior to the Sena family and the newly promoted Osawa family as a clan. And the samurai of the Miura family are also
It has been many years since I served in the center of Imagawa Hall.
"However, His Highness was willing to transfer our Miura family to Yuanjiang after the initial settlement in Yuanjiang. I was already very moved." Miura Ujimitsu talked about the great transfer of the family five years ago (1538).
At that time, his mood seemed to be better again, "Although many retainers in the family complained about this, after all, relocation is a troublesome matter, and leaving one's hometown makes people reluctant to leave, but this at least means that the master's family still believes in us and is willing to take us there."
Use it as a confidant to transfer to the newly conquered territories to consolidate the rule of the master's family."
"So I would like to ask my lord, why do you still trust us when the Miura family opposed you not long ago and met you at war?" Miura Uchimitsu toasted another glass of wine to Imagawa Yoshimoto, and then said respectfully
Asked.
Because Imagawa Yoshimoto was stimulated by the large-scale rebellion of Toe (especially Asahina's pro-Goku), he has asked countless retainers in recent days "Why are they loyal to him". This is the first time that he has been asked in turn "Why do they trust their retainers"?
I was a little confused for a while. But after thinking for a moment, I still gave the answer I had received from the retainer before:
"Because the Miura family has served the Imagawa family for more than two hundred years for more than two hundred years. Even if a different heir is chosen during the dispute over the governor, the loyalty to the Imagawa family will remain unchanged. When the dispute over the governor is settled,
Presumably generations like the Miura family will continue to be loyal to the new family governor."
"That's right. It's great that Your Highness thinks so." Miura sighed happily after hearing this, then stared at the Saber Ryumaru on Imagawa Yoshimoto's waist, and said seriously:
"Our Miura family has been in the family for so many generations, but we have not produced any experts in military strategy, nor are there any counselors as wise as Master Xue Zhai. The training of soldiers is only ordinary. They cannot compare with those retainers who are accustomed to fighting. They are destined to be
There is no chance to make great achievements. The only thing that can keep the Miura family high in the Imagawa Hall is the time we serve the Imagawa family."
"I've always wondered how a family like ours with no ability can tell its descendants proudly about our family's history? Can it only be traced back a few hundred years? Then I thought about it, since it's destined to be impossible to leave a name in history.
, it would also be good to leave a good reputation of being loyal to the master’s family from generation to generation.”
"If the Imagawa family can develop and grow in the future, the Miura family will still have a chance to receive the guardianship of a small country through years of hard work. Even if the Imagawa family will decline in the future like countless prosperous families, when people mention the Imagawa family
, after talking about the heroes of Asahina, Okabe, and Master Yukisai, I will also mention that there is another Miura clan, who served the Imagawa family for hundreds of years, and eventually died with the main family. Although
I can’t be called a good minister, but I can still be called a loyal minister. That’s not bad.”
On June 8, the twelfth year of Tianwen (1543), Imagawa Yoshimoto, who had finished his trip, returned to Imagawa Hall and returned to Taiyuan Xuezhai.
"How are you doing? Do you have any insights?" Taiyuan Xuezhai asked Imagawa Yoshimoto casually while reviewing the mountains of official documents in front of him.
"I've figured it out... I can't say I've figured it out. I probably understand why the retainers are loyal to the master's family." Imagawa Yoshimoto sat down opposite Taiyuan Xue Zhai - to his relief, this time Taiyuan Xue Zhai
Zhai's house is much cleaner, at least there is an area to sit among the waste paper.
"Tell me about it." Taiyuan Xuezhai bit the brush holder, took another roll of official documents with both hands, and continued to correct.
"There are probably two types. One type comes from tradition, because generations of my family have served the master's family, and my parents have taught me to be as loyal to the master's family as the previous generations, so I feel that I should do this of course, otherwise it will be an insult to the ancestors.
Imagawa Yoshimoto paused, picked up a cup of tea on the table of Taiyuan Xuezhai, made sure there were no strange floating objects in it, took a sip, and continued:
"The other type comes from the personal charm of the governor of the master's family. Either because the governor's talents attract followers, or because they feel that the characteristics of the governor can preserve the family and decide to rely on them, or because of the kindness of the governor, they have the heart to repay the kindness.
Even the reason that 'the governor is a good person' will make some retainers willing to follow him."
"Then which one do you prefer?" Taiyuan Xuezai stopped what he was doing, put down his pen, raised his head with interest and asked, as if he was looking forward to the answer given by Imagawa Yoshimoto.
"I can't tell... because the loyalty born of the personal charm of the house governor will be an amazing master-servant story written in various story books, just like Judge Kuro and Benkei..." Imagawa Yoshimoto was really confused for a while.
In the end, I still didn’t choose:
"But the loyalty that comes from tradition is also very touching. Teacher, imagine if a family, such as the Imagawa family, is about to be destroyed. At this time, an Asahina child stands alone in front of the castle with a sword drawn, and has always committed crimes.
Thousands of troops and horses challenged him. He shouted loudly, "Our Asahina family has served the Imagawa family as the lineage for more than ten generations, three hundred years. It has always been from beginning to end. The master's family will perish. How can no one in the family be martyred?" Then he challenged one after another.
Dozens of enemy warriors were left behind, until they were exhausted and died under the city gate - what a sad and beautiful swan song it was."
As Imagawa Yoshimoto spoke, he seemed to feel the same pain all over his body, infected by the loyalty passed down from generation to generation. "Any emotion will become more mellow after time."
"Haha, you are clearly looking at it from the perspective of a scholar. I want you to see it from the perspective of a family governor." Taiyuan Xuezhai was amused by Imagawa Yoshimoto's long speech, and then he stopped talking.
He spoke directly:
"Loyalty derived from personal charisma may be more cohesive in a short period of time, but that is too unstable. With the death of the house governor himself - he doesn't even have to die, as long as he makes some mistakes that can destroy his charm -
Then this loyalty will disappear in an instant. Loyalty derived from tradition is reliable, which relies on retainers' recognition of the allegiance relationship passed down through the generations. The foundation of this loyalty is past history, and history cannot disappear, so it is reliable.
."
"Even if the loyalty comes from personal charm, it can only be maintained for a long time if it turns into traditional loyalty. And most traditional loyalty originally evolved from the loyalty of personal charm." Taiyuan Xuezhai with a brush
The tip of the pen tapped Imagawa Yoshimoto from afar:
"When the Imagawa clan came to this Suruga River, weren't they alone at first? They relied on the personal charm of successive family governors to attract batches of people who decided to follow them. Those who followed early became genealogical, such as Asahina and Miura
, after more than two hundred years of serving the Imagawa family, their loyalty to the Imagawa family has changed from the initial recognition of the personal charm of the third and fourth generations to the recognition of the Imagawa family's bloodline itself. And each generation of family governors will also rely on
His personal charm attracts more Chinese people to become loyal to him, and then gradually turns into a traitor as time goes by."
"So do you understand? How to capture the hearts of the people in Yuanjiang and Mikawa so that they will no longer rebel?" Taiyuan Xuezhai has laid the groundwork and arranged for Imagawa Yoshimoto to explore so much on his own. The final sermon came naturally.
:
"Use your personal charm to attract them. Whether it's talent, strategy, favors or rewards, let them gradually evolve from identifying with you personally to identifying with the Imagawa family. Instead of forcing them with force and garrison
Obedience, rule rooted in power will never be stable. And since you want them to recognize your personal charm...do you think the samurai will recognize a cheap family governor who ignores political affairs and travels around?"
"I understand." Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded to Taiyuan Xuezhai with conviction.
"As long as you understand." Taiyuan Xuezhai laughed as if he was succeeding, and then pulled out a thin stack of documents and handed them to Imagawa Yoshimoto: "Disciple, your first task is to revise and supplement them.
This thing. Only you have the qualifications and authority to modify it. As a teacher, I dare not touch this thing, otherwise the retainers will point their fingers at me and scold me as a powerful minister."
Imagawa Yoshimoto took a closer look and found that there were four big characters written on the front of the volume——