Chapter 7 7. Cherish heroes

A year passed.At the beginning of the new year in the seventh year of Kayong (the first year of Ansei, 1854), Sakamoto Ryoma turned twenty years old.Ryoma was deeply moved.The slug of the Sakamoto family has also reached the year of weak crown.He is quite proud of himself.Now he is an upright man. He moved from the feudal residence of Kajibashi to the feudal residence of Tsukiji.Not only him, but almost all other young vassals moved to Tsukiji or Shinagawa, two lower-level vassals.This is the defensive attitude adopted by the Tosa Domain to prevent black ships from invading Edo Bay again.On the one hand, permanent personnel were placed in the two feudal mansions near the sea, and on the other hand, with the permission of the shogunate, security was built in Shinagawa.

Moving from Kajibashi to Tsukiji caused inconvenience to Ryoma.That is, the place where I live is far away from the martial arts school in Barrel Town. "Xiaolong, that's inconvenient. You might as well live in the martial arts hall." Hearing what Shigetaro said, Ryoma applied to the group leader, and the group leader immediately agreed. "Okay, but if something happens, you have to come back immediately. One of the other three days must live in the feudal mansion. That's all." Ryoma was only temporarily incorporated into the feudal garrison, and he was not a swordsman with a salary, but also the son of a villager, who came to Edo for a study tour at his own expense.The feudal government cannot predict what its future will be like, and there is not much hope for people of this status.

Ryoma lives in the Chiba Martial Art Museum in Barrel Town, and the happiest thing is the head coach Chiba Sadakichi.The old man has been in poor health since last summer, and the doctor advised him not to go to the martial arts gym again. Unlike his older brother Zhou Zuo, old man Zhenji is very easy-going.Recently, he also imitated his son Shigetaro and his disciples to call Ryoma, instead of calling him Ryoma, he called him Xiaolong. "Xiaolong, I don't have much time left. But even if you are in such a state of distress, there will be occasional times when you feel refreshed and your body feels as refreshed as when you were young. The funny thing is that these times are always at night. If you live Come in, and I can call you by my side at any time. I want to pass on the true teaching of Beichen's one-sword style to you within a year."

Of course Chongtaro was also very happy, but Sanako was a little weird.When she heard the news that Shigetaro said that Ryoma was going to live in, she couldn't help clapping her hands and jumping for joy.Shigetaro scolded her severely.But her attitude towards Ryoma is very strange.Ryoma thought about it carefully, and it seemed that Sanako had always treated him like this since the Xinhean incident.For example, when he greeted her in the morning, Sanako would turn her head violently to one side.If there is someone next to her, she will have to return a salute, but she looks very unfamiliar.

This sona, as if she was afraid that I would dirty her eyes, even if I passed by at home, she just hurried past with her head down.What a headache.Ryoma felt very embarrassed.Could it be that she looked down on me because she thought I was infatuated with brothel girls, and even promised to avenge others?This is going to be a hassle, he thought.No matter what the reason is, he doesn't want to be a man who is despised by women.Perhaps every man would have such an idea, but Ryoma, who grew up under the influence of Otome, had this idea especially strongly. In Ryoma's heart, there is a person wearing a halo, which can also be said to be a statue of Guanyin.For some reason, the statue of the Buddha is a woman.He was born with this statue in his heart, but the person who sculpted the statue, painted the eyes and nose, made the folds of the clothes, and even carved the nails was Ryoma's only teacher Otome in his early years.

She came to monitor Ryoma, monitor Ryoma with a woman's eyes, and tell him to become a good man.Sometimes she would look at him maliciously, and sometimes she would smile at him very tolerantly.Ryoma fell in love with her, he could only hold his head, submissive. There are also things that embarrass Ryoma.The appearance of this Guanyin statue will change with time, and she will look like different people in different periods.More often, this Guanyin looks like her sister Otome, and sometimes Miss Tianhe.No, not only Miss Tian He.What scares Ryoma the most is that the Guanyin statue now looks a bit like Sanako.

It was this incident that made Ryoma panic.He felt that the Guanyin statue monitoring him had become the body of Sanako, looking at him maliciously, leaving him helpless. Perry, a barbarian who came to Hong Kong last year, once again led the fleet to Edo Bay on the 14th of the first lunar month, demanding that the shogunate reply to the credentials they had submitted last time.The guards of the various domains once again faced the enemy.Before the black ship left, Ryoma could only live in the feudal mansion. At the end of February, the shogunate decided to open the two ports of Shimoda and Hakodate.After the shogunate replied to Perry's letter of credence, Ryoma returned to the martial arts school in the barrel town.

Ryoma, who hadn't been to the martial arts school for a long time, wanted to say hello to Master Zhenkichi, so he went to the courtyard.Under a golden pine tree, he passed by Sanako. A trace of surprise flashed in Sanako's eyes, and then he immediately lowered his head, but after taking two or three steps, he looked back.Ryoma stopped, turned around and asked, "Is there something wrong?" "This..." Sanako blushed.She seemed to be trying her best to hold back, but she kept her face on purpose as before, showing displeasure. "Do you have a stomachache?"

"No, this..." "There must be worms in the stomach, boil some medicine and drink." "No, worms are born in children's stomachs." "Adults can also get worms. In my hometown, there is an old servant named Laoyuantou. He is over sixty years old. He still has worms in his stomach. It's very troublesome." "I'm not Old Source, and besides, I'm not talking to you about bugs." "What's that?" "What happened to your head?" "Ah, you mean this." Ryoma patted his head.He originally wanted to grow long hair, but the hair on his forehead grew long and became like a big taro.

The shape of the bun is also different from a month ago.In the past, the hair was hanging down from the bun, but now it is all tied up in a thick bun, which looks very mature, so Sanako finds it funny. "I'm twenty years old." "Did you go to the Tsukiji Mansion?" "Yes, bad?" "Very……" "not good?" "No, okay, but, should you take good care of it? I think it would be better to insert a comb." Although Ryoma's hair is thick, it has a little red hair and is curly. Straightened and then combed, the hair on the forehead grew very long, so it looked like a bandit.

"I tied it up because I'm going to the martial arts gym today, but..." "But what?" "When I first combed it, my eyes hung up and I thought it was ugly, so I used two palms like this..." He pressed his temples with both hands and said, "It made it fluffy, so it looks like a Bandit." "But it looks more powerful this way. If you want to avenge that girl from Fukagawa, this dress is very suitable." I still remember it.Ryoma thought to himself.This is what Sanako has always wanted to say. "Stop talking about that again." "Are you regretting?" "It's not regret, it's just that when I mention that, I get upset." "Why?" Sanako wanted to ask him why he was unhappy.She stared closely at Ryoma.Ryoma couldn't be fooled by her eyes. "A whore is a whore." "In other words, Sae from Fukagawa made you unhappy, Mr. Sakamoto? Although Sae is a prostitute, she vowed to avenge the murder of her father. Isn't she a filial daughter?" "It's a filial daughter." "Then why are you upset?" "Ah, this, that's because...then Ah Sae is actually a very enthusiastic woman, and she even said that she would teach me to do one thing." "What's up?" "It's about men and women. Actually, I've thought that way a long time ago. I've been in Yuanfu for several years, and it's almost time to learn about this kind of thing." "Humph!" "Then you also know about this kind of thing?" Sanako glared at Ryoma with horror in his eyes. "If you don't know, don't talk. I don't know whether that kind of thing is disgusting or enviable. So I thought, if I want to learn it, I won't let other women in the brothel teach it, but A Sae from Fukagawa Nakacho Me, but Nobuo Samanosuke's disciple became her guest." "They acted like a man and a woman?" "yes." "So you are jealous, and you don't even want to avenge her. Am I right? This is the evidence that you are fascinated by that woman named Axie. That's what makes me sick." "Oh." Ryoma shook his head and sighed, "Miss Zuo Nazi is really eloquent. You are like Doctor Lan dissecting the corpse of a condemned prisoner. To put it bluntly, I don't even understand my thoughts. Yes, jealousy, this is so embarrassing. I was surprised. I thought jealousy was only something that women would have, but it seems that men have it too." He stared at Sanako closely.In fact, in his heart, he didn't really think that his unhappiness about that incident was out of jealousy.Sanako began to be at a loss.She didn't expect that instead of defending, Ryoma admired her statement. "This..." Zuo Nazi lowered his head, "Did I say something wrong?" "No, there's nothing wrong. Haha, after hearing what you said today, I've gained a lot of insight." I don't know if it's because my neck is a little sore, but Longma patted his left shoulder and said, "See you later." After speaking, Ryoma walked away.Zuo Nazi looked at his back blankly, thinking in his heart, he really didn't understand.I thought this person was a gentleman of Jialuo, but sometimes he would go around in circles and confuse him.Who the hell is he? In March of this year, Ryoma was transferred from the Tsukiji Domain to the Shinagawa Domain and was ordered to be in charge of guarding.Because his identity is only a martial arts student, he laughed at himself as a "miscellaneous soldier". Perry's fleet is still in Xiangzhou Bay.He had already met with the shogunate in Yokohama on the third day of this month, and agreed to open Shimoda and Hakodate, but for some reason he still refused to leave, pointing the muzzle of the cannon at the landing, and imposing a silent threat. The positions of the feudal lords were extremely tense.The number of people and weapons left by the Tosa Clan in Edo were severely lacking. Every day, spears, short spears, and horse seals were brought in from Tosa, and local samurai also came to Edo one after another. The commander-in-chief of the Shinagawa feudal government is Yamada Yaemon, the old man who was stationed in Edo. The formation and formation of the army are mainly based on the military system of Takeda Shingen.To deal with the Yangyi who mainly use firearms, they can only wield the long knife and short blade at their waists.Swordsmen such as Longma are naturally highly valued.Takeichi Hanpeita of the Kagami Akechi stream has returned to the feudal domain. In the Edo feudal mansion, except for the old swordsmanship instructor Ishiyama Sunroku, no one can compare with Ryoma and Shimamura Weikichi and Fukutomi Kenji who are the same as Takeshi. All three of them were low-level samurai.However, every day they act as the coaches of the feudal vassals and conduct strict training for everyone. Shimamura Weikichi, who was born as a villager, said: "There is energy in the sword." During training, he was very strict, and every time he would shout: "Can this cut foreign devils?" He slashed at the opponent with a bamboo knife without mercy.Especially if the opponent is a high-ranking vassal, he always cuts at them before they can stand still.Only when practicing with a bamboo knife, there is no difference in status between the two parties.He probably wanted to vent his anger through this. Fufu Kenji, who was born in a village, has exquisite swordsmanship, but he is also a bloody man. When practicing with a superior samurai he doesn't like, when the opponent cuts at him, he will always laugh and say, "Don't make trouble, hey, don't fight!" Make a fuss." Cleverly dodge the opponent, look at the timing, say "Take my move", and attack fiercely. Ryoma is different.For those who are not good at martial arts, he will not let them wear helmets and other protective equipment, give them each a wooden stick, and say: "Go to the yard to practice." It is better to practice basic moves than to open the enemy's swords and guns. "Miyamoto Musashi didn't learn any school of swordsmanship. He practiced it by himself holding a wooden knife against wood. Satsuma's Goie Rushi now only teaches this. No matter which school, as long as you use your strength and wield it empty-handed, you can at least achieve Beginner level. It’s the best way to learn quickly.” Ryoma’s teaching method was original and effective, so many vassals gathered around him.Even Yamada Yaemon knew Ryoma's name. One day in March, Ryoma was called to his hut by the group leader Fukao Jinnai in the martial arts gym.Fukao sat down on the bed, Ryoma, the son of a countryman, could only kneel on the ground. "The elder asked me to take you to see him, you should hurry up and get ready." Jin Nei ordered, domineering.In Japan, there is no domain that pays more attention to status than Tosa, and the upper-level samurai can definitely dictate to the lower-level samurai. Ryoma should have looked flattered at this point, but as was his custom, he just smiled silently.Jinnai seemed annoyed, and said, "Understood?" Ryoma made a knowing expression, nodded, and asked, "What's the matter?" "You'll know when you get there. I'm warning you, you're a townsman, you don't know etiquette, so don't be hasty and negligent." Ryoma followed the group leader and saw Yamada Yaemon.Hachiemon didn't wear a helmet, but he wore an old armor passed down from his ancestors and a battle cape, like a boy's day doll on the counter of a grocery store. "Sakamoto Ryoma is that you?" Yaemon asked. "Yes." Ryoma smiled and raised his head, looking at Yaemon in armor.Fukao Jinnai, the head of the team, was in a hurry and scolded: "Ryoma, your head is raised too high." He simply pressed Ryoma's neck and pushed down hard to make him lower his head.Ryoma, who was originally mild-tempered, became angry very rarely, raised his eyebrows, and shouted with his eyes wide open, "How annoying!" All the people present were pale.Such a thing had never happened before a junior samurai yelled at a superior samurai. "Sorry, it's phlegm." "phlegm?" The surrounding senior warriors showed nervous expressions.Although they are all vassals, in the Tosa Yamauchi family, the sergeant is called a Yamauchi samurai, and the samurai are discriminated against.This matter will not end easily, but Ryoma is very calm. "I've had a cold since last night. When I was pinned to the neck just now, the phlegm almost blocked my throat, so I coughed and cleared my throat." "That's not the sound of clearing your throat, you did say 'how annoying' to Fukao just now." "Did you hear wrong?" "Okay, be quiet." Yamada Hachiemon made everyone quiet.For this always gentle elder, one thing more is worse than one thing less.If there is a riot, one or two people will die. "I did clear my throat just now. Besides, simplicity is the most important thing in the military formation, so there is no need to argue anymore. I'm looking for Longma today, and I have something to tell him." Yamada Yaemon ordered Ryoma to investigate the positions of the Choshu feudal clan stationed along the coast of Shoshu. "It's not appropriate to inquire about the camp of other feudal clans. What's the reason?" Fukao Jinnai, the leader of the group, asked Ryoma, who couldn't directly ask the chief. "Because they have a lot of praise." The old family said, "If there is something worth learning, my clan can also refer to it. This is loyalty to the general's mansion." Ryoma also heard rumors about the Choshu Domain. Xiangzhou, especially the Miura Peninsula, was originally the throat of Edo. Since the attack of the black ship, the shogunate was originally guarded by Hikone Ii, the highest-ranking daimyo in the family tree, but this time the shogunate changed its defenses and transferred Ii to Haneda and Along the coast of Dasen, Changzhou Fan was ordered to guard Xiangzhou. Ryoma heard that although Choshu was a famous foreigner, he was valued and trusted by the shogunate. The entire feudal clan was grateful to the shogunate, and appointed the elder Masuda Koshichu as the vanguard of the field, and selected the most skilled martial arts among the feudal vassals to send to Edo , and then selected 120 people from them, and stationed in a fishing village called Miyata Village at the southern tip of the Miura Peninsula as a camp.It is said that the cleanliness of his team and the ingenious formation of the formation have become a model for all the vassals. The Tosa Domain and the Changzhou Domain are adjacent to each other, so they wanted to compete with them.The so-called inquiring is not just asking Longma to see the situation of the opponent's formation.However, since the attack of the black ships, the shogunate has prohibited the feudal vassals from privately inspecting the positions in charge of other vassals. Fukao Jinnai wanted to ask more carefully. "What should we do? If Ryoma is sent over there, if he is caught by Changzhou soldiers, the shogunate will definitely blame him, and our domain cannot escape the blame." "I know what I know." Yamada Yaemon said, "The Changzhou faction in Miyata Village sent an envoy, saying that they wanted to hold a martial arts tournament in order to boost morale when they were stagnant. Choose ten from Tosa and Changzhou respectively. Of course, Ryoma will go. The competition is important, but what is more important is to find out the opponent's situation during the competition. This is what I mean. Kannai, do you understand?" "clear." Fukao knelt down on the ground. "Ryoma, do you understand?" "clear." Before dawn the next day, the ten vassals wore rough-woven hats with deep brims, capes and long hakamas, and set off from the Tosa feudal camp in Shinagawa.In addition to Ryoma, there are several famous swordsmen such as Shimamura Weikichi, Fukutomi Kenji, Hineno Aima and Hirao Gohachi.It is more than a hundred miles to the southern tip of Miura Peninsula.By the evening of the third day, Tosa's feudal vassals reached the Choshu camp in Miyata village. When Ryoma arrived there, he was shocked to see the tactics of Masuda Koshichu (later renamed Youemonsuke, who took the blame for the Gamomemon Change in July of the first year of Genji) of the Changzhou clan who set up camp in this unknown fishing village. shocked. This Miyata village has been assigned to Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and the roads lead to three directions.It only takes forty miles of mountain road to Yokosuka, and it is located between Uraga and Misaki. No matter which of the three ports the enemy lands from, troops can be sent here to stop them immediately.This is the key point in the art of war. "Shimamura, you are the oldest, and you know all the Changzhou vassals. You should know the old man named Masuda, right?" "Ryoma is too naive. Even if I'm old, I don't necessarily know each other." Shimamura laughed, "The other party is the elder of the 12,000 stone daimyo. He is also an elder, and he is not at the same level as Mr. Yamada Yaemon. I am a subordinate A samurai can't talk directly to Yaemon-sama, let alone the first elder of the other clan." "That's right." Ryoma nodded with a wry smile. Shimamura said that Masuda Etchu was two years older than Ryoma and was only twenty-two years old.The Masuda family was originally a famous family in the Changzhou Domain.Before the Warring States period, he ruled the roost near Izumo Masuda, and later belonged to the founder of the Mori family, Genzuo. For the next three hundred years, he was the elder of the Mori family for generations, and he became the general who led the main force of the main family during the war. .Masuda Koshichu hurried from Tosa to Edo because of the black ship incident.Although young, but because of hereditary official position, he has just assumed the command of Changzhou Fanbing. Ryoma and other ten people met Masuda Koshichu at the temple in Changzhou that night.Indeed young.He has a fair complexion, a pair of red phoenix eyes, a typical handsome man in Changzhou, he looks like he is from a famous family.As soon as he sat down, he smiled and said, "I am Yuezhong." He appears to be an open-minded young man.Even though he is the lord of Susan's 12,000 koku, he does not have the arrogance of Tosa's important officials and sergeants at all. "I'll wait and see the match tomorrow morning. Did you all grow up in Edo?" "No, we all grew up in our hometown." Weiji Shimamura replied on behalf of the others. "As expected." The young elder looked around with a smile, and kept his eyes on Ryoma, "At first glance, you are Tosa's warriors. They are really strong. It seems that we can't neglect tomorrow's match." "Where, where, since the Duke of Yuan Dynasty, your clan has been famous for its martial arts, how dare we take it lightly?" "But there is a little embarrassment. Among the samurai stationed in the main camp of Miyata Village, Daiguan Niushan has the highest martial arts skills. He has gone to the coast to survey the terrain. It would be best if he can come back tonight or tomorrow morning. On our side, this will be a very difficult competition." "Who is that?" "It's Katsura Kogoro." "Ah?" Shimamura took a breath and said, "Could it be the chief instructor of Mr. Saito Yakuro's military training hall?" Ryoma had never heard of it. That night, due to the narrowness of the camp, Ryoma and other Tosa vassals were arranged to stay in a private house, and they were served with food and wine.It was arranged by Masuda Koshichu, and the reception of Changzhou Fan can be described as meticulous.The vassals took turns talking to Tosa's ten visitors. This is the first time Ryoma has seen so many Changzhou clansmen.There is indeed a big difference between Changzhou people and Tosa people. They all have clear features, fair complexion, slender cheeks, and most of them are handsome men.They are not as teasing as the Tosa people, they are all deep in the city and resourceful.What is worrying is that everyone has a look of worry on their faces, which may be caused by water and soil. "Shimamura," Ryoma said to Wei Ji next to him, "Everyone in Changzhou looks smart. After looking at them, take a look at them, for example, look at you, Shimamura. You don't look like a human face at all. " "What does that look like?" Shimamura asked with a smile. "It looks like a burnt clay figurine laughing, drinking and eating." "You bastard!" "Offensive offense." Uyoshi Sakuma, the young vassal of Changzhou who was in charge of receiving them, waved his hand to stop them. "Unlike our clan, Tosa and Satsuma and other strong men from the southern kingdom look quite majestic. As a samurai, they always give people a sense of reliability." "Where, we Tosa people," Shimamura said politely, "just like people call us Tosa big men, so bloody, but without thinking, drinking is the only ability." Then they started talking about history.The most popular book nowadays is Lai Shanyang's "Japanese Foreign History", and everyone is reading it.Even Ryoma, who didn't like learning in his youth, could even recite the whole text because his elder sister Otome always held it in his hand and taught him to read aloud when he was a child. At the banquet in Miyata Village, Xiangzhou, everyone began to talk about the history of their respective vassal states. Every young vassal in Changzhou has deep-rooted self-confidence in their vassal state, and they are all proud of it, which surprised Ryoma.Whenever they serve wine, they will say: "As a foreign daimyo, we have been alienated by the shogunate for a long time, but once the national crisis comes, we still get the trust of the shogunate and are entrusted with the important task of guarding Xiangzhou. One day, Changzhou People will shoulder the heavy responsibility of the world and rise from the islands." The Changzhou Fan is indeed different from other Fans.Ryoma felt a strange feeling in his heart.The self-confidence of Changzhou people stems from the history of Changzhou Domain.Like the Shimadzu family in Satsuma, the Mori family did not claim their land from Ieyasu Tokugawa.They were all retainers of Yuan Lai Chaogong more than 600 years ago.During the Warring States Period, each of them destroyed their neighbors and expanded their territories. The Maori family once became the lords of the eleven countries in the central region, but because of their defeat in the Sekigahara War, the fiefdom was reduced to 370,000 shi in the second prefecture of defense.They only hated the Tokugawa family, but not grateful.Perhaps this unique atmosphere comes from this. The tournament between Choshu and Tosa was held in the precinct of the main camp of Miyata Village.The referee is Nagata Kenkichi of the Shinto Munen-ryu, nephew of Naito Sakuhei, the head of swordsmanship in the Choshu Domain.The leader of the Changshu Domain was Uyoshi Sakuma, while the Tosa Domain elected the oldest Shimamura Eikichi as the leader. As soon as Masuda Yuezhong sat down, he looked around and asked in a low voice, "Has Gui not come back yet?" Left and right replied: "Yes." Yuezhong nodded, made a bitter face, shrugged and said: "If Gui is here, he must be the pioneer. Those Tosa big men are very lucky. Who is the leader of the other party?" The soldier next to him picked up the name book and opened it, saying: "It's Weiji Daocun of Jingxin Zhiliu." "Where's the pioneer?" "Sakamoto Ryoma of Beichen One Sword Style." "Oh." Yue Zhong had a happy smile on his face, looked at the field, his eyes locked on Ryoma who was wearing a helmet, and said, "It's that big guy, he looks good." "You have to compete to know, it looks a little silly." "The old saying often says that great wisdom is like a fool. People who always walk in the world with vigor on their faces, even if they are talented, can only be regarded as second-rate. He is a fool, but he can impress the people he meets. It is said that he is the son of a scholar from the countryside in Tosa Castle, and there is no such status in Changzhou." For Masuda Koshimaka, Ryoma is compelling.He always had a feeling that he would see this person again in his lifetime. Ryoma stood up at this moment. The vanguard of Changzhou Fan was Lin Yixiong.The two stopped more than three feet apart.Ryoma raised the long sword above his head from the right, and Otokuma held the sword flat against his chest.Oxiong is worthy of being the pioneer of the Changzhou Fan, and his momentum is impeccable.What he learned was the Shinto no-mind flow.Almost all the samurai of the Changzhou Domain followed this genre, and were disciples of Saito Yakuro in Nakoji. There is a reason for this.A few years ago, Yakuro's eldest son, Shintaro, went to the Ubikan, the martial arts school in the Edo Choshu feudal government, to compete with the feudal warriors, and the result was unmatched.When Shintaro traveled around the feudal clans to practice martial arts, he arrived at the city of Hagi in Changzhou and competed with the people of Changzhou, and no one could beat him.Afterwards, Shintaro met the important officials of Changzhou, and said: "When it comes to martial arts, Edo is the strongest. Why don't you choose some talented people to study in our martial arts hall in Edo? The style of samurai in Changzhou since Yuanjugong will definitely be carried forward." The important officials listened to his opinion, and the first time they were sent to Edo to study martial arts with official funds were Konoemon, Nagata Kenkichi, Caiman Shinzaburo, Sakuma Uyoshi, and Hayashi Otokuma, as well as Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku who started at private expense. The race was over soon. After the vanguard Ryoma pushed Lin Yixiong away by two feet, perhaps the Changzhou vassals were too nervous, and they all fell under Ryoma's sword. In the end, Uyoshi Sakuma was also hit and lost. The other nine Tosa people hadn't taken their swords Play, the game is over. Then there was a ten-group demonstration match. Changzhou and Tosa had their own victories, but at the beginning Tosa won a complete victory. They stayed for another night that day, and the party left Changzhou Camp in Miyata Village early the next morning.Because Ryoma was ordered to investigate the situation of the opponent's formation, he separated from everyone on the way and wanted to climb over the mountain and go to Yokosuka. There is Mount Fuji nearby.Ryoma chose the path of its eastern foot.This Mount Fuji is only fifty feet high, just like a rockery.In the eyes of local people, it is more beautiful than Mt. Fuji in Suruga, because although this mountain is small, it has a beautiful appearance. There are no trees on Mt. , the locals are often proud of it.There are endless trees on both sides of the road.Ryoma was wearing a cloak and a long hakama, a black-painted dagger and a dagger on his waist, and a bamboo hat, and walked forward quickly. At the top of the mountain, Ryoma still did not slow down.He wanted to reach the Changzhou camp in Yokosuka village before sunset and take a look at the situation there.It was March, but the sky was rarely blue.Looking back, a white cloud gushed out from the direction of Sagami Bay, dazzling. From the top of the mountain to the junction of the downhill road, the road is lined with beeches on both sides.Stepping on the moss on the road, Ryoma feels very friendly, because Tosa fishermen fry the bark of this tree to dye their fishing nets.The road turns right and becomes a narrow lane.This area is no longer beech, but has become a miscellaneous wood.Ryoma stopped suddenly. someone. A samurai wearing a bamboo hat was sitting alone under the tree. He was dressed in luggage. He was short but very agile, and his clothes were clean and tidy.He raised the eaves of the hat and glanced at Longma, his eyes were like knives, which made Longma dare not take it lightly.Then, the man raised his right hand and quickly untied the strap on the bamboo hat, showing a vigilant attitude. "Excuse me." Longma nodded slightly, wanting to pass by him. "Wait a minute." When Ryoma's back was turned to him, the man stood up and said, "I have something to ask. Xiangzhou is the site where the Changzhou clan is responsible for guarding, and the shogunate prohibits other clansmen from entering casually. I deduce that your excellency is not a Changzhou clan. .” "So what?" Ryoma carefully glanced at the other party from under the eaves.This person is likely to be a vassal of Changzhou, and he regards Ryoma as a spy. "Can you ask Taifu and tell me the purpose of coming here?" the man said. This is the first time Ryoma Sakamoto met Katsura Kogoro, a feudal official of Changzhou. But none of them realized this.They were all just unknown people at that time, even if they asked for their names, it would be all right. But Ryoma had a little impression of the name Katsura Kogoro.Because the old Masuda Yuezhong of the Changzhou feudal family once revealed that "if Gui is here, he must be a pioneer", this sentence is still echoing in Longma's ears.It really lives up to its reputation.The beauty of Momoi, the skill of Chiba, and the strength of Saito, Yakuro Saito is the chief coach of the Shinto Wunenliu martial arts school.If Gui was there, Ryoma might not win so easily.But Ryoma doesn't know this yet. He took a few steps back silently. The deep and light green of the miscellaneous forest on the east side is dazzlingly beautiful under the sun.With his back facing the green ocean, he lightly clenched his fists and said, "Hurry up." He asked Longma to inform the vassal and his name.It was an interrogative tone.Ryoma ignored this rudeness.However, this is normal for Gui.When a samurai was found in a hurry on the trail leading to Yokosuka from the Changshu headquarters, it could be determined that this person was a spy.After the shogunate entrusted the security of the Shoshu coast to Choshu, even administrative power was handed over to them.And now that the enemy is present, anyone who is suspicious can be killed on the spot. "I can't say." Ryoma seemed to be deliberately luring the other party, and began to slowly loosen the strap on the bamboo hat.He thought that if the other party came to cut him, he would immediately draw his sword. "I'll ask again. If you don't answer, I will treat you as a suspect. May I ask your surname and your domain name?" "I can't tell." As soon as the words fell, Gui's bamboo hat fell to the ground.But before that, the long knife flashing in his hand had already fallen towards the top of Ryoma's head. Ryoma didn't have time to draw his sword, so he had to step back step by step. But Gui never gave Longma a chance to draw his sword, and pressed him step by step.His movements were exceptionally light. Gui's long knife did not know how many times it fell, the tip of the knife hit the edge of Longma's hat, splitting a chi handle-long crack.Long Ma was shocked and changed his defense to attack.When he attacked, he suddenly felt that his body was much lighter, and he could almost fly.Then, he sank down, squatted in a horse stance, and rushed to the opponent's sword with all his strength.Moreover, his eyes have been fixed on the ground, not looking at each other.Gui figure moves.At the same time, Longma's steel knife came out of its sheath, pierced through the wind and lifted upwards, a strange feeling was transmitted to Longma's hand through the blade. Gui's blade snapped off and flew into the air.Gui immediately took a step back and pulled out the dagger from his waist.Long Ma raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute." Ryoma was even more flustered than Gui who broke the knife.He looked at his blade against the sun.It turned out that at the same time he cut off Gui's long knife, his blade was cut about three inches from the handle. "Ah, it's cracked!" he yelled.Brother Kwon Ping's distressed expression appeared in front of his eyes.This set of knives, including long knives and short knives, were specially forged by Kwon Ping for Ryoma to go out to learn skills.Although it is a new sword, it has power that even famous swords cannot match.I remember that at that time, because the blade looked very heavy, Kwon Ping was ecstatic when he saw it, and said: "This is the legendary Yakumo muscle. There is only one in ten thousand such a knife." However, now the blade is damaged. Such a heavy injury, there is no way to grind it out.If you want to continue to use it, you have to grind it off and change it into a short knife. "Oh no." "how?" Gui was very surprised.If the man had been serious, he could have easily cut himself in two, but instead of doing that, he panicked only at the damage to the knife.Could it be a fool?Anyway, it's hard to imagine such a person as a spy, so Gui said, "I misjudged the wrong person, and I'm being rude. How about you rest on the rock over there?" "Thank you." Ryoma put away the knife.Gui also put away his dagger, and said, "I am Gui Xiaowulang of Changzhou Fan." Ryoma sat down on the rock and laughed. "I have long admired your daimyo. I am Ryoma Sakamoto of the Tosa domain. I was invited by your domain Masuda Koshichu-sama to participate in the tournament." "I'm sorry." Gui stood there, bowing deeply, "Forgive me. Although I don't know about it, I should never treat the guests invited by this feudal clan as spies." "Oh, it's so risky. Master Yuezhong said that if you go back, you won't let my fan win so easily. I saw your kung fu today, it's really amazing, and I understand the meaning of that." "What's that? There's nothing more disgraceful to a warrior than to have his sword cut off. Let's not talk about it. Forgive my selfishness, but I mistake you for a spy and will fight you Can you not tell people about the victory or defeat?" What he thinks is that if Ryoma returns to Shinagawa to make publicity, it is likely to cause disputes between Changzhou and Tosa. Of course, Masuda Koshichu and he will be in trouble because of this.And, more importantly, he was afraid of causing trouble to the main family. "Don't be polite to me, I'm a spy." Ryoma began to feel pity for the other party.As long as he has a heart of compassion all his life, he will be too honest. Kogoro was almost taken aback when he heard this.After finally dispelling his doubts about this person, he confessed that he was a spy, and he seemed to be comforting Kogoro, saying: "You don't have to worry about it. You have good eyesight and you handle things correctly." Is this guy a fool?Kogoro froze silently. "I have something to ask you. Since I have told you frankly that I am a spy, I can't just walk away." "What's going to happen?" Kogoro's expression became stiff, he thought Ryoma wanted to draw his sword again. But Long Ma waved his hand hastily, and said, "It's very simple, can you tell me about the formation of your clan?" "What?" Kogoro was even more surprised, "You want me to tell you my secret?" "That's what it means to be straightforward. If you tell me, it will save me a lot of trouble. It doesn't seem to be a great formation anyway." How unreasonable!Gui thought to himself, and said, "This is impossible." "I'm sorry for your trouble. My domain is only to strengthen the defense of Shinagawa, for reference, and has no other intentions. In the end, it is for the world." Really can't get this person.桂之所以这么想，是因为龙马的每一句话总是出人意料，听起来像是诡辩，却又句句在理，没有虚言，不是要引人上钩的言辞。因为每一句话都发自肺腑，所以都掷地有声，令人信服。小五郎默默地听着这些话，感到这些话语从耳中传到心里，打动着他。 这或许是一个了不得的大人物。小五郎心里寻思。同样的话，若是从其他人口中说出来，就让人感觉是在胡言乱语。但从此人口中说出来，却句句充满活力，具有一种非常奇特的魅力。他实际却又不是雄辩之人，一直使足了劲在解释，而且夹杂着很多土佐方言。 或许这种人就可以称为人物。即便和别人说一样的话，从这个人口中说出来，就是和别人不同。是不是人物，这就是尺度。 “坂本。”小五郎盯着龙马道。他原本是一个慎重之人，甚至因过于谨慎而显得阴沉，此时却变得非常开朗。“长州的布阵，我告诉你。” “已午时了啊。”龙马又说出了奇怪的话，“我饿了，我们到那边的农家，让他们给做点饭。用完饭再说。” 农家那位面容和善的老婆婆，非常高兴地答应给桂小五郎和坂本龙马准备午饭。“只是，两位武士大爷，老身这里只有咸菜。” “没问题。”龙马道。小五郎没说话。 “桂兄，这位婆婆说只有咸菜，你意下如何？”龙马言下之意要做个和事佬。“这倒无妨。只是……”小五郎有着长州人特有的慎重，“鄙人一直在想，你我虽各事其主，我却想交你这个朋友。你意下如何？” “啊呀呀呀。” "What's wrong?" 见小五郎吃惊，龙马非常认真地说道：“失礼了。刚才我也这么想，听你一说，才吃了一惊。外夷来袭，还分什么土佐和长州。天下风云将起，那时能够依靠的，就是好友。男子理应不惜一切以求好友。” “坂本兄，同感同感啊。” “但这和咸菜有什么关系？” “我们既结交，吃咸菜不太好。刚才我在谷场看到了鸡，我们就吃鸡，怎样？” “再好不过了。”鸡肉是龙马最爱吃的东西。“但还是十分过意不去。”龙马低头笑了起来。不仅让人向自己透露长州布阵情况，还让人家请自己吃鸡肉，从来没见过这样的探子。 “太过意不去了，桂兄。” “不必客气。你这小子好像就有这种人望。” “那我就不客气了。” “等等。你好像误会了。我最不喜不合道理之事。所以，有人说我不随和圆通。长州阵地的情况，我会照约定都告诉你。” “承情了。” “但吃鸡肉的钱可得另算。没有理由让我请你，我们平摊。” 龙马有点扫兴，世上竟有这种人，但他转念一想，不为不合理之事或许正是此人的优点。但龙马也怪，桂这么说，他就非得让对方请自己不可了。虽然盘缠袋中有很多钱，他却说道：“我口袋里所剩无几，若是付了鸡肉钱，就回不了品川。” “是吗？”小五郎不慌不忙地说道，“那就让我出吧。多金者付钱，如此就合理了。” 真正有趣，龙马暗想。 鸡肉炖好了。 “酒呢？”龙马催促似的说道。 “酒恕我不能请你了。”小五郎这回真的忍不住一副厌恶的表情。 但奇怪的是，一起吃着一锅饭，二人互相对对方的亲切倍增。而且，更让龙马感兴趣的是，桂小五郎也和他一样，是从家乡来江户学艺的。和我一样啊，龙马不由得高兴起来。“你也打算以后回家乡，当一名剑术师父吗？” “嗯。”小五郎不爱说话。他只是一个劲儿地夹着鸡肉往嘴里放。 “桂兄，虽然我和你不在一个武馆，也不属一个藩，但是听你这番话，我越发觉得我们是百年的知己。” “同感。”小五郎嘴里这样说着，心无二念地吃着鸡肉。 “对了。”龙马必须得问最重要的那件事，“关于长州阵地的事……” “你看看这张图纸就明白了。”小五郎从怀中取出一张地图，在龙马面前打开。这是一张以三浦半岛为中心的相州地图。南面从城岛能一眼看见浦贺、横须贺、长浦湾、平泻湾等地，江户湾和浦贺水道一带的水是用彩色画的，上面漂浮着再度来航的美国舰队。而且，让人惊讶的是，连沿岸的水深都有标记。 “妙极，我从未见过连水深都测好标上的地图。” “那是当然，当今天下仅此一张。” “是谁去测的？” “鄙人。”小五郎若无其事说道。 龙马大吃一惊。原来他仅仅听说桂是斋藤弥九郎武馆的总教头，但如今看来他并不单单是个剑客。而且他用的还是西洋式测量法。 “你？你学过兰学？” “没有。”小五郎突然抬起头来，道，“实际上这其中是有些原委的，但请不要再问了。我只告诉你长州阵地的情况。” “嗯，那倒是。”龙马又看了看地图，抚掌道，“到底是长州藩。每块阵地都有两门大炮。土佐整个藩才有两门大炮。” “那些大炮多半是打不出炮弹的，从远处看是大炮，实际上是寺院里的青铜灯笼，放倒在地的。” 龙马目瞪口呆。 “这个地图中的大炮是灯笼？” “对，美国舰队用望远镜看，会认为那是大炮，不敢靠近。这便是楠木流的兵法。” “听你这么说，倒让我想起《太平记》中有这样一个故事，楠木正成在城墙上放上穿着铠甲的草人，骗了来攻的坂东武者。但是那些美国船上的人，会那么容易上当？” “只能出此下策。” "Why?" “日本沉睡太久了，既没有大炮，也没有军舰。现在佩里恐吓幕府。不管受到什么样的侮辱，幕府都只是卑躬屈膝，而毫无办法，现状如此狼狈。我们长州人镇守的相州沿岸，乃是江户的咽喉，却没有大炮。如果不把灯笼扮成大炮，黑船上的洋鬼子就会更加瞧不起日本。” “我反对这种小诡计。” “你可有大智慧吗？” “没有，但我认为这并非良策。要是洋鬼子冲到海岸上看到那些灯笼，定会大笑，会点亮灯笼，围着它们跳念佛舞。你的策略就是想趁他们跳舞时杀上去吗？” “你是个傻子？” "how you said that?" “恕我直言，听了你这一番话，我也糊涂了。美国人怎么会跳念佛舞？” “怎么不会？你们长州人就是想趁此机会杀过去吗？” “我也乱了。”小五郎放下筷子，道，“我本不想说，但还是告诉你吧。”他绷起他那张才气勃发的脸。 原来，他曾和以精通兰学而闻名的韭山代官江川太郎左卫门同在斋藤弥九郎武馆。当初，幕府命江川建造品川炮台时，江川便开始测量武藏、相模和伊豆的海岸，当时，剑术师父斋藤弥九郎为了让年轻的弟子桂小五郎明白海防的紧急及重要，让桂小五郎扮作江川的手下与之同行。 桂小五郎就是从那时开始，发生了天翻地覆的变化。江川对小五郎无话不说，西洋炮船的精妙，西洋人的陆战法，步兵、炮兵、骑兵之能及调遣法，英法对印度及中国的殖民法，沙俄南下的野心，美国的产业状况和国家机构等。每每在结尾江川都会说一句：“长此以往，日本国将不国。桂君，你们这些后生该大显身手了。” “那应当如何做呢？” “如今海外的强国，无不得益于好的国家体制。没有哪国像日本这样，三百诸侯割据一方，对德川以臣礼事之，不致力军政，而一味看德川幕府脸色行事。” 桂小五郎出身于与藩主毛利家同祖的医士和田家，天保四年六月二十六日生于长州萩城的吴服町江户屋横丁，比龙马长两岁。邻家有一位叫桂九郎兵卫的，是年俸二百石的武士，与小五郎之父和田昌景相交甚笃。 桂九郎兵卫体弱多病，膝下无子，常对昌景道： “你家二公子小五郎聪明伶俐，能送我做养子吗？”然而，他们口头约定此事之后不到二十天，九郎兵卫便去世了。 收小五郎为养子一事，还没有向藩府呈书。按照惯例，桂家没有继承人，应该是收回俸禄，削去武籍。因此桂家的亲戚朋友聚在一处，对外称“九郎兵卫病卧”，然后匆忙呈书藩府，将八岁的小五郎收为桂家养子，第二日才宣布九郎兵卫病亡。 这个法子明显是一种欺骗，但在当时的各藩都不乏这种做法。各地藩府也都知道内情，不予计较。但如此必然减禄，因此桂家从二百石减到了九十石，小五郎八岁时便成了年俸九十石的武士。然而，小五郎的养母，亦即九郎兵卫的遗孀不久也去世了，于是小五郎虽然改姓了桂，依然由生身父母养育。 小五郎幼时身弱，有几次因风寒险些丧命，但随着年岁渐长，身体也变得康健起来。他在藩校明伦馆读书，跟随藩中剑术教头内藤作兵卫习剑。无论读书还是习武，无不出类拔萃。少年时喜作诗，才华横溢，十四岁时还得到藩公奖励。小五郎乍一看具有俊才的冷峻，但其内心却隐藏着诗人的激情。可能就是这种激情，让小五郎成年后投身于天下风云之中。 嘉永二年，小五郎十七岁。他认识了一位二十岁的青年。这位青年是在城外经营松下村塾的藩中兵法学者玉木文之进的外甥。他们认识之后，小五郎便马上拜他为师。这位青年就是吉田松阴。令小五郎诗人的血液沸腾起来的，就是松阴。 “读书固然重要，但学成后并将其实施才是丈夫之道。诗固然有趣，只在书房里作诗却无意义。身为七尺男儿，将自己一生谱写成诗篇方是正道。楠木正成虽一句诗也不会，但他的人生不正是宏篇巨制吗？”他对小五郎如是说。当然，松阴教给小五郎不只这些，但这段话却改变了小五郎的一生。 嘉永五年，师徒二人仍很年轻。松阴为了深造和开拓视野，小五郎为学习剑术，前后来到江户。 和龙马在相州山上相遇时，小五郎二十二岁，龙马二十岁。 龙马有个易钦服于人的毛病，现在自是对小五郎心服得五体投地了。此人真了不起。虽然只是一介武生，却跟着韭山代官江川太郎左卫门学习西洋式测量法，一边学习，一边踏遍了相模、武藏和伊豆的海岸，还画出了海防图。 龙马佩服的还不仅仅是这一点。小五郎将自己测量的结果和得出的感想写在信上，献给了主公毛利大膳大夫。小五郎信中大意是，只有将藩府机构改造成西洋军队的编制，方能守卫日本。 龙马对他大胆的提议十分佩服。他只是一个年俸九十石的小武士，却大胆地向主公建议从根本上改变藩政，这在当时是难以想象的。当然，小五郎已经做好了受罚的准备。 “感佩之至。”龙马不停地夸赞。 小五郎赧然。龙马却是非常认真的。他将心底的每一点感动，都化成了嘴上的赞赏。他对小五郎的言论感到佩服是很自然的。二人在相州山中相遇时，世间虽然因为黑船来袭事件吵得沸沸扬扬，但是天下忧国的言论还没有那么激烈，尊王攘夷的仁人志士还没有风起云涌。看到这一介神道无念流剑客独自担忧并思索天下政道以及兵马之事，龙马自然吃惊。 “桂兄，在贵藩中，像你这样的志士有很多吗？” “不。长州尚在沉睡。” “我们土佐倒有个多事的。” “多事？” “所谓雄辩之士。” "Who is it?" “乃武市半平太。他是镜心明智流高手，原本喜欢读书，醉心于水户学。在土佐，武市尊皇是很有名的。” “尊皇？岂非不敬？” “我只是转述乡人说法。” “因为尊皇，武市先生便被当成奇人？恕我失礼，土佐也尚在沉睡。” “此言差矣。” "Oh?" “听君一席话，胜读十年书。我原本是个睁眼瞎，但总有一天能看清楚。”桂小五郎突然握住了龙马的手。他感到自己年轻的热血在沸腾，手也开始抖了起来。 “干吧。” 在相州山中的农家小院，龙马和小五郎握住手起誓，但是至于要干什么，他们自己也并无明确的头绪。时机尚未成熟，而且二人都还太年少。 小五郎道：“总之，日本最危难的时刻到了。在这种时候，我们应当站起来，不惜生死，齐心合力。即便心怀不满，也决不背叛，信字当头。” “对。”虽然龙马点着头，大声表示同意，但是说实话，此时他还完全不清楚桂要做什么。他不仅读书少，眼界也尚未打开。对于时局，他还像婴儿一样无知。但是，桂小五郎并没有因为龙马没有提出高论而蔑视他。 “贤弟有英雄之气。”他说，“成大事者，靠的并非辩才与才智，而是人振臂一挥的力量。我就缺乏这个。但是我看得出来，你身上就有力量。私以为，贤弟说话，不仅人为之俯首，还能撼山震岳。” “过誉过誉。撼不动山的。” “只是打个比方。” "I can rest assured that." “你们土佐人就是爱玩笑。” “江户人都说土佐人风趣呢。” “在江户，众人都说长州人伶俐、萨摩人敦厚、土佐人风趣。” “对土佐人不算好评啊。” “哪里，正是这种风趣反而能得人心，成就大事。长州人的伶俐则反为人警慑，而放不开手脚，而且原本伶俐就不被人喜。敦厚也不好，易被当成愚笨。” “桂先生不喜萨摩？” 桂只是说：“鄙人以为男人不能轻言好恶。” 从他特意告诫这一点来看，他对人的好恶之情十分强烈。 桂又道：“长州的伶俐、萨摩的敦厚、土佐的风趣这种说法很有意思。若一个男人能兼备这三种特质，定是成大事之人。” 我如何呢？龙马天真地忖量了一下自己。倒足够风趣，却既不伶俐也不敦厚啊。 但桂小五郎却认为，龙马不仅天生具有值得珍重的风趣性情，而且他虽读书不多，却利落而敦厚，是个罕见的人物。