Chapter 12 12. All kinds of martial arts

When he received his father's obituary, the 22-year-old Ryoma Sakamoto couldn't help crying. He traveled from Edo to visit his hometown and swore to the gods of heaven and earth that he would repay his kindness. For Ryoma, his father's death was a very painful blow.Later, at the end of the Bakumatsu, Ryoma, who stood out from the heroes of the various feudal lords, showed his talents, and conquered the world with his whimsical strategies, now showed a surprisingly ordinary and filial attitude, which may be the real him. Ryoma stays in the Chiba Martial Arts Hall every day, staying at home, practicing swordsmanship desperately.He always likes to travel, it's so novel, so it's too abnormal to stay behind closed doors.His father's death hit him hard.

Before long, he obtained the highest qualification of Beichen Yishou Style - Daiku Kaiden, and became the chief swordsmanship instructor of Otsumachi Chiba. At this time, he was only twenty-three years old. Chiba's chief fencing instructor, even among the few Edo swordsmen, is a very honorable position.At this time, Katsura Kogoro of Changzhou was the chief instructor of Saito Yakuro Martial Art (Shinto Wunen Ryu) in Kojimachi, and Takeshi Hanpeita of Tosa was promoted to the Momoi Haruno Martial Arts Gym on the bank of the Kyobashi Clam River (Kageshin Akechi Ryu). ) head coach. Nowadays there is a saying: the location is in Momoi, the skills are in Chiba, and the power is in Saito.These three martial arts schools have recently divided the world with swordsmanship.It can be said that it is a very strange coincidence that the head coaches of these three schools all became important figures in the reform.

In the autumn of this year, Zhuliu selected swordsmen from his school and held two martial arts competitions in Edo. At the end of summer, Chiba Shigetaro called Ryoma into the room and said, "Xiaolong, I have something to discuss with you." "What's up?" Ryoma suddenly lay down, resting his head on his hands.Today's Ryoma is more and more ignorant of etiquette, and he is rarely seen sitting on his knees every day. "That's right," Shigetaro put his hands on his knees, sat upright, and looked at Ryoma lying on the ground. "In the two hundred years since the Kwanaga Gozen Tournament, the swordsmanship competitions of various schools in Edo have never stopped. This year in Tosa Under the care of the Marquis of Fanshan, the competition will be held again."

"Isn't the Marquis of Yamauchi my lord?" When a general vassal mentioned his lord, he would definitely sit on his knees, but Ryoma still rested his head on his arm and said, "Daimyo takes care of swordsmen. This world has really changed. That lord is an anomaly." Curious people." "Barrel Town Chiba can only send one person. For the sake of the martial arts school, this competition cannot be lost no matter what. Are you going or I going?" "Yes." Ryoma vaguely said, and then asked Shigetaro who would appear on the stage. "Choose one hundred people." Shigetaro said, "Shinto Wunianliu will be played by the master master Yakuro Saito."

"Mr. Saito is the referee, right?" "He is not only a referee, but also participates in the competition. However, our Beichen one-sword style..." Shigetaro's face was clouded. The commander-in-chief Chiba Shusaku, known as the unrivaled swordsman, had passed away the year before last at the age of 63. Before that, his eldest son, Kisu Taro, also died young. The third son Dao Saburo.Originally, there was Eijiro above Dosaburo.He is so skilled that he is known as the little tengu of the Chiba family, and his one-handed upper body has made all the swordsmen in Edo turn pale.However, he gave up the right of inheritance to his younger brother Dosaburo very early, and he became an official of the Mito Tokugawa family, and served as the Dafan group in Edo Dingfu, with a salary of two hundred shi.He was unable to play because he had left his family.

"That's why the head coach Haibao Hoping played against Mr. Yakuro Saito." If you value Taro's expression, you will know that he thinks that Master Hoping is likely to lose to Saito Yakuro.Haibao Fanping is the most outstanding of the late Zhou Zuo's disciples, he has practiced hard for many years and has a pure character.The reason why the Yuchi martial arts school with thousands of disciples can be fully operated is thanks to this person's good management.He is skilled in swordsmanship, second to none in Edo.However, he should not be the opponent of Yakuro Saito, who was known as the invincible player in the world after Chiba Shusaku.

"It's not reconciled to say it, but Yuchi Chiba has no hope of winning in this competition." Shigetaro said, "So we can only rely on us, Otsumachi Chiba. If we don't advance bravely, Beichen's reputation will be ruined. .” "That makes sense." Ryoma nodded vigorously, but he still didn't understand what Shigetaro wanted to say. "Xiaolong, don't you want to go?" "Ah... go." Ryoma responded casually. Shigetaro looked at Ryoma lying on the ground, and said, "Then...you will be the leader of our barrel-cho Chiba."

"What?" Ryoma straightened up and asked, "Aren't you going?" "No." "That won't work." Longma stared and said, "Yuchi Qianye has nothing to do. If you don't play, there will be no strong character from Qianye. That will damage Qianye's sword name." "Rather than lose to someone, it's better not to play. Anyway, Beichen Tongcho will rely on you." At this time, Ryoma's swordsmanship has far surpassed that of Chongtaro. Ryoma represents Otsucho Chiba, and together with Yuchi Chiba's head coach Haibao Hoping, undertakes the mission of protecting the name of Beichen's swordsmanship.Who he will play against will only be known on the day.Long Ma was calm in his heart, waiting for the competition.

When the sky was falling, a guest who surprised Ryoma came.It was Katsura Kogoro, a feudal vassal of Changzhou.At this time, he came to inquire about the situation in Chiba as the head coach of Kojicho Saito Yakuro martial arts school. Four years have passed since he and Ryoma met in the mountains of Miura Peninsula in Sangshu.Kogoro is twenty-five years old this year, and he is still a handsome man, small in stature but strong in build, with stern brows and clear and calm eyes. Compared with the first time Ryoma saw him, he seemed to be a different person. Ryoma borrows Taro's room to entertain Kogoro. "Brother Gui, stay safe."

Longma Yili and Kogoro met.Gui stared at Longma's face for a long time, then said expressionlessly, "You have changed, you can be said to be handsome." Ryoma is indeed very different from before, but he didn't care. "Really?" Ryoma said in a daze, "but I didn't change my face." "Of course." Kogoro said seriously, "How can you change your face?" Jokes do not work here in Gui.He was brilliant, but his mind was so rational that he couldn't understand what was interesting outside of reason.In this regard, he is the complete opposite of Ryoma.Ryoma is always naive and unpredictable.Of course, this expression was born, but later he knew that this natural expression could benefit him in everything, so he made great use of it.However, his ability is still not as good as Xixiang Takamori.Later, Okubo Kazuo, who became a talented shogunate with Katsu Kaishu, once said: Anyway, Ryoma is the number one hero of Tosa. In short, he is a person that Saigo Takamori dare not take lightly.At least, he gave the impression that he was more careful than Takamori Saigo.In this regard, by the way, Xixiang Takamori’s own evaluation of Ryoma is quoted: "There is aspirations in the world, and everyone will be friends with them. There is no one who is as open-minded as Ryoma. Ryoma is so big that it is unpredictable." Since Xixiang said this, The excellence of Longma lies in the unspeakable.

"Let me tell you the purpose of coming here today." Gui went straight to the point.He rarely talks nonsense. "It's about your martial arts hall." "You mean..." Ryoma pretended to be confused. Gui stared closely at Longma's eyes, and said, "Who will be in your martial arts gym for this competition?" "this," "Is the head of the house coming?" This seemed to be what Gui wanted to know.But Ryoma didn't tell him. "have no idea." "I heard that Mr. Zhenji is ill." "Yes, the doctor said so." "A disease is a disease, why should a doctor say that?" Hearing Ryoma's ambiguous words, Gui Li made up his mind. Unfortunately, Chiba Shigetaro happened to come in at this time.Chong Taro is an out-and-out Edo samurai, born with a straight gut. "Mr. Gui, I'm sorry to interrupt you. This time, we'll let Xiaolong go." After he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that there was no wine in the room, so he clapped his hands hastily, and shouted, "This guy is really inconsiderate. Eight inches, Eight inches." He hurriedly called Bacun to let her prepare a banquet.The young man was very clever only in such circumstances. Although Gui doesn't hold a lot of alcohol, she likes to drink.After drinking, I also talk a little more.After five or six cups, he curled his lips and said, "Sakamoto-kun, you are really cunning." At this time, Ryoma was in a dilemma because of Shigetaro's miscalculation, and honestly patted himself on the neck a few times, saying: "It was my miscalculation. I apologize. The most important point in military strategy is not to reveal your background to the opponent. Now that this is the case, I have to ask your candidate." Gui thought for a while and said, "I can't say." His expression told Ryoma that he would never say anything, even a heavy bar would not be able to pry his mouth open. Ryoma grinned and said, "But you will definitely appear. If a master like you does not appear, Saito Martial Arts might be completely wiped out. The rest are insignificant little guys." "Young man?" Gui really got angry, "There are many people like me in Saito." "Why don't you tell me?" "Saito Makotosuke, Ikinosuke, Shirosuke." "They're all family members." "Yes, and Itsuku Shimada." Itsaku Shimada is known as the current Miyamoto Musashi under Saito's door.At this point, Ryoma also knew the characters of Saito Fang. On the third day of October in the fourth year of Ansei (1857), 104 selected swordsmen from various schools gathered at the Tosa Domain Mansion at Kaji Bridge in Edo.Ryoma is among them.Swordsmen, spectators and organizers gathered together, occupying half of the huge arena. Takeichi Hanpeita did not appear. He was busy looking after the arena as the secretary of the old man Ishiyama Sun Liu, the head of the swordsmanship instructor in the feudal kingdom. Katsura Kogoro appeared at the competition venue.He sat on the seat of the Shinto Wunianliu swordsman, still with a serious expression.In addition to the old man Sunliu Ishiyama, the referees also include Hohei Kaibao and Yakuro Saito.At the end of the game, these two will compete for the reputation of their respective genres. This is the highlight of today's competition. Not long after, the feudal lord Yamauchi Tosamori Toyonobu sat down in front of him.Below it sits a row of important ministers. People around calm down and salute. Ryoma sat on the next swordsman's seat far away from the feudal lord. He raised his head slowly and sighed in his heart: Oh, so this is my lord. As a countryman, he couldn't see the feudal lord. This was the first time Ryoma saw Toyonobu Yamauchi.He is about thirty-one and twenty-two, with big eyes, a long and pointed face, and a downturned mouth.Longma often hears that he is eccentric, so he looks like this. Fengxin was originally the son of the Shanuchi family known as "Nanfu". He was not from the same family, and was a concubine. After his death, he inherited the Yamauchi family's 240,000 koku daimyo position.It can be said that it is all blessed by God.He is headstrong, with unnecessary sharpness for the lord of a feudal clan.He also has a talent for poetry and prose, loves to read history, has unique insights into history, and can be regarded as a first-class scholar today.Therefore, in Edo Castle, he felt that other daimyos were ignorant and unreasonable, and they often spoke ill of each other.On the one hand, he learned political strategy from the Mito scholar Fujita Toko (who died in the Ansei Earthquake the year before last), and on the other hand, he liked Sagami Yamasa Goro, a street warrior, and even took the title of "Drunken Lord of the Whale Sea" for himself. The elegant name can be described as a different kind among daimyo. At this time, the old man Sun Liu of Shishan walked to the center of the martial arts arena, and in his deep voice announced the match combination determined by drawing lots.His voice is low.Ryoma pricked up his ears, but only heard two sentences: "...Shinto Wunian Liugui Xiaowulang, Jingxin Zhizhi Liufu Fujianji..." He began to pick his nostrils.Since he wasn't in the same group as Gui Fen, there was nothing to be afraid of. The contest began. After one round, the master Ueda Manosuke of the Momoi Martial Arts School on the Hazai River faced off against Hoshino Kikunosuke of the Saito Martial Arts School. This is the legendary Manosuke Ueda.Ryoma couldn't help but widen his eyes.Ueda was tall, holding the bamboo sword high in both hands, with a gust of wind, the momentum swallowed Hoshino. When it comes to Ueda Manosuke, let alone a swordsman, even common people know his name. Last fall, something happened in Ginza.At this time, the streets of Ginza are narrow, and the three of them walk side by side holding hands, and the two next to them will be squeezed under the eaves on both sides.There is a small restaurant called "Matsuda" here.It was a simple two-storey tile-roofed house. As long as you had two copper coins on you, you could go upstairs to eat freely.Although the store is very simple, but because it is located in Ginza, no matter whether it is the earthen mat on the first floor or the private room on the second floor, it is always full of drinkers. It is said to be a private room, but it is actually a two-fold space separated by a screen.Toshizo Nakagawa, the master swordsman of Oda Sakon, who lived in the main castle of Edo Castle, brought two of his vassals here to drink.They were all very drunk. Shen Shi.On the way home from the martial arts school, Ma Zhisuke went to a relative's house, and took the relative's boy to Matsuda for dinner.Seeing the crowd downstairs, he followed the maid up to the second floor.Unfortunately, their seats were right next to Nakagawa and the others. At that time, Nakagawa and his companions were already very drunk. They looked at Ma Zhisuke's saber and laughed at him. Ma Zhisuke thought it was noisy, so he said to the relative's boy, "Let's go inside." When they stood up, the child's foot touched Nakagawa's knife. Zhong Chuan said angrily, "You're rude! If you leave without saying hello, what's the matter?" "He's still a kid, sorry." Ma Zhizhu was afraid that they would be entangled, so he decided to leave, let the child go downstairs first, and guard himself behind. Halfway up the stairs, Nakagawa drew his knife on the top of the stairs and shouted, "You kid, are you trying to escape?" Then he slashed at Ma Zhisuke's shoulder. The stairs are narrow, in Nakagawa's favor.However, Ma Zhisuke suddenly squatted down and drew his knife. At the same time, a carp turned over and hacked Nakagawa to death with a knife, and blood splattered all over the place. The vassals brought by Nakagawa yelled and ran downstairs and slashed at Ma Zhisuke, but he was also killed by Ma Zhisuke several times. Ma Zhizhu then surrendered himself, and was later summoned by Fengxing, but after all, there was a reason for the incident, so he was pardoned. Ueda Manosuke's opponent is Shinto no thought meteor No Kikunosuke, Ryoma doesn't know much about this person. Hoshino held the long knife to his chest. Ma Zhisuke raised the sword high above his head, and yelled to induce the opponent to shoot, but Hoshino's sword did not move.He is short in stature, in stark contrast to Ma Nosuke. "Excuse me," Ryoma turned to the other swordsmen sitting beside him, "What kind of character is that Hoshino Kikunosuke?" "I don't know." The man replied solemnly in Dewa's dialect, "Hehe, I don't know..." Then he stopped talking.He probably thought Ryoma was annoying, and he didn't have a good reputation. At this time, Hoshino remained motionless like a mountain, suppressing Manosuke with momentum.Ma Zhisuke's long knife began to shake instead.He probably couldn't bear it anymore, and took a quick step with his right foot.At this moment, Hoshino's sword slashed out with lightning speed and struck at Manosuke's right wrist. "Hit the wrist guard." The referee Hai Baofan raised his hand. In the next two rounds, Ma Zhisuke was also hit and lost to Hoshino. Ryoma was astonished.On the stairs of "Matsuda" in Ginza, Ma Nosuke, who killed Tendo Fan's swordsmanship master, was defeated so easily by an unknown swordsman.Swordsmanship is really elusive. After another five or six sets, Manosuke Ueda played again against Sensuke Hayata of Momoi Martial Arts, but was still defeated by Hayata's helmet hit twice. Because Hoshino and Hayata were not well-known swordsmen, Ryoma couldn't help exhaling, and sighed: There are mountains beyond mountains, and there are people beyond people, so you can't be careless. He was thinking to himself, the samurai speaking with Deba's accent just now said: "Forgive me, are you the Sakamoto Ryoma under Mr. Chiba Sadakichi?" "Exactly." Ryoma nodded, looked at the man, guessing what he would say next.The man lowered his head with a serious face. "Next, I will fight with you." "It's you." When old man Sun Liu of Shishan read out the list, his voice was too low for Longma to hear clearly. "That's right. I'm not good at martial arts, please take care of me." He smiled all over his face.Longma didn't know where this man came from.Even now, he can't ask people's names, so he pretended to go out to do something, and asked Takeshi Hanpeita, who was exporting the cooking affairs in the martial arts field, to inquire.Takeshi was taken aback, and said, "You don't know? That's Shimada Yisaku who is known as the current Musashi under Saito's sect." "Shimada?!" What Ryoma lamented was Shimada's cunning.Just now, when Ryoma asked Ueda Manosuke who was Hoshino Kikunosuke's opponent, he said "I don't know".However, Takeichi told him that Hoshino and Shimada were from the same school.Brothers of the same school, how can you "don't know"? Takeichi looked at Itsaku Shimada who was sitting in the distance, and said, "Ryoma, you have to be careful. He is very cunning with knives." He is a weirdo.It is said that two bamboo knives, large and small, are commonly used. It is impossible for disciples to use double knives if they are practicing the non-mind flow of the Shinto. Ryoma expressed the doubt in his heart.Wu Shi nodded and said, "Isn't that right, Mr. Saito doesn't seem to be happy either." The double-sword technique was originally created by Miyamoto Musashi, and even Musashi himself had no intention of applying this kind of sword technique in actual combat. He never used it in more than 60 competitions in his life. Master Yakuro Saito scolded Shimada: "There is only one person in a million people who has the wrist strength of Musashi, so the double swordsmanship is possible. It is not inferior to use double swords like you." But Shimada insisted not to be taught , In important contests, double swords are still used.The strange thing is that he has won consecutively.There are even rumors that even the master Saito Yakuro may not be as good as Shimada. He just learned one school of martial arts, and before obtaining the qualification of Ji Chuan, he is not allowed to set up another school indiscriminately and study other sword skills. "Thus, although he has achievements and strength, he has not yet obtained the qualification of Kaichuan." Takeshi said, "However, it is said that if Shimada wins this contest, Mr. Saito will give in and take the opportunity to grant him the Kaichuan qualification." Qualifications. Of course, this is just a rumor.” "Then if I win, will Shimada hold grudges against me?" "Oh, but..." Wu Shi's eyes seemed to say: Can you beat him?Long Ma frowned unhappily, and said, "Brother Wushi, you are too rude." "No." Takeshi said, "It is said that there is a way to break the double-sword technique. If you don't know this method, it is likely that Shimada won the victory. It's just that you can't know that method." "I really don't know." Ryoma didn't care. Soon, the voice of the old man Sun Liu of Shishan came from the field: "Bei Chen beats Ryoma Sakamoto with one sword." Wearing a navy blue bodysuit and a hakama of the same color, Ryoma walked to the center of the arena.On the old black breastplate, the golden bellflower family crest is embroidered. The arena was silent.Amidst the awe-inspiring presence, Shimada Itsuku slowly walked out from the east corner of the arena.He was wearing a black chest protector, a white exercise uniform, and the inside of the helmet was painted with red lacquer. He held a three-foot-six-inch bamboo knife in his right hand and a two-foot-six-inch short knife in his left hand. He approached Ryoma. Tosa Mori Toyonobu, the old master Goto, said in a low voice, "This is Shimada Itsuku, known as the present Musashi." Toyonobu curled his lips, nodded, and asked, "Who is that man in navy blue on the opposite side?" "His name is Sakamoto Ryoma, and Beichen is a master of the swordsmanship." "Oh." Fengxin asked with sharp eyes, "Which domain?" "Tosa feudal lord." "Our own vassals have never seen or heard of it." "Exactly. He cannot see the lord in his capacity. He is the younger brother of Sakamoto Gonpei, a villager who lives in 1-chome, Honmachi, Joshita." "He's a good guy." Tosamori Toyonobu just lamented his burly figure at this time, but since he couldn't predict things like a god, he would never have thought that this person would later become a hero who shocked the world.At this moment, he was quickly attracted by the unique equipment of Ryoma's opponent Shimada Yisaku.Not only Fengxin, but everyone in the audience. "Three rounds will determine the outcome." The moment the referee announced the start of the competition, the two jumped back at the same time to distance themselves.Shimada raised the short knife to his chest and the long knife above his head.There is no more perfect defensive posture.The castle built by Shimada made Ryoma unable to do anything.If you attack the opponent's short sword, you will be attacked by a long sword.If you move with the long knife, you will be stabbed by the short knife to the wrist. Not only for defense, but also for attack. Shimada uttered a strange cry, and a white crane spread its wings and rushed towards Ryoma. Ryoma held the opponent with a knife, scratched the ground with his feet, and was easily pushed back by the opponent.The two circled around the arena, and when they reached the position with their backs to Tosamori, they stopped abruptly. At the same time as it stopped, the three knives were raised to the sky at the same time, colliding violently, and there was a sound of ping-pong.Ryoma hit the opponent's chest protector, and Shimada's long sword hit Ryoma's helmet. "Ping!" The referee Saito Yakuro said loudly. There are two more innings. Itsuku Shimada took a step back and crossed his swords into a chaotic cross, like a bird retracting its wings. The first round was tied, and Shimada's double swords were easily blocked by Ryoma.The random cross is a move developed by Miyamoto Musashi, but it is not suitable for attacking.Shimada originally thought that while he was feigning retreat, Ryoma would take a defensive position because he was afraid of his chaotic cross, but unexpectedly, Ryoma attacked naively. Shimada continued to retreat, and Ryoma pressed forward step by step.In a hurry, Shimada disassembled the random cross, hit the knife in Ryoma's hand with a short knife, and hit Ryoma's helmet with the long knife.Ryoma also hit Shimada's left wrist at that moment. But Saito Yakuro did not raise his hand, maybe he thought the strength of both sides was too light. However, after the light blows, the two sides began to exert their strength gradually, but from the perspective of outsiders, the moves were still superficial, and none of them could determine the outcome.After a few more rounds, Ryoma blocked Shimada's long sword hitting his face with one hand, and at the same time grabbed the wrist guard of Shimada's hand holding the short sword. With a strong right waist, he jumped and threw Shimada down on the ground.When Shimada got up in a hurry, Ryoma yelled and hit him in the face.Probably the only way to deal with double swords. The next third game. Ryoma still held the broadsword flat on his chest.Shimada backed away, more than five feet away from Longma.He exchanged the long and short knives in his hands.It's really wonderful.He raised the long knife above his head with his left hand, and swung the short knife forward with his right hand.This is called "Ni Er Dao". This move, which even Musashi didn't think of, is said to have been a secret transmission of a small school called "Reviewing the Past and Knowing the New Style", and the name of the move was "Zuo Jian Li He Bei Beng".In a word, this move is very difficult to deal with. While Shimada was posing, he shouted and forced him to come over.Ryoma also attacked forward. The distance between the two quickly shortened, and Ryoma suddenly raised his sword. Shimada was taken aback.This was beyond his expectation.Because Ryoma raised his sword suddenly, Shimada didn't know the distance of the opponent for a moment, and his heart shuddered. At this moment, Ryoma launched a fierce attack and hit Shimada.Shimada, dressed in white, fell to the ground like a giant moth.He didn't move, probably fainted. Usually it hits the helmet, but this time, Ryoma hit the opponent's right chest with the family crest printed on it.Because the armor there is thinner, some schools prohibit "playing the family pattern" in training. "The outcome has been decided." Saito Yakuro stepped forward and announced that Ryoma had won.Someone lifted Shimada down. The audience was silent.Itsaku Shimada, known as the current Musashi, has been invincible in martial arts competitions since he practiced double swordsmanship. Today he lost for the first time. "It turns out that if you want to break the double-sword technique, you just need to attack the family mons." Tosa Mori Toyonobu, who was sitting in the seat, patted his knees.He not only practiced the feudal prince's swordsmanship, but also learned no outflow, and obtained the qualification of Jichuan. "This person is amazing." "Exactly." The elder Wu Teng, chief planner, lowered his head and said, "It's a pity that he is the son of a countryman with such a good skill." "If it's a sergeant, I have to quickly recruit him to my side." It's just that he can't do that.The son of a countryman can only be a countryman for a lifetime.No matter how outstanding your knowledge and martial arts are, you cannot become a sergeant.If you are not a sergeant, you cannot get close to the feudal prince.Toyonobu Yamauchi would later become one of the outstanding daimyos in the end of the Tokugawa period together with Qibin Shimadzu of Satsuma and Harugatake Matsudaira of Echizen, but even so, now he has quickly forgotten the name of the son of a countryman.Later, when Ryoma left the feudal kingdom and led the fleet in the West Sea to look down on the world, he finally remembered. "Sakamoto Ryoma, the one who participated in the sword fighting competition in Edo." The results of the martial arts competition held at Kajibashi in Edo: Kogoro Katsura defeated Kenji Fukutomi of the Tosa Domain in three rounds in a row; Kuro.These became the topic of discussion among Edo swordsmen for a while. Gui is indeed highly skilled in martial arts, which has gradually become a conclusion among swordsmen in Edo.The feudal lord Morihou was also proud of the appearance of such a talent in his feudal domain, and even specially invited Katsura's master Saito Yakuro to the feudal mansion in Edo to express his gratitude. In addition, Omura feudal lord Tango Mori Junxi, Mibu feudal lord Torii Tanba Mori Tadaju and others also invited Katsura to their feudal mansion in Edo, invited him to dinner, and watched him play swords. Ryoma will compete with Katsura Kogoro at the Momoi Martial Arts Hall on the bank of the Kizai River in early winter this year. This martial arts competition is not hosted by the princes like last time, but initiated by the martial arts school.The initiator is Akeshin Akechi, who is the coach of Banheita Takeshi, Momoi Haruno. One day, Takeichi came to the martial arts school in Otsucho, and after having an interview with Chiba Shigetaro, he called Ryoma and said, "Ryoma, join us for the big competition." "It's another competition." Whenever he sees Ryoma, he is lazy, showing no signs of getting up.But in Takeichi's view, this appearance is Ryoma's only way to cover up, probably to hide his shyness. Wu Shi still speaks solemnly. "This competition will be a good opportunity for you to make a name for yourself in Edo." Ryoma smiled. "what are you doing?" "funny." Wu Shi said angrily, "What are you laughing at?" "Speaking of becoming famous and becoming famous is not suitable for you to say from Wushi. I heard that you have become famous recently?" "What's the name?" "I heard that you have contacts with generous people from various domains. You are influenced by those Yanzhao elegiac people, and you are impassioned when you speak. I admire you." "Longma!" Wu Shi blushed, "Are you laughing at the king and the barbarians?" "No, I also respect the king and fight against the barbarians. But I am ignorant, and I am not as proud as you." "arrogant?" "I made a mistake. It was a high-level talk. I don't know how to talk high." "Okay, I understand." Wu Shi was almost in no mood to talk about the martial arts competition, "Then why were you laughing just now?" "This is my problem, please forgive me. I just want to tease you when I see you looking serious." "Okay, I forgive you." Wu Shi felt relieved.He has a pair of clear eyes that men rarely see. "Talk about the contest. This time it will be a contest regardless of genre." Therefore, this contest is different from the last contest.In the last competition held in the Tosa Domain, representatives from each genre were drawn into groups with players from other genres to compete. This time, regardless of genre, they competed separately. "Naturally, this competition is not for schools, but for vassal states." "Is Gui from Changzhou appearing?" "Of course Mr. Gui will appear." "I don't even know it, it must be Gui Sheng." "It's really helpless." Wu Shi couldn't help but shouted.Takeshi was originally a calm and calm person who was recognized as having great intelligence, but when he talked to Ryoma, he would lose his composure, and even his tone of voice became strange. "Brother Wushi has a loud voice." Long Ma expressed his admiration. "Of course. Ryoma, there is no one like you. As a samurai, you say that the enemy will win before going into battle. This is a slip of the tongue." "Why is it a slip of the tongue? Katsura Kogoro's reputation has long been known in Edo. During the previous martial arts competition, even the vassals were amazed by Katsura's skill and praised him for his agility. If I met Katsura, I, Sakamoto Ryoma, would definitely die in Under his knife. Brother Takeshi, I can't play on behalf of the Tosa clan." "Shut up!" Wu Shi snapped, "Samurai must not lose heart in front of the enemy." "I prefer to say." "Aren't you a samurai?" "Samurai, samurai, my ears hurt." "Then what are you?" "I'm Ryoma Sakamoto." Ryoma's answer was loud and clear.This is Ryoma's lifelong thought.He believes that the so-called samurai and businessmen are just clothes worn on the body, and his real face is Sakamoto Ryoma. "I don't like to show off. It's like a cockroach shaking a big tree. It's obviously powerless to win, but you want to call yourself a warrior. This is not in line with my temperament." Long Ma said frankly. "You said that the samurai is a mayfly?" "Bushido also has its merits, but it is too cumbersome. Just opening your mouth to shout, it is no different from a cockroach. The same is a samurai, and the generals of the Warring States Period are very powerful. When Shingen, Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu were young, Knowing that they will lose, they fought against each other once or twice. In fact, it was a gamble, hoping to bring about a change in their own destiny. But in the end, they only fought battles that they were sure of. I thought heroes refer to such characters. " "Anyway, you're going to participate." "But Brother Wushi..." Ryoma stuck out his tongue and licked his upper lip.He asked a question he'd always wanted to ask. "Why don't you participate?" "Don't ask me that." "why?" "Ryoma, if you are a man, don't ask. Don't ask anything. Just agree to my request and participate in the competition." Ryoma considered for a long time, finally changed his mind and decided to participate in the competition. Takeichi was revered as a god by the young junior samurai of the Tosa Domain.In fact, regardless of swordsmanship, weaponry, and knowledge, among the feudal clans of the Western Kingdom, no one can compare with Wushi.Once something happened, Takeshi gave an order, and the grass and trees in Tosa would be moved by it, and the young vassals under his influence would definitely huddle together quickly.In Longma's eyes, Wushi is such a person.If the martial arts market fails miserably this time, won't the young people be disappointed? "Okay, I'll compete with Gui once." That's all Ryoma said. Winter is deepening.One frosty morning, Ryoma carried his clothes and walked down the steps of Chiba's house in the barrel town.Behind him, Zuo Nazi clicked the flint and said, "May you win the battle." Then she said softly to Longma in a rare way: "Xiaolong, you have to be careful of Gui's move of standing up and hitting the wrist guard. He is very agile, and he will give you a knife when he stands up." "I will be careful." Ryoma walked out of the martial arts hall slowly.After going out, Fujihei happened to come, and Ryoma asked him to carry the clothes for him. "It feels very good." Fujibei said happily, the master and slave hadn't walked together like this for a long time. "Where are you going?" "Kyobashi." "What to do?" Long Ma was bored, and said lightly: "The bank of the river." "Mr. Momoi's martial arts gym? So, there are martial arts competitions there?" "yes." "It really made me catch up. According to what I said before, this is to accompany you on the expedition." "Be quiet first." Ryoma walked while thinking about how to deal with Gui. When they arrived at the martial arts hall, they found that the people who had come to compete had crowded the wide field. "Where is your position, each domain has its own area." The head coach Tou Wushi came out to lead Ryoma. The reason why each domain has its own area is because this competition is not aimed at each genre.The host is just a martial arts gym of Jingxin Zhiliu, so it is not appropriate to let various schools confront each other.However, this martial arts competition is also not a martial arts competition among the vassals, but an individual martial arts competition representing the reputation of the vassal state. Ryoma entered the venue and took a seat belonging to the Tosa domain. Next to it is the Asano house in Yizhou.Beyond that is Kaga Maeda's house.Xiaofan's samurai and ronin sat together in a corner. Katsura Kogoro sat across from him.He was sitting among the vassals of this feudal clan. Although he was only a small soldier, he had a majestic posture, quite the demeanor of a general leading an army to the battlefield. Terrible, the man has such a demeanor.Ryoma thought to himself. The referees are sitting in the front. They are Haruno Momoi, Yakuro Saito, Eijiro Chiba, and Hohei Kaibo. In addition to the vassals who did not appear today, Soshou Tanishita and Master Tsusuke Matsudaira, it can be said that the famous kendo of the world It's all here. The contest begins.According to the regulations, the warriors who defeated three people in a row can rest temporarily, and then the winners will compete again until the end. The martial arts field is divided into east and west areas, and two groups of competitions are held at the same time. The first round is the primary selection, and after a few rounds, there are only 30 winners who beat the three. After the second and third rounds of selection, excluding the losers, injured and abstainers, there are only six winners . At noon, Katsura Kogoro and Ryoma were of course among the winners.The competition in the afternoon will be bloody and extremely intense.Counting carefully, we found that most of the young people were eliminated, and all the remaining ones were world-famous swordsmanship masters. Among them, only Kogoro and Ryoma were the young ones, and only Ryoma and Aizu vassals remained in the Beichen Yidao style. Sen wants to hide two people. Mori is in his prime, and he works as a trainer in Tamachi Chiba. After returning to the domain, he will serve as the swordsmanship master of the Iino domain, which is a branch domain of the Aizu Matsudaira family. At noon, meals will be provided by Momoi Wukan. Ryoma came to the verandah of the atrium, and when he was concentrating on eating, he heard someone cough deliberately behind him, and when he looked back, it was Mori who was hiding.Mori Yaozang looked a little embarrassed, and said: "You eat yours. Although we belong to different clans and martial arts schools, I am a fellow student of Master Chiba with you, and I want to talk to you. There is no need to be formal." Ryoma had to put it aside Sit down with chopsticks.The other party can be regarded as a senior of the same sect. Morino is a strong man, but his appearance is extremely soft and polite. He is completely different from the rough Tosa samurai, and has the typical demeanor of the Aizu clan. Among the more than 300 vassal states, Aizu and Satsuma are tied for the first place among the vassals who have the way of the ancient warriors and are known for their chivalry and loyalty.A few years later, when Aizu feudal lord Matsudaira Yoshiho led his troops to serve as the guard of Kyoto, all the samurai who had assassinated the Saba sect before that were terrified.会津和萨摩，分别站到了佐幕和勤王的两个阵营。这两个藩为了维新，最终进行了决战。只能说，史实有时候比小说更加好看。森要藏脸上浮现出亲切的微笑。 “我们将要比试一场。” 龙马有着土佐人天生的爽朗，他拍了拍脖子，道：“那肯定是晚辈输。” “哪里。我们虽是同一流派，我还是想尽最大努力与您比一番。请多关照。” “您过谦了。”龙马十分不安。 森把自己的饭食捧过来，在龙马旁边坐下同食。森要藏原本是千叶周作在世时的亲授弟子，与龙马这样的后生打个招呼，就已经是破例。 看来相当爽快。龙马不会想到此人后来会变成自己的敌人，这时感到非常高兴。 森要藏带着一个四五岁的男孩，男孩眉清目秀，看起来聪明伶俐。他端端正正地坐在森要藏背后，吃着竹叶包的饭团子，大概是他母亲给做的。 “这位是森师兄的公子吗？”龙马问道。 森要藏高兴地点了点头，道：“是的。我想让他看看这次江户剑客云集的大比武，就带他来了。这位是坂本叔叔，打个招呼。” 男孩慌忙包上饭，毕恭毕敬两手伏地，低下头施礼，颇有武家的样子。“寅雄见过叔叔。” 龙马点了点头，喜笑颜开道：“贤侄定会出人头地。” 十年之后，在官兵和会津军之间展开会津若松城之战时，在白河口一役，土佐藩士坂垣退助指挥的官兵对会津一支部队据守的雷神山发动了猛攻。论兵器兵力，会津军远逊官兵。雷神山的会津军大概已觉大限到来。留着关公须的老将突然打开日丸军扇，下令全军发起最后的反击。 最先冲下山来的是一位老将，紧随其后的乃是一位美少年。他们就是森要藏父子。父子二人冲杀到敌阵中，将手中血刀舞得如泣如歌。父亲有危险时，少年便会冲过去；少年遭难，父亲则挺身相救。看到二人相依相护的感人场景，坂垣退助甚至下令暂停射击。不久，少年牺牲，父亲的尸体也倒在少年的身上。战鼓齐鸣，官兵如怒涛般踏着敌人的尸体，占领了雷神山。 据说白虎队幸存队员山川健次郎男爵，明治时一直与人讲述这个故事，每每流泪哽咽，甚至号啕大哭。昭和九年五月在所谓的昭和天览比赛中胜出，人称盖世天才剑客的野间恒练士，即是森要藏的曾孙，此皆后话。由此看来，剑术似也代代相传。 下午的比赛开始。龙马走进武场，对手是森要藏。 站起来的同时，便跳了开去。二人都是中段执刀。随后步步进逼。 一瞬间，龙马剑闪，森的剑动。 竹刀在空中碰撞，二人再次跃开。 森比较老练，但是龙马的脚下功夫却显出他的敏锐。森要藏剑技精妙，而且一招一式无懈可击。龙马出招则豪快。二人一时难分伯仲。 坐在席上观武的武市半平太有些坐不住了。这样下去，龙马输定了。 龙马，你要以气取胜。用年轻的气势压倒对方，或许还有取胜的转机。武市在心中祈祷。 武市此时的心情，除了出于二人的友情，也是为了土佐藩的名誉着想。土佐藩士在之前的比试中一个接一个地被淘汰，现在只剩下龙马一人。武市也在为自己打算，因为若是龙马此时倒下，武市将不得不为了土佐穿上赛服，上场比试。 即便森不足为惧，但还有长州的桂小五郎。武市最惧桂。以前他曾经在比武中输给桂。桂的剑技变幻莫测，原本以为是朝头部砍来，躲闪时他的剑便已经指到护胸，再往后退，则被他击中护腕。 之前在土佐藩府的比武，土佐守丰信曾经再三感慨桂剑法敏捷。 我不适合和桂比试。武市心里暗想。要是龙马，或许还有取胜之法。龙马剑法肆无忌惮，没有什么固定的招式，让人难以捉摸。在此之前，龙马必须打败森。可是，龙马却没有平常的劲头。他一直处于被动，而且，多是在后退的时候击中对方。此时击中对方，力道浅，裁判不会宣判。 这时龙马暗叫不好。方才共食时看到的那孩子稚嫩的脸庞在龙马脑中挥之不去。这个孩子也在看着这场比武。若是让他看到自己的父亲被小一旬的年轻剑客打败，他会作何想呢？想到这里，龙马的剑便变得迟钝起来。 不该见那个孩子。龙马心中正这样想，森那三尺八寸竹刀就飞了来，啪地击中他的头部。 “一局结束。”裁判举起手。 龙马深为自责，心中不能有杂念，必须全身心地投入到比武中。想毕，剑嗖嗖举过头顶，向前进了一步。 第二轮森的头盔被击得粉碎。 最后一局定胜负。 森突然朝龙马的头盔砍来，龙马并不接招，而是退闪，森扑了个空。就在此时，龙马反手一刀击中了他。但他也不知道自己击中了对方哪个部位。 “击中面部，比试结束。”裁判举起手来宣布。 龙马施了一礼，回到席上，这才发现自己已经气喘吁吁。他很少如此。和森的这场比试，看来十分劳心劳力。 他抬头一看，见森要藏正朝会津的首席走去。虽是败将，步子却稳重沉静，让人感觉还颇有余力。的确，论巧拙，他输给了龙马；论经验，龙马仍比不上他。不仅是剑术比武，上场前后的表现也能看出一个人的能耐。龙马依旧喘着粗气。要是可能，他真想躺下呼呼大睡，但现在这种情况下却不行。 武市半平太走了过来。“龙马，”他凑过来道，“下一场要开始了。” “什么？” “还装糊涂，当然是和桂比武。” 果真如此，此时全场一片肃静。桂和其他人的比试已经结束。 “谁胜出了？” “当然是桂。” “他在哪里？” “方才还在长州的选手席上歇息，如今像是出去了。威风瘭凛啊，看来他是想要拔头筹了。” “武市兄，请你见谅，方才我和森先生比试时太大意，可能受伤了，我不和桂比了。” 武市没有说话，目不转睛地看着龙马，神情似乎在说：不得太任性。 龙马无奈抱住头，道：“我比。”他就怕武市那副严肃的神情。 “真去比？” “与其看你那张脸，还不如去比。” “胡说八道！”武市走了。 关于坂本龙马和桂小五郎的这次比武，有很多留下来的记录： 比武马上就要开始。 一站起身来，双方便中规中矩地闪开六尺，对峙。 桂中段执刀，龙马单手将刀举过头顶。在席上观武的武市看到龙马这个招式，吃了一惊：这是龙马首次釆取这种招式。 他心中感叹，这才像龙马！但莫非他一开始就觉得自己会输，才釆取这种招式？武市不禁疑惑，大感不安。 龙马右手高举，左手放在腰间。 他这么做其实自有道理。 桂剑如其人，处处讲规矩。他剑术高明，能够灵活运用剑法，但始终不会违反法则。 龙马跟个傻瓜似的敞开护腕，果不出所料，桂顿时不知所措。 What does it mean?桂心头掠过一丝疑虑。他猜不出龙马的用意，只好站住不动。 上段招式是当下被称为江户三老剑客之一的桃井春藏所长，气沉丹田，招招逼人。但是那是双手握刀，而不是单手举刀。擅长单手上段的，在江户只有一人，便是人称千叶小天狗的千叶荣次郎，但是他不是使用普通的竹刀，而是长四尺的竹刀。龙马的单手上段，从来没人见过也没人听说过。 龙马做好了挨剑的准备，他往前进了一步，然后是两步、三步…… 桂一步一步地往后退。 龙马接着追，他的护腕越发敞开。在桂眼中，那是一个巨大的破绽。但是，他犹豫了。 出手吗？ 就在此电光火石之间，将桂逼到武馆一角的龙马，轻轻跃起，就像袭击一只已经到手的猎物一样，一击即中桂的头部。 桂轻易输掉了第一局。这是以前从未经历过的。他茫然地站了一会儿，突然意识到，不是敞怀那么简单。他太讲道理法则，反而作茧自缚。 龙马着实不好对付。桂重新拿起刀，马上发起攻击。 龙马接招。 桂发起更加猛烈的攻击，不给龙马一丝喘息的机会。 他最擅长的就是连续击打头部、护胸、护腕，不给对方喘息。就是这种技法，让土佐的藩公惊叹不已。龙马招架不住，左闪右避，反击则每次都只轻轻击中对方，无法定胜负。 同样，桂也只能轻击到龙马。 双方很可能会战二十个回合。如果是真刀实战，身上怕都已满布伤痕了。 最后，龙马后退时，桂猛地一击击中龙马的护胸。第二局桂胜出。 最后一局定胜负。 桂小五郎突然大喊一声迈出脚步，他有了自信。 第一局的失败是个失误，当时，他被龙马的夸张姿势迷惑，错估对手的实力，大意了。第二局之后他稍微恢复了元气，虽费了很大力气，但总算击中了龙马的护胸。 龙马不足为惧。剑术便是如此。若了解了对方，自己便会变得冷静自如。更何况是以伶俐敏捷著称的桂。 桂的刀如闪电般扬起。 场景很奇怪。虽然桂在龙马周围敏捷地游移，龙马却只是将剑护握胸前，立住不动。他打定主意不动。他认为若是跟着桂一起移动，后动必为先动所制。不管桂怎么挑衅，他都不像上一局，几乎不接招。他总是在桂的呐喊声后，用力挑起对方的剑尖，袭击对方的护腕，或者轻轻地抵挡一下，刺向对方的内护腕。 龙马怎的如此消极？不仅武市这么疑惑。席上所有人都疑虑重重。 龙马虽然不动，但是桂的激烈攻势已经让他开始感到心急。所有人都为桂叫好。然而谁也不知道，这是龙马绞尽脑汁想出来的对付之法。桂不知道。裁判们也不知道。 最终，当龙马被逼到比武场的边缘，他突然抡起长刀，举过头顶，将招式变为上段。这是一个突如其来的变化。 正要出招的桂吃了一惊，马上又回过神来。还是上次那样故弄玄虚。但是，正因为龙马的变化看似毫不经意，桂才没有发现隐含在他这一招中的机密。那就是他举起的右肘。他的肘比平时伸得直，这让桂产生了错觉。 嘿嘿，你错了。龙马暗笑。这时他见桂砍了过来，于是猛地将右肘往前一伸。桂再次一颤，弄不清意图。 既已出招，无法收回，桂这一瞬间的犹豫给了龙马可乘之机。 就在这一瞬间，龙马猛力撞去。 “啊！”桂被龙马推了出去，头盔被龙马从脖子处挑起，几乎脱落下去。这一招可谓闻所未闻。 武市十分兴奋，事后把当时的情形画了下来，寄给了家乡的父亲，信中言：“若坂本败，则由儿上阵。得以不为天下人耻笑，无上之幸也。儿喜悦之余，绘拙画一幅，请父亲赏玩，以博一笑。”