On April 28, the fifth year of Tenmon (1536), a group of people had trekked through the mountain roads of Higashi Mino and arrived at the castle town of Akechi Castle in Central Mino Koji County. After leaving the mountainous area, Imagawa Ujimoto and others went to the castle town.
They spent a lot of money to buy horses, and their journey was much faster. On the road, the fleeing pedestrians looked in a hurry, and there were a lot of soft goods and goods abandoned on both sides of the road. Miao Miao jumped on the goods and rummaged for food with her little paws.
He was grabbed back by Ginkgo.
Imagawa Ujimoto was squatting next to an overturned truck. He picked up a stack of papers that had been stained by mud and water with some regret, and sighed, "Mino's specialties, with such fineness, if they are used to make green mountains.
Painting should be considered superior."
"The battle for the protection of Mino has been going on for almost 20 years, and it's not over yet." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo stood on the stone next to the cart, looking at the people in the distance who had left their homes to avoid the disaster of the war. Even further away, weapons were being exchanged.
The smoke rising from the two armies could still be clearly seen miles away, "Your Majesty Toki's vision is too narrow. They are wasting national power for the position of family governor. Do you really think there is no one around to spy on Meinong? By then,
They fought for a result, and Meinong was left to outsiders. Wouldn’t that bring shame to our ancestors?”
Just as a few people were chatting, they saw a group of refugees with dirty faces and dusty faces, walking quickly on the official road in front of them. In the crowd, there were old people, young ones, and their parents were holding the stumbling ones.
The children hurriedly followed the group. They supported the old man who could not walk, and tried their best to keep up with the pace of the group. These poor refugees did not carry much luggage, and they were too poor to have anything.
They were still worried that they would not be able to move quickly if they brought too much. Judging from the direction of their escape, their hometown should be on the battlefield where the two armies were fighting.
"Decades of war have made it hard for the people to live a good life, and many people have fallen into bandits. This is the border between Owari and Mino, and there are many bandits." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo put his hands behind his back and looked around.
Shanlin, "If they encounter bandits, these refugees will probably not be spared. They rush as hard as they can and it will be safer if they run into Owari."
"If Owari is not also in the civil war, how can it be better?" Imagawa Ujimoto sighed again, slowly tapping his palms with his folding fan, "Several Oda families have been fighting for many years, but now they are a little more peaceful.
Maybe one day there will be another fight. In these troubled times, there are either conquests between guardians, internal fights for family governors, or rebellions where subordinates are trying to defeat superiors. In such a vast world, I am afraid there will not be a single county where peace can be enjoyed.
Stay out of the action. How many peaceful towns have we encountered along the way?"
"That's why I say that we must use any means necessary to quell the troubled times. It's better to kill hundreds of thousands of people than to let tens of millions of people struggle in hell day and night." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo said to Imagawa Shimoto with a smile, and also followed his advice.
The latter's disapproval could be seen in the look on his face. Just when Nakasugi Torachiyo was thinking about the words, preparing to raise this topic for the seventh time in these three days to convince Imagawa Ujimoto to agree with him - God favored him.
Submitted arguments.
A large group of bandits blocked the road and stopped the group of refugees who had just fled south. The bandits were not hesitant and rushed forward with crudely made sticks, knives and guns to rob their property. The refugees knelt down and begged for mercy.
, honestly offered the meager living expenses for the whole family, and prayed to the bandits to leave some for themselves, but it was in vain. A few strong men seemed reluctant to part with this small amount of property that they had worked hard to save, and got up and talked to the bandits
They argued, but were shot randomly and fell into a pool of blood. The weak wives and children cried out in pain and threw themselves on the male master to help him stop the bleeding, but they could only watch helplessly as their lives passed by.
After robbing the property, the bandits seemed not satisfied. They picked out a few pretty women among the crowd and dragged them to the village. One woman was still holding her infant baby in her hands, but
The bandit snatched him away impatiently and threw him to the ground in the distance. The child cried a few times and then stopped making any sound. Seeing that he was dying, the woman almost fainted and was beaten to death by the mountain bandit.
The thief carried it on his shoulders and carried it away.
"These bandits were just good people who couldn't survive before they fell into the grass. Now they have to kill the villagers for survival and finance. Goro, you said, you want to turn an honest farmer into a murderous gangster.
, How many years will it take? How many times will it be stained with blood? And what kind of desperate situation will it take for him to kill someone for the first time?" Nakasugi Torachiyo looked at the tragedy in front of him and sighed with some regret. Imagawa on the side
Ujimoto couldn't bear it, so he put the folding fan back on his waist and grabbed the katana at his waist.
"Sir, what are you doing?" Kira Hesei seemed to be unable to bear it any longer. He asked eagerly after seeing Imagawa Motoru's action.
"After all, this is the territory of Mino. If we let the ninjas who cover us secretly go out, their identity will only be exposed and it will only cause more trouble." Nakasugi Torachiyo poured cold water on Imagawa Ujimoto and Kira Hidenari, but did not forget to add it again.
One sentence, "Or are you two planning to deal with dozens of bandits alone?"
"It's not bad, it's just a mob, I think it can be solved." Imagawa Ujimoto seemed to be very confident in his martial arts.
"The premise is that Goro, you must have the consciousness to kill, and have the consciousness to stain your hands with blood." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo said coldly from behind, "When swords and weapons intersect, between life and death, even the slightest kindness may kill you. Look at Goro's appearance
You must have never killed anyone before. When the time comes and you are besieged by dozens of people, there will be no room for you to 'do it without killing'."
Imagawa Shimoto was stunned, this was his weakness. But when he looked at the sobbing crowd and saw several half-year-old children dragging their mothers' feet, not wanting to see their mothers kidnapped by bandits,
But when he was knocked to the ground by kicks and punches, he still made up his mind.
"I'm going to go, Torachiyo, will you help me?" He turned to look at Nakasugi Torachiyo.
"If you don't want to go, lend me the knife and I will accompany you, sir." Ginkgo said sarcastically in a somewhat harsh tone.
"Haha, why don't you go? It's so refreshing to risk your life to accompany a gentleman!" Nakasugi Tora Chiyo laughed boldly twice, then strode towards Imagawa Ujimoto and Kira Nosei.
"Koshichiro, protect Miss Ginkgo." Imagawa Ujimoto told Hayasaka Nao.
"When I encounter danger, I suggest this young man give me the knife, so that I can be safer." Ginkgo seemed to be very confident in her own martial arts, and looked at the suspicious Imagawa Ujimoto with a smile, "Hero
Sir, sir, don't underestimate the women from the mountains."
"Let's go." Imagawa Shimoto didn't say much, and snapped his fingers in the direction of the bandit. The three of them got on their horses and were about to move forward. But at this moment, they suddenly saw a group of soldiers coming out of the diagonal stab.
, blocked the way the bandits were leaving. This army, under the flag of aqua platycodon, was headed by a young man of about 20 years old with a heroic appearance, who sternly ordered his subordinates to kill the bandits.
"There is more than one good person, sir." Ginkgo smiled happily.
"The Platycodon flag, the flag of the Akechi family, the guardian of the land, the place of responsibility, how can we call him a good person?" Nakasugi Torachiyo obviously dismissed this, "Those like Goro who take action for justice and meddle in other people's business are good people."
"There are also people who are obviously one parent, but tax the people arbitrarily." Ginkgo mentioned her father, and the anger on her face could not be concealed. "Compared with this, wouldn't this wise gentleman be a good person?"
During the conversation, the bandits had been driven away by the Akechi army. Imagawa Shimoto looked at the small group of cavalry riding towards him and said with a smile, "Look, the good guys are coming."
"A few of you, I'm sorry to bother you." The leading knight was the samurai who had just commanded the army. He dismounted in front of a group of people and said politely, "My name is Akechi Mitsuhide, the grandson of the lord of Akechi City. I just saw three people who seemed to have drawn their swords to help.
I mean, I would like to express my gratitude to you all on behalf of the people."
"Mr. Akechi, you are so polite. It is human nature to not thank you enough." Imagawa Shimoto also dismounted and bowed respectfully in return.
"Looking at your speech and behavior, you don't look like a small person." Akechi Mitsuhide, who is well versed in etiquette, could tell that Imagawa's character was not simple at just one glance. He slightly changed his tone and said, "Why does the accent sound like Togoku but not Togoku, like Kyoto but not Kyoto?"
, but the manners and manners are all that of a public minister?"
"Akechi-sama is aware of the subtleties, and I admire you." Imagawa Shimoto praised sincerely, "To be honest, I am from Kanto, I used to live in Kyoto when I was a child, and this trip is to go home to visit my relatives."
"If that's the case, I'm overly concerned." Akechi Mitsuhide bowed again and apologized to Imagawajimoto for his doubts. He saw that the Mino paper scattered at Imagawajimoto's feet seemed to have been turned over, and Imagawajimoto
Following Akechi Mitsuhide's gaze, he understood what Akechi Mitsuhide was thinking, and said with some regret, "It's a good paper, but a pity."
"It's good paper, but what's more pity is that Meinong has been in war for many years and the people have been displaced. Compared with the suffering of thousands of people, what are a few pieces of paper?" Mitsuhide Akechi bent down and picked up the papers stained with muddy water. What he saw in his eyes
But it seemed like Meinong was stained with blood, "But fortunately, the war is almost over. I think that within five years, Meinong will be peaceful."
"Five years?" Nakasugi Tora Chiyo was amused when he heard this, and questioned with some disbelief, "The two His Highnesses Toki have been fighting for twenty years, how can it be possible for the winner to be decided in five years?"
"No, it will not be these two ignorant and unscrupulous His Highnesses who are willing to spare the efforts of the people to unify Mino." Akechi Mitsuhide shook his head and looked at Inabayama Castle in the north, "I have recently been guarding Nagai at Mino.
I found a viper at home, and I thought it might be able to unify Meinong."
"The retainer of the retainer who protects Mino?" Nakasugi Tora Chiyo laughed again, as if he didn't agree with Akechi Mitsuhide's judgment, "You want to defeat the superior three times?"
"That viper is a good man. It would be great if he could rule Mino. As long as he poisons the heads and heirs of the Nagai family and the Saito family, he can usurp the leader without any bloodshed.
If you seize the I family, seize the Saito family again, and then continue to evade the Toki family, great things can happen." Akechi Mitsuhide himself has already thought of a way to usurp power for the viper. "These adults have high ambitions and low ambitions, and tend to ignore the dangers around them.
Very easy to come by.”
"The murder of the lord, the following crime... can this be considered a good person?" Imagawa Ujimoto frowned, and the image of Akechi Mitsuhide, who had given him a good impression just now, instantly became vicious, "Such an unfaithful and unjust person, a treasonous act.
Is this person worthy of being the guardian of a country?"
"Your words are wrong. I think this is the greatest kindness." Mitsuhide Akechi shook his head slowly and responded very gently, "If it is like the two Toki Highnesses who fought to seize the throne in an upright manner, after the war spreads,
Countless innocent people will be affected. The tragedy of Meinong in the past 20 years is the best example. However, if the fatuous master is directly eliminated through conspiracy, assassination and other means and replaced from within, the people will not be harmed at all. This is not the case.
Can all people be saved at the smallest cost?"
"Don't you, Your Excellency, more admire the 'good guys' who are upright and upright in their pursuit of righteousness than these 'bad guys' who subjugate their superiors, but have dragged countless people into the flames of war? You care about the good reputation of 'justice', but you don't care about the lives of the people.
Those loyal ministers and good generals are the 'bad guys' to the people, right?"
"As expected of Akechi-sama." Imagawa Ujimoto fell into silence, but Nakasugi Tora Chiyo quite agreed and praised enthusiastically.