Chapter 4 4. Chiba Martial Arts

When Ryoma Sakamoto arrived in Edo, according to his father's instructions, he first ran to the gate of Kaji Bridge in Nai Sakurada, crossed the bridge and went west, and took off his straw sandals in front of the gate of the Tosa Domain.Because of the ultimatum brought from his hometown, the people in the feudal mansion immediately agreed and took him to the longhouse arranged for him to live in Edo. The house is nearly two feet wide.The guide said that a man lived with him.But that person just happened to go to the Momoi Martial Arts Gym on the bank of the Hazai River, so he wasn't in the room.

Ryoma dropped the dirt-covered luggage, sat down, and dust fell to the ground.He glanced inside the house, and found that the tatami mats and alcoves were cleaned quite clean, as if there were people with a cleanliness habit.He doesn't get along with this kind of person.What surprised him even more was that books were piled up around the desk.Is a man of learning.Long Ma felt admiration, and asked, "Who lives with you?" "Guess. It's from our hometown. Mr. Sakamoto should know." "It looks like he is a scholar." Long Ma said. "He's also a swordsman. Mr. Momoi Haruzou's Akeshin Akechiru is also among the top three in Edo."

"Oh, how old is he?" "Older than Mr. Sakamoto, twenty-five." "Is it a countryman?" "No, it's not, it's Bai Zha." "Bai Zha" is a unique samurai class in the Tosa domain, and can be called "quasi-sergeant".The status is higher than that of the villager, and he can carry a spear like a sergeant when traveling, but he is not a sergeant, and the sergeant can call him by his first name.And if you are a villager, you can't hold a parasol on sunny days, but Bai Zha can hold an umbrella just like a sergeant.The strange thing is that, unlike the sergeant, only the head of the family can hold a parasol, and other family members are not allowed to use it.

"I see." Long Ma nodded with a straight face, "That man must have a white face and protruding cheeks?" "You mean the chin?" "That's right, the chin, the chin looks like a fish?" "Like like." The man laughed and said, "Although it looks like, it is not a small fish, but a big fish. He was born in Fui, Niida Township, Nagaoka County, Tosa. He was fond of martial arts since he was a child. After learning a sword style with Mr. Sento Denshiro, and later mastering Mr. Asada Kanshichi's true teachings, he is also outstanding after going to the martial arts gym on the bank of the Edo Kaizai River." Sure enough, it was Takeichi Hanpeita, and Ryoma became worried.

Living with Hanpei Takeichi, who was famous for his integrity under Tosa Castle, made Ryoma a little nervous. It started to rain that night. When Hanpei Takeichi rushed back from the Momoi Martial Arts Hall to the feudal mansion like a wet mouse, there were already more than a dozen young warriors waiting for him in the gatehouse.All of them are low-level warriors, and they call Wushi Mr.Wu Shi himself was very displeased with this kind of title, but those who practiced martial arts with him in private could only call him that.Regardless of Edo or the low-level samurai in his hometown, all of them regard Wushi as a god.

"What's the matter, there are so many people here?" Wu Shi glanced at everyone with clear eyes. One of them replied: "Sir, at noon today, a boy named Sakamoto Ryoma came from our hometown and lived in Mr.'s room." "Ah, here comes the dragon horse." Ban Pingtai already knew about this from a letter from Brother Ryoma. "Who is Ryoma?" "I heard it weighs one hundred forty or fifty catties. That's all that was written in Sakamoto Gonhei's letter." "That idiot, it's such nonsense that Mr.'s jaw is like a fish."

"What a merciless fellow." Ban Ping smiled wryly, but the warriors were very serious, saying: "We have to teach him a lesson." It was only then that Ban Pingtai discovered that there was a pile of quilts in the corner of the room, presumably it was used to fix Ryoma, and the quilts should be used to suffocate him. "No nonsense!" "We can't spare him. He's been summoned, and he'll be here soon." While speaking, a figure was reflected on the lattice door. A person inside opened the lattice door, and saw Ryoma standing there straight.This figure made everyone tremble with fright.He only wore a pocket cloth and held a long knife in his right hand.

"What are you doing with this outfit? Kid, are you deliberately teasing people?" "It's not teasing, but only by dressing up like this can we beat you fools back." "You bastard!" Everyone cursed in Tosa dialect.Someone blew out the lamp.The room was suddenly dark. "Go!" Everyone rushed towards Ryoma together.Samurai in Tosa have preferred wrestling to swordsmanship since ancient times, and all men are strong.The room was suddenly in chaos, the sitting lamp broke, the lattice door fell down, and even the pillars shook. If you fight for a long time with less, getting into a ball with the opponent is tantamount to killing yourself, so the dragon horse only kicks the opponent's lower body.Those who were kicked fell to the ground and rolled in pain.

After fighting for thirty minutes, everyone was out of breath, and finally someone shouted: "The dragon horse is restrained." Someone covered the dragon horse with a quilt, and everyone jumped on it together.Longma couldn't even breathe in it, it was worse than death. "Okay, turn on the lights." After the lamp was turned on, the quilt was opened, and it was Hanpeita Takeshi who dangled out of it, dying.It turned out that Ryoma subdued Ban Pingtai in the dark and stuffed him into the quilt. "Everyone back down." Banping was furious.Ryoma sneaked out of the room.

After this incident, Ryoma became more and more popular in the Tosa feudal mansion of Kaji Bridge. "Although Sakamoto Ryoma is not likable, he should not be underestimated." "It is said that he knows the art of war." Words like this spread.Ryoma came to the concierge naked, and his whole body was anointed with oil. "Even if you want to catch it, you can't catch it. Your whole body is slippery." What is even more surprising is that he was able to subdue Takeichi Hanheita, who was later called Tosa Yoshida Shoin, in the dark, and stuffed him into the quilt.

Hanpeita didn't care, but those young junior samurai were really surprised that Ryoma didn't take Takeshi Hanpeita who they regarded as an authority at all seriously.It was because of this that they decided to teach Ryoma a lesson, but in the end they made a mess of Pingtai. Although they couldn't see clearly in the dark, after all, they trampled on the authority in their hearts, and they were in a mess.But everyone felt more at ease.What's more, Ryoma, who crept away from the hut as if he had done something bad, was even more ridiculous. "Mr. Takeshi doesn't mind at all, it's amazing, and Ryoma is also very interesting." I don't know why they made such comments, but no matter what era they are, young people always love to respect people with straightforward temperaments.They don't like reasoning, but emphasize temperament.They even think Ryoma is great.In the vicissitudes of the future, Tosa's young junior samurai, only Ryoma and Banpei Taima led the way, and it was from this time. Ban Pingtai is as big as the sea, not only does not get angry with Ryoma, but instead regards this young man who is younger than him as a confidant and friend. "Mr. Wushi, why don't you blame Ryoma for being rude?" Someone asked the second day after the incident.Banping Tai replied: "Back then, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu were able to make people willing to follow without being angry. Although Akechi Mitsuhide was outstanding in wisdom, he couldn't win the hearts of the people, so he couldn't win the world. The so-called heroes are just like that. People feel close, so they are more popular. Ryoma can do this. Fighting with someone like him is a fool who provokes troubles, and it is not good." "Ryoma is a hero?" "It's just showing up." "But there is no learning in his stomach." "Xiang Yu once said that writing is only a name, and it only needs to be heroic. Knowledge only needs to be read by scholars and listened to by them. If you feel good, you will be a hero if you do it bravely. Damage to heroism." At that time, the hero Takeichi was talking about was in the training ground of the Chiba Martial Art Museum in Barekcho, sweating profusely and raising the long sword above his head. His opponent is Shigetaro, the son of Chiba Sadakichi, the master of the martial arts school, who is one year old and has narrow eyes. There is a rule in the Beichen Yidao Style Chiba Sadayoshi Martial Art Museum in Tongcho, that is, if you want to enter the school after obtaining a certain level in other schools, you need to try the skills yourself by the young master, and then determine the rank.This is what Hirutaro and Oguri-ryu Sakamoto Ryoma compared today. "Three rounds determine the outcome." Before Chiba Sadakichi, who was judging at the side, could finish speaking, Shigetaro, known for his agility, raised his sword to protect his chest and took a few steps forward.Long Ma was startled, and was about to change his moves when the opponent's bamboo knife fell and hit him directly.Sure enough, the reputation is well-deserved, and Edo's swordsmanship is a coincidence.The dragon horse was defeated with a dazed look on his face. Chong Taro thinks he already understands the opponent's skills.Although it is a catalog, it is after all a countryman's swordsmanship.He breathed a sigh of relief.Ryoma saw Shigetaro's negligence and rushed forward.The bamboo knife in his hand quickly slashed at the top of Shigetaro's head, as if he had changed himself.Shigetaro stepped forward quickly with his right foot, swung the knife in a circle, brushed against Ryoma, and when he was about to hit his chest protector, Ryoma changed even faster, and the tip of the knife hit Shigetaro's jaw. "Stop." Zhenji raised her hand. One win and one loss is a tie.This is not to be taken lightly. "Yeah!" Shigetaro shouted, raising his saber over his head.Longma raised his sword to protect his chest.In order to lure the opponent to make the first move, Shigetaro kept shouting, but Ryoma ignored him.More precisely, it was because Ryoma didn't know where to start.In terms of kung fu, Shigetaro is even better. Shigetaro approached step by step, Ryoma retreated steadily, sweating profusely. When Shigetaro's bamboo sword fell towards Ryoma's wristband again, Ryoma's hand holding the sword suddenly sank.Shigetaro saw the opening and swiftly hit Ryoma on the head. Ryoma lost. Afterwards, Zhenkichi called Ryoma to his room, poured cold wine, and served appetizers.This is unprecedented in martial arts. "Although you are a little clumsy, you can see that you have a good foundation. After a year, you may be able to beat Shigetaro." Zhenji encouraged Ryoma. The young master Shigetaro has the frankness of Edo children. After the match between the two, he called Ryoma "Little Dragon".This name is rare, which makes people feel familiar.After Saibi, he and Ryoma went to the well to wash their bodies, and said while washing, "Okay, boy. With your skills, whether you go to Momoi on the bank of the Kizai River, or Saito in Kojicho, no, to Daisen in Kanda Yuchi. Ye, they are all outstanding. When I first met you, looking at your curly hair, I knew that you were not an easy kid, and it was exactly as I expected." Days pass like white dogs, and Ryoma's first month in Edo has passed by Zhanyan.He has made rapid progress, and his kung fu has become more and more excellent. Except for Chiba Shigetaro, the young master, no one can match in Xiao Chiba.Some people even said that in half a year's time, he would be a coach. There is a lady named Sanako in Chiba's family.She is the eldest daughter of Sadakichi, and Kojitaro is two years old.Zuo Nazi has been practicing swordsmanship with her father since she was a child. Although women do not care about their ranks, it is said that her kung fu is comparable to that of everyone.She has a dark complexion, single eyelids, big eyes, small and lively bell balls.Such a girl can only be seen in Edo.Later, there was a story in Tosa that Sanako was entangled by hooligans while viewing flowers in Ueno, and was rescued by Ryoma who happened to pass by.There is also a theory that the woman rescued by Ryoma was not Sanako, but her cousin, Chiba Shusaku's daughter Mitsuko.Regardless. Sanako is good at backhand attacks.When the opponent hit her on the head with the advantage of her height, Sanako lightly picked up the opponent's bamboo knife from the front, shifted her center of gravity to the left, and quickly backhanded, hitting the opponent.The movement is as graceful as a dance. Sanako goes to the martial arts gym every day.She seems to love purple.The armor ribbons are all purple, and the hem of the white exercise clothes is tied with a purple hakama, which looks like a man.She has fought against all sentient beings under Qianye's sect.Chongtaro always asked everyone to "practice with Sanako" by name.But the other party always thinks that she is a woman, and she is modest, but she is often defeated. But Jutaro would not praise the girl unscrupulously considering the other party's face. "It's still a bit unfamiliar. Quan Teng, if you recognize the truth, you'll be fine. Although you lost a move and a half, you weren't cut in two, so you're still alive." Shigetaro's commentary is serious and humorous, and it doesn't hurt the face of both parties, which is very decent.But the disciples of the Little Chiba Martial Arts School felt strange, no matter whether it was the head of the family, Zhenkichi or the young head of the family, Shigetaro, they didn't say a word about the confrontation between Ryoma and Sanako. "Why is this?" Then there were rumors, and it seemed to be a conclusion. "The Chiba family wants to marry Sanako to Sakamoto Ryoma." This is not groundless either.Qianye Zhenji had revealed a long time ago that he would betroth Sanako to the best martial artist in the martial arts school, but there has been no suitable candidate.In this regard, Ryoma is worthy of the name, and he is the second son, so he does not have to inherit the family business. That's why it's not easy for Ryoma and Sanako to compete.If they were to face off right now, Sanako would probably beat Ryoma.Therefore, the Chiba family may have to wait until Ryoma has enough strength to beat Sanako before letting them face off. Sanako has a crush on Ryoma in private.There are many young swordsmen in her family, so she has more knowledge than other women, but she has never seen a young man like Ryoma.What kind of person is it?Sanako is always confused.The first time she saw Ryoma was when he first visited the martial arts school.Led by Shigetaro, Ryoma went to Zhenkichi's room, and when he passed through the white sand in the courtyard, Sanako saw him through the crack of the door.She immediately held her breath.This person loves to dress up, and he dresses like a son or brother of the Daqi family.But his hair didn't look like it had been oiled. It was loose and unkempt, and it was still a country bumpkin.But he was wearing a long hakama with strange patterns.At first glance, it looks like a popular style in Kuanwen years.In Edo, the people stationed in the capital government office of the Dafan generally paid attention to their clothes, and no one would be stupid enough to dress like this.Is it a nouveau riche in the countryside?Sanako laughed. Later, Zhenkichi called Sanako to meet Ryoma, who was seated with Shigetaro. "This is the little girl Sanako. The old man taught her a little swordsmanship. Even though she is a woman, you can just treat her like a man in the martial arts field." After finishing speaking, Zhenji smiled, "Sanako, I met Mr. Sakamoto soon. .” Sanako Yili met Ryoma, and said to his father, "Father, can my daughter ask Mr. Sakamoto something?" "Don't be troublesome." Shigetaro reprimanded softly, but Zhenkichi happily agreed.Sanako looked at Ryoma with big eyes, and called out, "Mr. Sakamoto." Ryoma never socialized, he just tilted his head slightly. "Sanako is a girl, so I want to ask about dressing." "Huh?" Ryoma panicked, but nodded immediately. "Your long hakama style is very rare in Edo, but is it popular in your hometown?" "Ah, this..." Ryoma looked down and said, "It's just an ordinary Xiantaiping." "But in Edo, the long hakama with this pattern is not called Sendai flat." "Ha, there is such a thing." After Ryoma finished speaking, Fang noticed that he was using the Tosa dialect, and coughed a few times, "It's because of a lot of ink." Everyone laughed when Long Ma explained the whole story.It turned out that after Ryoma finished writing, he had the habit of wiping his pen with a long hakama.Longma said that he wrote too many letters yesterday, and his father Baping, brother Kwon Ping, sister Otome and wet nurse Aya Pochu all sent letters to report that they were safe, so "the ink blossomed when I copied it." One of the weirdos, Sanako thought to himself. After that, Sanako rarely talked to Ryoma, but she saw Ryoma every day.Because Ryoma has a large physique, after wearing the armor, he looks more like a warrior of the Warring States Period.Sanako even dreamed of him.His voice can be heard every day.He is full of confidence, his words seem to come from the stomach, and there is an echo that is enough to convince people. Brother, why don't you let me compete with Mr. Sakamoto?In Sanako's view, if you want to get along with your sweetheart, you can only pick up a knife and compete with the other party.But her elder brother didn't even give her this chance, and she even developed resentment towards Shigetaro.Be sure to compare with Mr. Sakamoto once.Sanako was waiting for her chance. On the anniversary of the death of the former general, it has become a custom for the martial arts hall to be closed for rest.On that day, Chiba Sadakichi was not at home because he was working at his family's Ochiba Martial Art Museum in Yuchi, Kanda, and Shigetaro went to Matsudaira Kami Sosuke's Mansion early in the morning, leaving only Sanako staying behind. Originally, since Shigetaro went out, there was no one in the martial arts hall, but suddenly there was the sound of the door opening.Sanako came to the corridor in surprise and saw that it was Ryoma who was about to come in. "Mr. Sakamoto," Sanako couldn't help calling, "what do you want?" "What's the matter?" Long Ma was also quite surprised, "I'm here to practice martial arts." "You came all the way here. But today is the death day of the previous general, and the martial arts hall is closed. Father and elder brother have gone out." "Oh." "Didn't brother say that?" "In that case, it seems to have been mentioned." This person is so confused.Sanako thought in his heart, and suddenly wanted to play tricks on him. "You forgot about it?" "How can I remember what happened yesterday." "Oh, you will forget about yesterday?" Little zirconium. Sanako almost laughed out loud when she asked these silly questions, but Ryoma was very serious: "Of course I will forget. But since I'm here, I'll take advantage of it to practice by myself, okay?" "Then it's okay for me to practice with you?" Zuo Nazi summoned up his courage and said.Longma didn't seem to care, and said in a normal tone, "Then put on your armor." After hearing this, Sanako was in a dilemma.Fighting against Ryoma behind his father and brother's back, it feels like doing bad things secretly, why is that? Sanako closed the door and changed.She took off the obi of the kimono, her fingers trembling. Longma protects his chest with a sword.Sanako clenched his left fist in front of his chest, leaned back the bamboo knife, put it on his right shoulder, and stepped forward with his left foot.This posture is called eight phases.This move is not good for attacking, but it is convenient for observing the opponent.Facing Ryoma, who was competing with her for the first time, Sanako showed a woman's prudence. Sure enough, the skill was good.Longma admired him very much.Although Sanako is small and exquisite, his moves are impeccable. What a powerful look!Sanako saw the piercing eyes of the other party, and found a completely different Ryoma from usual.In Sanako's second thought, Ryoma probably saw an opportunity to take advantage of, and suddenly slashed at him with the bamboo knife in his hand.Sanako received the move and was about to hit the opponent's wrist when Ryoma lightly flashed past. After a few rounds, both sides jumped back and confronted each other. Sanako didn't change his expression and was out of breath. Sure enough, she is much stronger than Otome sister.Longma was shocked.The petite Sanako grew taller during the fight. Sanako shouted, deftly resisted Ryoma's knife point, took two steps forward, and chopped off Ryoma's head. Ryoma suddenly retreated, first made a false move, and then struck the opponent's arm with lightning speed. Sanako wanted to catch the move with the handle of the knife, but Ryoma used too much force, and Sanako's bamboo knife fell to the ground with a clatter . Oops!It was not Sanako who thought this, but Ryoma.Because the moment he breathed a sigh of relief, Sanako rushed over with his bare hands and hugged his waist. A woman, what does this look like?Although it is the usual way of fighting when the sword is shot down, but a female stream actually wants to use this method to knock Ryoma down?Ryoma grabbed Sanako and threw her hard onto the floor of the arena. "How about it?" "It's not over." Zuo Nazi lay on the ground and said, "Pick up the knife." "never mind." But Sanako seemed very unconvinced, and rushed over again. Ryoma swept his legs, and Sanako fell to the ground again, but still refused to admit defeat and jumped up again.She probably thought that she would not admit defeat until the mask was knocked off. When Sanako rushed over for the third time, Ryoma had no choice but to push her to the ground, grabbed her by the neck, and took off the mask. "Hmph!" Zuo Nazi was blushing and stubborn, his eyes were shining, and he stared at Ryoma. "You lost." Ryoma announced. "Please compare me again." "no." "Why?" "The woman has a demonic aura on her body, which makes it difficult for me." Just now when Sanako was pressed to the ground, the soft touch still remained on Ryoma's arms, which made him feel hot all over, embarrassed, and hurriedly took off his armor. It was very hot in the last ten days of May of that year, and there was still no rain in June. "I hope nothing happens." The young master Chiba Shigetaro said to Ryoma, "Xiaolong, you didn't come to Edo at that time, I don't know. Since the beginning of the first lunar month, the weather here has been abnormal. On the 16th day of the first lunar month, there have been many downs and downs. It snowed heavily for three days, as if God was about to fall all the snow. The old people said that it was the first time that such a heavy snow fell since Mr. Ieyasu settled in Edo. And now it is so hot that it can almost roast people It’s blurry. Big things often happen in this year.” "Really?" Ryoma was unresponsive, and he had no interest in the weather, let alone think about major events in the world from abnormal weather like Shigetaro. "The February earthquake. Although there was only a slight overflow of water in the bucket in Edo, it was very serious in the Sangshu area. From Odawara Castle to Oiso, Oyamabe, Hakone, Atami, Mishima, and Numazu, every house collapsed. Then there was another fire, people were killed and wounded, it was chaos." It just so happened that Sanako was sitting on the side at this time.Since the secret competition with Longma a few days ago, the two of them have become much closer."It's not just the weather," she chimed in. "What do you mean?" "The common people are also strange." "What's wrong?" "To sacrifice to the genus of carp and squid." The big squid mentioned by Zuo Nazi was caught on the coast of Shangzong. It is seven feet long and weighs three hundred and seventy catties.It was placed in Ise for people to appreciate, and the viewers were blocked. Later, the traveler was greedy for incense money and boasted that the squid had divinity.The carp was caught in Shinbori, Asakusa, and it was more than three feet long. The person who caught that carp and killed it soon died of typhoid fever.Everyone said that it was the fish god who caused the trouble, so a carp mound was built in Longbao Temple of Tiantai Zongzong. Foolish men and women from Edo have been visiting here since then. It seems like a sign of troubled times. "It's weird, isn't it?" Zuo Nazi asked after finishing speaking. Ryoma almost laughed out loud.This Edo girl is good at walking in water, as long as she hears the fire alarm, she will run away without a trace.In Tosa's words, this is called "a woman of good deeds".Shigetaro is even more of a bloody man, as if he fears that the world will not be chaotic. "Well, weird." "You seem indifferent." Seeing that Ryoma's reaction was cold, Sanako became angry.What an ignorant bumpkin! That day, Ryoma left the martial arts gym and returned to the feudal mansion at the end of the day when the sun was at its peak.He walked from Otsukachi and Daikoncho to Minamikajicho, and the downtown area began to be noisy.Ryoma grabbed a man who looked like a peddler to inquire. "It is said that something extraordinary came up from the beach in Xiangzhou." "Is that thing a squid's mouth or a carp?" "This, son, that is..." This person doesn't seem to be able to figure it out either. "You're making a lot of noise if you don't know?" "yes." This is the Edo people, Ryoma was amused.I don't know why I yelled, but I just heard "remarkable" and I became fussy.He strode forward and saw some people moving their belongings and utensils to the road, so he stopped and asked, "What happened?" "There's going to be a war." The country bumpkins didn't even know this—they turned their heads away contemptuously, changed their expressions, and continued to work, regardless of Ryoma's further questions. In a corner of 1-chome in Minamikajicho, Ryoma met a man dragging an iron staff. "Hey, the one with the iron staff." He felt that this person might know.The man is on duty in the yamen, lives in the yamen, accepts the instructions of the chief, and when road construction cuts off water or when the general arrives, he drags his iron staff, rattles all the way, and informs everyone hoarsely. "Did something happen?" "Master Feng Xing hasn't given instructions yet, so I don't know. It seems that something big happened in Xiangzhou's sea." "But the earthquake?" "It's not like that." Still completely clueless.Walking into the Imperial Gate of Kaji Bridge and returning to the Tosa Domain Mansion, I found that the mansion was also in chaos. Back in the room, Ryoma found that Hanpeita Takeshi had returned from the Momoi Martial Art Museum and was about to pack up the knives around him. "Brother Wushi, it seems that something big has happened." "En." Wu Shi remained calm. "What's the big deal?" "You didn't know, so you started making a fuss?" Wu Shi looked at Ryoma sadly, and said, "Here comes the black ship." After speaking, he drew out his knife and began to beat the powder upwards. This day is the third day of June in the sixth year of Jiayong.Matthew Perry, commander of the East India Fleet of the United States, led four warships USS Mississippi, USS Saratoga, USS Plymouth and USS Susquehanna to the sea of ​​Uraga, Sangzhou, Edo Bay. Imura Bay dropped anchor, and through Uraga Magistrate, presented the credentials of US President Millard Fillmore to the general, indicating the purpose of the voyage. Saburosuke Nakajima and others from the Uraga Enforcement Office met Perry's adjutant, Captain Kant, and said: "According to the laws of the country, all countries trade in Nagasaki, so go to Nagasaki as soon as possible." But the other party stubbornly refused to listen to the advice. "I will go to Edo under the order of my president, and I will never go to Nagasaki." The fleet was even ready for battle.