Chapter 14 14. A strong man dies

Sakamoto Ryoma loves to travel all his life.This time when he returned to the feudal clan, traveling has become a hobby of his life.Especially this time, it can be said to be a strange trip: he has no money. Of course it wasn't because he didn't have money. Kwon Ping from his hometown loved his younger brother and would always send a lot of money to Edo, fearing that Ryoma would spend too much in Edo and it wouldn't be enough.But when Ryoma set off, he left all the money to Chiba Martial Arts. Hearing that Ryoma wants to give all his money to the martial arts school, Shigetaro feels embarrassed.He initially rejected Ryoma's offer. "Edo is far away from your hometown, and you don't have a penny. Are you crazy? Besides, the martial arts school is not short of money right now."

"When I go back to my hometown, I will have money." "Of course. But Xiaolong, this place is more than a thousand miles away from Tosa, do you want to beg along the way?" Chiba Shigetaro frightened him like this.But Ryoma seems to like the idea of ​​begging along the road very much. "Yes." He clapped his hands and said, "Yes, I will go back like that. The swordsmen in the past were all wandering while practicing martial arts. I grew up and always thought that money came from the pockets of my father and elder brother. It's dripping out of my mouth. It's really stupid. I want to earn a penny or two for myself and learn more."

He insisted on leaving the money and left Edo.Then, you must sleep in the wild on the way.However, he is the master of Beichen Yidao Style, if he visits the martial arts halls in various cities on the way, they will not neglect them.If he competes with people from other schools, or gives advice to the disciples of the martial arts school, they will give him some red envelopes.This is Ryoma's own plan.Anyway, he shouldn't starve to death.He set foot on the Tokaido without any worries. It was already late when we crossed Nihonbashi, and it was already dark when we arrived in Shinagawa.Ah, I didn't expect to be sleeping on the streets of Shinagawa so soon.Longma sighed secretly.

People come and go on the road.It is very close to Edo, and it is the leading lodging place in Tokaido.There's no way he's sleeping on the streets here.There was Tosa's vassal residence in Same Island nearby, but he didn't want to live there.If it doesn't work, just drive all night. Not far from the gathering place of the hotel, footsteps came from behind him.When I looked back, I saw that it was Fujibei who was in bed. "Oh it's you." "Young master is too much. You have accepted me as your subordinate. I have never heard of a master who goes out alone without greeting his subordinates."

"But you, master, are penniless." Ryoma seemed to like his current state very much, and walked with his shoulders shaking. "I didn't expect you to walk at night." Fujibei followed behind with small steps. He is also a strange person, he did not know where he heard the news that Ryoma had already set off, so he straightened his luggage and put on a cotton cloak, looking quite dignified. The moon on Thirteen Nights illuminates the road, and the sea is on the left.Ryoma misses the smell of the tide very much. "What are your plans?" "I'm about to ask you this. Are you going to follow me to Tosa?"

"I'm your subordinate." Fujibei walked quietly.This is a habit he has developed as a thief for many years, and he can't change it. After Suzumori, Furuto, Omori, Kamata and Hachiman, the moon has already set.It was dark all around and unable to walk, so Ryoma said to Fujibei: "Go ahead and lead the way." "Yes." Fujibei walked to the front with small steps.For Ryoma, Fujibei is his lantern, and this person is familiar with night roads. "My lord, do the fifty-three post stations have to travel at night?" "Leave during the day too."

"Then, are you planning to stay on your way without going to sleep?" "Neither eat nor eat." "Worse than us thieves." "Of course better than you. Are we the same?" "Lantern" Fujibei ran in front with small steps.This is the only way to match the pace of the big Ryoma.Panting for breath, he said, "My lord, you are really tormenting people." "If you feel uncomfortable, you can go back to Edo." "No return." "You are always proud of being a thief. In our hometown, there are even more powerful ones. Some people swam from Edo overnight along the Tōkaidō for more than a thousand miles, crossed the Oi River halfway, and arrived in Osaka in eight days."

"It's impossible to travel more than a hundred miles a day!" "How is it impossible?" "A thief too?" "It's a samurai. It's called Yataro Iwasaki. It's interesting for such a strange talent to show his skills in the changing times." "You're a geek too." "nonsense." When we arrived at the ferry in Liuxiang, it was dawn.The captain was about to row his oars to set off, and the two jumped on together. "Fujibei, do you have any money?" Ryoma asked. Thirteen coins per person on the ferry.Longma didn't even have such a little money.

"There are a lot of things. If the little one doesn't keep up, how are you going to cross this big river?" "Swim across." There is a samurai next to him, probably in his forties.He has a bun on his head, and his attire and double knives are full of style, but he has no entourage. Is it a ronin?Looking at the mist on the water surface, Ryoma thought to himself.But that person's complexion was fair and his eyes were clear, he didn't seem to be a ronin who was busy all day for his livelihood.Ryoma was very curious.The samurai seemed to be afraid of something. Sometimes he clasped his hands, sometimes stroked his chin, and sometimes knocked on the board of the ship.

"Young master." Sleeper Fujihei whispered, "Have you noticed?" "what?" "That samurai has a lot of money on him." "Bastard!" Ryoma scolded, "No matter how penniless I am, I won't covet other people's pockets." Fujibei was silent for a while, then raised his head timidly, and said, "I'm just talking, you just listen." "Shut up!" "But son, according to my experience, someone on this boat must have been eyeing the money on that warrior." "Who?" "There..." Fujibei glanced at the stern of the boat, then turned his head and lowered his eyebrows to look at the water, and said, "The one wearing the hat."

Looking back, Longma saw that there were indeed two wandering monks in that compartment. "how do you know?" "Based on small years of experience." The samurai in charge seemed to have noticed that sometimes he would look back at the two monks with a nervous expression. When the boat reached the shore, the two monks jumped off.Long Ma could tell that the two had practiced kung fu and were very good at it. "It's a samurai." "That's right. That kind of walking posture is a person with a knife in his waist. The samurai is also engaged in stealing. The world is in chaos." "There may be some reason." Longma got to the shore and got off the boat.They were about to take a step forward when the samurai came over and said, "You two are bothered." He said in a Kyoto accent. "What is it?" "I see that you are a gentleman, so I would like to ask you. Can you let me go with you on the way to Kyoto?" "Please." Ryoma said without hesitation.The other party seemed to have inside information, although he was respectful, he did not reveal his background.After passing the Kanagawa post house, when Ryoma saw the fort being built by the shogunate, he thought to himself: the current situation! The bronze forts are like the backs of mackerel fish, facing the sea in the autumn sun. He was hungry and sleepy.Especially the roads around the post house have many slopes, and it is very tiring to walk.Fujibei couldn't stand it anymore, and said: "Young master, I have some money on me, let's go to the teahouse over there and have something to eat." "It doesn't matter." Longma thinks this is also a kind of cultivation. It was noon when we arrived at Chenggu.After walking for a while, you will arrive at a ramp called Shaobing Zan, and there are many tea shops selling cakes on both sides. The Bushido with the Kyoto accent said, "How about we have lunch around here?" "Okay." Ryoma didn't have much energy. "My money is enough." The man seemed to know that Ryoma was penniless. Seeing Longma and others entering the tea shop, the two monks walking in front suddenly stopped and walked into the opposite tea shop.Obviously for surveillance. The pie was served.Long Ma ate a plate in one go, the warrior seemed to feel sorry for him, and said, "Let's have another plate." "I'm sorry." "You are Welcome." Long Ma began to feel sorry for himself: Wouldn't I become a person who acts as a bodyguard for others for a piece of cake?Money is indeed a good thing.If you are not careful, you may risk your life for three Wenqian cakes. While eating the pancake, Ryoma looked at this Kyoto samurai of unknown origin.He wore a black silk cloak printed with a single eagle feather pattern, a black patterned suit with a white collar exposed inside, a leather hakama, and a luxurious-looking long knife and short knife. The samurai asked politely, "From your accent, you sound like a Tosa, don't you?" "Yes. I am Ryoma Sakamoto, Tosa Goshi." "Oh?" The samurai's face suddenly turned from cloudy to sunny, "That's great. On the ferry, I thought you might be from the Tosa clan, so I asked you. This is really great. My master and your clan are very close." Be good." However, he still didn't say who the master's family was or his own surname. Maybe he has something to do with it, Ryoma thought, eating the last pie. When entering the post house in Fujisawa, the lights under the corridor of the inn were already lit.Under the strong persuasion of the samurai, Ryoma and Fujibei lived with him.The room was separated by a screen, and a jug of wine was served for dinner. "Thank you." Fujibei took a sip of his wine. "I speak harshly, but a samurai," he said to the Kyoto samurai with a smile, "it's really a pain to have a whimsical master. Our master wants to go home along the Tungkaido without eating, drinking, or sleeping." "Bastard, shut up!" Long Ma stared, "I want to pass by the martial arts halls under the city or posthouses on the way, and compete with other schools to earn some money." "But I didn't expect that I didn't meet a martial arts school like this along the way." "Interesting." The warrior clapped his hands and laughed.He walked with Ryoma for a day, carefully observed Ryoma's behavior, and seemed to feel that Ryoma was a trustworthy person.He said something that surprised Ryoma: "However, I heard that the Sakamoto family of Tosa Kochi is as wealthy as Saitani's family. How could the young master of their family have no money?" "How do you know about my family?" "This..." The Kyoto samurai glanced at the lattice door. Ryoma understood what he meant, gave Fujibei a wink, and told him to look out in the corridor. "You might as well tell the truth." "Please." "I'm Mizuhara Harimasuke, a retainer of Internal Minister Mimanki Sanjo." Gongqing's retainers are called Gongqing warriors.In terms of official positions, these people are equivalent to the daimyo or daqiben of the samurai family, but they have no actual salary, and their dress is not so particular.However, Ryoma was surprised when he heard about the Sanjo family.They were related by marriage to the Yamauchi family, the head of the Tosa family.Toyonobu's wife, Zhenghime, is the adopted daughter of Miman, the Minister of Sanjo (it is said that she is actually the daughter of the lower-level minister, Karasuma Mitsumasa).It is not common to marry a daimyo as the daughter of a public minister. "So, after knowing that you are a Tosa feudal vassal, I feel relieved." "You are in the capital, how do you know the situation of my family in Tosa?" "It's not just about your family. When I think about it, I also know a lot about you. There is a woman who always mentions you." Long Ma couldn't help but change his face, and said: "Miss Tian He..." "Yes, it's Tian He." She said she was going to Kyoto, so she went to Santiao's house to work as a maid? Thanks to Harimasuke Mizuhara, Ryoma and Fujibei were able to eat three meals a day without sleeping on the streets.They stayed one night in Odawara.After crossing Hakone for more than sixty miles, we stayed in Mishima for one night.Then, we stayed at roadside inns in Yoshiwara, Okitsu and Okabe where we could see Mt. Fuji, and soon arrived at Kakegawa, a castle town where Ota Settsu guards 53,000 koku.The surrounding hills are winding and surrounded by red pine trees.Dusk hung over the little valley.This post house made those who came from Edo feel worried about leaving their hometown.There are more than a thousand merchants here.The town covers an area of ​​twenty. Arriving at the place where there are many post houses, Mizuhara Harimasuke still said politely: "Mr. Sakamoto, let's live here tonight." "Thank you." Ryoma's words came from the bottom of his heart.Not only himself, but also a Fujihei, causing trouble for others. They stayed at the most famous Nianjinwu Inn in the city.After washing the body and coming out, there was a melodious sacrificial song from the Yuanzhou Road Temple Fair outside, probably because a nearby village was holding an autumn harvest festival. "Is it Xiaogong? It's really nostalgic." Ryoma remembered the autumn harvest festival in his hometown, and the hand raising the glass suddenly stopped, and said, "Mr. Harima, let's take a look?" "Okay." Harima was not very interested. He has been very cautious.Even if I entered the inn, I was afraid of living alone.Xie even had to follow Ryoma, and when Ryoma went to the toilet, he had to follow. Fujihei leaned into Ryoma's ear and said, "Sure enough, my lord. Mr. Harimasuke has a lot of money on him, so he is so careful." Ryoma doesn't think so. He thinks that Harimasuke has no money, but a letter, which is a secret letter. The elder Jingyi categorically ordered the arrest of the people with lofty ideals against barbarians, which has already affected the safety of ronin, samurai, scholars, vassals and ministers' retainers, as well as the ministers and daimyo themselves.In particular, Harimasuke's master, Mijo Sanjo, is a scholar who is known as "the god of the world".He is the number one anti-barbarian in Kyoto centered on the emperor, and he is also the most powerful person.Under such circumstances, Harimasuke will not go to Edo without incident.Perhaps it was a secret envoy sent by the Minister of Sanjo to the Mito Tokugawa family.Therefore, in order to conceal his identity on the way, he did not live in the public post house, nor did he bring any entourage. The cautious Harimasuke finally stood up at Ryoma's invitation, probably because the two monks who had been following them for the past two days disappeared, which relieved him a lot. "Let's go out and relax." When the three of them walked into the crowd, it was already dark.Ryoma walked close to Harimasuke on the left.He was tall, and the short Harimasuke seemed to be tucked up his sleeve. "We don't know where the priest is." The sound came from the direction the wind was blowing from, not in this area.It would be dangerous to ask for directions at night, so they followed the sound and walked all the way, and soon there were no one around. "Sakamoto, let's not go." "En." Longma didn't stop.As if something was going to happen, he was also pondering in his mind. In fact, the two monks disappeared in the area of ​​Yanfu.But when he entered Kakegawa's inn just now, he saw two samurai with Hikone bun style under the eaves in front of him, staring closely at the passing crowd.He intuited that they were two monks in disguise, like Hikone's samurai and Ii's retainer.They must have followed Harimasuke from Edo with the secret order of their master Naosuke, either to snatch the things in Harimasuke's arms, or to kill him secretly. Will definitely follow.Ryoma is sure.It's better to let things come earlier.I'm a little sorry for Harimasuke, but the reason why he was asked to go to see the sacrifice is because of this amazing courage. "Fujibei," Ryoma whispered, "pick up two or three small stones." "Understood." Fujibei groped the road with both hands, and quickly found a few stones of similar size, and put them in his arms.As expected of a thief, he quickly understood Ryoma's intentions. "Sakamoto, we..." Harimasuke's voice began to tremble. "We'll be there soon. You see the place with many lights in the forest. If you don't want to go, I'll go by myself. Please go back." "No no." He clung to Ryoma's side. "Fujibei," Ryoma whispered, "blew out the lantern." "yes." It was dark all around.They were far away from the main road, flanked by rows of cedar trees.The road is very narrow, and it is the kind of path in front of the shrine for people who come to worship.The place was known later, and it was on the path of worshiping the Shimomatato God. The sky is full of stars.There are many tree roots on the road.Harimasuke got tripped two or three times.Every time Ryoma supported him and said to him, "Just close your eyes." Harimasuke was not a real samurai, and if he had his eyes open, he would be frightened by shadows or take wrong steps when walking. At this time, a torch was moved from the front of the path, illuminating the underside of the cedar tree. "That is……" "It's the person who sacrificed in the village." Exactly.Led by the elders in the village, the villagers greeted Long Ma and the others one after another, "Good evening." At this time, an old man stopped suddenly and asked: "Are the three of you going with the Wu family master just now?" Long Ma thought to himself, and as expected, he replied: "No, not together." After the people walked away, he immediately grabbed Fujibei's sleeve and whispered in his ear: "I'm short-sighted, especially at night, I can't see clearly at all." "What are you going to do, son?" "Your eyes are good. If you see a suspicious figure, throw the stone over immediately. Don't make a sound. Let me come. If you make a sound, people like you will definitely be killed. Also, if I say 'Escape', leave me alone and take Harimasuke back to the inn." "Understood." The forest on the other side of the road became silent, and the chant of the sacrifice seemed to have stopped.Moreover, the lights in the forest where they were going to go had already started to go out one by one, and the god master seemed to be about to fall asleep. "It's so quiet. In the dark world of the East China Sea, watching the lights go out one by one, I feel so poetic." Harimasuke's leisurely mind shows that he has already put his mind at ease, and nothing will happen It's over. "Sakamoto, what god is enshrined in this shrine?" "Just now I heard from an old man in the country that it is a Shimomatato god." "In this case, there should be the ruins of the ancient city of the Warring States Period, Jinmaru Castle. The ancient city is dry and the night is rainy..." "But it didn't rain." "That's what it says in the poem." At this time, Fujibei bent down and quickly threw the stone in his hand with his right hand.The stone struck the trunk of the fir tree on the left.At the same time as the stone flew out, Ryoma attacked. "Irreverent!" He drew his knife and slashed diagonally to the left, then returned to the road.Although it was cut with the back of a knife, the other party seemed to have been chopped off, and fell to the ground, struggling in pain. There is more than one assassin.A person hiding behind the cedar tree on the right jumped out brandishing a white blade. "Fujibei, stone! I can't see at night." Ryoma suppressed a smile, and ran to the man.He looked at the long knife cut down by the opponent, and instead of avoiding it, he turned around suddenly and blocked the opponent's long knife with his own knife. Ding!Sparks flew.Ryoma pushed the opponent's long sword aside, then looked at the opponent's timid space, raised the long sword above his head, and slashed at the opponent's shoulder. The opponent blocked Ryoma's sword with his gauntlet and stepped back. "Who are you?" Ryoma shouted loudly: "I am Sakamoto Ryoma of the Tosa clan. You came to assassinate me knowing that I am a Tosa clan? Aren't you afraid of hurting the master's family?" The opponent quickly retreated behind the cedar tree. Ryoma stood still in the darkness, mighty like a door god. "The one with me is my cousin, the Tosa feudal lord Yamamoto Shunzo, and this one is my subordinate Fujihei. I would like to ask your lord's name." Of course, the other party would never say that he was someone from the Hikone Ii family.Ryoma thought that if he frightened them like this, the road behind Harimasuke would be safe, so he put away the knife, but he didn't know that his thinking was too naive. When he looked back, Fujibei was gone, and so was Harimasuke. Ha, this guy Fujibei has already escaped with Harimasuke.Thinking this way, he walked down the gentle slope of the path of worship. His eyes are barely visible at night.He looked up at the branches of the fir tree, followed the starlight on the top of the treetops, carefully watched his feet, and walked forward step by step.However, he couldn't see the brightest star clearly. At this time, footsteps came from behind, getting closer.Fujibei?Long Maxuan knew it was wrong, so he drew out his long knife.In such a posture, he walked down step by step. The other party followed his breath and followed his steps. When will it come over?At this time, both parties must carefully figure out, otherwise they will accidentally lose their lives.Ryoma can only judge from the sound of the opponent's footsteps. However, the other party stopped suddenly and said cautiously: "Are you Sakamoto?" Ryoma also stopped. "What's the matter?" He didn't turn around, stretched out his left foot, stood still with his right foot, and the blade had already been unsheathed.If the opponent wants to draw a knife to provoke, this posture can seize the opportunity. "We've also heard of your name. Is it Ryoma Sakamoto, head coach of Chiba, Kyobashi-Orucho? However, please forgive us for not revealing your name." "So what?" "I want to advise you a few words." "advice?" "Although you are just a swordsman, you probably don't know that something shocking is happening right now." A swordsman?Although the other party was not disrespectful, Ryoma felt humiliated. "What's up?" "Great prison." Long Ma was somewhat dissatisfied, and said, "So what?" "The person who was with you all the way in Kawasaki is an accomplice of the traitor who is the enemy of the general. He is the retainer of Miwanqing, the minister of the traitor Sanjo, and his name is Mizuhara Harimasuke. This person talked with some lawless wanderers and Confucianists in the capital. The way of government, manipulating the master's ministers, deceiving the emperor, and adopting various tricks to block the government of the shogunate. The shogunate has learned of his crimes and will be convicted soon. We know that you protect him out of a chivalrous heart. But please don't interfere in this matter in the future. This is for your own sake, and it is also for your master's sake." "I see." Ryoma still maintained the posture just now, "I see. If Harimasuke is really a criminal wanted by the shogunate, why didn't the officials of the shogunate arrest him? Or are you all officials of the shogunate?" They are the people under the elder Jing Yi, so naturally they can't answer. "Also, this Anonymous..." Ryoma can sometimes be eloquent, "This is the Shikinaisha area stipulated in the Yanxi ceremony, and it is a holy place that samurai are not allowed to enter. How did you think of murdering sinners here? Now is the time When criticism of the shogunate is on the rise, if this matter gets out, it will also affect the reputation of your master Iisa Boto-sama." "You kid is talking nonsense!" "Although I am a swordsman, I still understand these principles." "I'll ask again, will you let go?" "Out of chivalry." Ryoma laughed.Even he himself didn't know why he was laughing at such a time. The other party stopped talking and slashed at him with a knife. Ryoma ran four or five steps, then jumped up and cut off a big pine branch.When the branch fell on top of the pursuing man, Ryoma had already disappeared. After that, Ryoma avoided walking at night, and set off from the inn when the sun rose, and entered the inn before the sun went down, being very careful. Harimasuke was very grateful to see Ryoma protecting himself so hard, and said several times: "Sakamoto, your kindness is unforgettable." "Please don't be so polite." Ryoma replied happily.He is twenty-four years old, but his smile is still very innocent. Kuwana is a castle town where Matsudaira Etchu guards 110,000 stones. Stay at Jingwu Xiaobingweifang at night.When they rested in a ten-fold room facing the atrium on the first floor, the owner of the inn, Xiaobei, came to the lattice door under the corridor. "The young one is the boss here, Kobei." Xiaobei said, "The young one has something to tell Mr. Sakamoto Ryoma of the Tosa domain. Just now, Mr. Kata Denbei, a retainer of the Kuwana family, came to the shop and said he wanted to see you." "Mr. Shikata?" Ryoma was about to stand up.Harimasuke grabbed him hastily and said, "There may be fraud. Maybe those people want to break in. Please refuse." "Lu Tianren, the swordsmanship instructor of the Sang Ming Fan, is a disciple of my master Chiba Sadayoshi. I haven't met him yet, but I know he is my senior brother." "Please decline." Harimasuke had already started to tremble. "If that's the case, it would be unreasonable." "No, Sakamoto, please. You can't casually meet people you don't know during the trip." Ryoma thought for a while, found a suitable reason, and told the boss that he decided not to see him.He told Fujibei to find out what this man named Shikata looked like. "Sorry for embarrassing you." Harimasuke heaved a sigh of relief. At this moment, he probably felt that he could tell Ryoma all the big things. Sure enough, as Ryoma expected, Harimasuke was the secret envoy to the Mido Domain in Edo.The imperial court did not trust the shogunate, but more trusted the Mito family in the three imperial families.On the eighth day of last month, a secret decree was issued, which contained the content of rejecting the elder Jing Yi, and this secret decree incident became the lead of the Anzheng Prison.Jing Yi's tough attitude made Kyoto feel scared, and Mito's family also began to tremble. Under such circumstances, today's emperor ordered the ministers in Sanjo: go and find out the true meaning of Mito.The Minister of Internal Affairs sent his retainer Harimasuke Mizuhara as a secret envoy to Edo. "Oh." Ryoma said seriously, "I've noticed it, but I didn't expect you to have such an important mission." But in his heart, he still felt sorry for his senior brother Lu Tianbei.In other words, he now regrets going with this public servant and warrior, and feels that this person is a burden. "Sakamoto, I have caused you trouble." Harimasuke Mizuhara said, "This is all for the sake of the king. Your Tosa's ambition to respect the king is also very strong, right?" Respect the king.At this time, there is no word that can touch people's hearts more than this word.This word has a special meaning for young people nowadays. When they hear this word, or say it, they will bring tears to their eyes and blood boil.People who are desperate to honor the king have already begun to act in each feudal domain.As people say, "Takeichi respects the emperor", in the Tosa domain, Takeshi is gradually becoming the center of honoring the king, and in the outskirts of Hagi Castle in the Choshu domain, Yoshida Shoin is cultivating these "fire seeds" in the Matsushita village school.There is also Satsuma, and the Satsuma domain Jingzhong group headed by Saigo Takamori is. These raging youths have one thing in common, that is, they are full of passion.As long as they hear the word Zunwang, they will feel a poetic passion in their hearts, and the passion will form verses, and they will have an urge to burn their lives in the world of these verses.Had these people not had such passion, perhaps there would have been no Restoration.However, Ryoma is not a kindling, or in other words, he may be a huge kindling, but like a coal ball, it is not easy to be ignited.At least when he met Harimasuke on his way home in the autumn of Ansei five years, he was still a huge briquette. "I think that the reason why you protect me is because of your loyalty to serve the country. Return to Kyoto," Harimasuke continued, "I will tell the master about your righteous deed." "Thank you." At this time, Fujibei returned. Long Ma couldn't wait any longer, and asked, "Is it really Lu Tian?" "I followed him around his house and asked the person on duty at the intersection. It was him, that's right." "Oh." Compared with swordsmanship and royal affairs, Ryoma still thinks swordsmanship is more interesting.For him, Kanata Denbei is more attractive than Harimasuke. "Excuse me first. Fujihei, you must protect Harimasuke-san." Ryoma said, and stayed at Rinji Kakibi, an inn in Ise Kuwana, where there were many tourists.Ryoma walked towards the gate. "My lord, come and stay here." The women at the inns on both sides of the road greeted Ryoma, causing headaches. The women in the tea shop are also very noisy.While grilling clams on the side of the road, they shouted to the passing crowd: "Take a five-spice clam and bring it to the place where I have a tryst with an Ise woman."But when you get to the place where the Wu family lives, you can't hear these anymore. The castle is beautiful.The setting sun shone on the city wall, and the white walls were dyed pink.Half of Kuwana Castle is immersed in the mouth of the Ibi River. When the tide is high, the smell of the tide fills the entire castle.Since the Warring States period, there have been many secret stories about the rise and fall here. Now, this place is the castle of the Matsudaira family of 110,000 stone.Among the Tokugawa vassals, this place, like the Aizu Matsudaira family, is famous for its martial arts.On the eve of the Restoration, Kuwana and Aizu were ordered to guard Kyoto. As the Saba faction, they fought against the official army with Satsuma, Changzhou and Tosa as the main force until the end.So leave a name in history.This is all for later. Longma soon found Lutian Chuanbingwei's house.He stood in front of the door and looked, and couldn't help but marvel: What a magnificent mansion!The front of the longhouse has been transformed into a martial arts field, and there is the sound of bamboo knives clashing.Ryoma was very happy to hear this voice.He took out the name card from his pocket and asked his servants to take him in.The servants took him directly to the martial arts field. Lu Tian waited in the martial arts field.He was about forty, with a heavy build.When Ryoma entered, he immediately felt very friendly, almost wanting to rush over and hug him. They are meeting for the first time.But they came from the same school. For Ryoma, Shikata is a senior.Lu Tian also served as the head coach in Chiba, so he is very close to this big brother. "Oh, you are Sakamoto-kun. You are so powerful. You are so tall, you should be able to use a four-foot long sword like Master Eijiro, right?" "No, with a normal-sized knife." The conversation between them began with swordsmanship.Ryoma apologized for his rudeness just now, and then asked him why he knew he had come to Kuwana.Shikata Denbei smiled and handed a letter to Ryoma. "It was an urgent letter sent by Chiba Shigetaro. He asked me to rescue you, saying that you were going to beg along the Tōkaidō to go home. I thought I should help you, so I asked the official in charge of the ship to help me. I was looking for someone like you to pass by. I finally found it. Let’s not talk about this..." Lutian Chubingwei took out a bamboo knife and handed it to Ryoma, "Taking advantage of the sunset, let my disciples see it Experience Edo's swordsmanship." "But the training ground is already very dark." Long Ma was afraid of the dark.If he fights against a swordsman with good eyesight, even his movements will be clumsier than usual. "If it's too dark, your disciples won't be able to see clearly." "No, I have a solution. We have a good thing in the martial arts hall." Shikata Denbei repeatedly begged, Ryoma had no choice but to stand up.Ryoma followed a doorman into the room, took off his clothes and put on armor, picked up the bamboo knife and returned to the martial arts arena, the appearance of the arena had completely changed, he couldn't help but be surprised.There are dozens of candle trays in the middle of the martial arts field, arranged in a circle, and there are about twenty stacks.Not only that, but there were also four doormen holding flaming torches in their hands.Several people holding torches, like the men in black in the play, move back and forth, left and right, to provide lighting for the two contestants.It's simply a lantern festival. "Okay. Are you going to fight in the circle of those candles?" "Not bad." Lu Tianbei was very satisfied.He sometimes arranges it like this to let his disciples get acquainted with the evening martial arts competition. What surprised Ryoma even more was that the disciples standing around the martial arts hall all sat down holding candle pans.The surrounding shell is like day. "Sakamoto-kun." Shikata beckoned, and called the swordsmanship instructor Suesomori Haruyoshi, Yoshida Genji, and Kosho Daigoro to introduce them respectively. "This is Sakamoto-kun, let him teach you well." "No, I should be studying more. Please take care of me." This is Ryoma's sincere words.Longma has never competed in this kind of venue. "Guzhuang Daigoro comes first." "yes." Gu Zhuang put on his helmet and walked to the middle of the martial arts field. The middle section of the dragon horse holds the knife.Guzhuang also holds the sword in the middle. Not good!Longma was very helpless.Because whenever the torch is moved, the shadow of the Guzhuang bamboo knife will move.He couldn't tell which was the real bamboo knife and which was the shadow. Guzhuang is used to this situation.He immediately moved towards Longma's head and chopped it off.Ryoma took a step back, and chopped off the opponent's armguard with lightning speed. "Hit the armguard." Lu Tianbei raised his hand. Great disparity in strength.In Guzhuang's view, Ryoma is like a giant walking on flames.Even if he wanted to cut him, the bamboo knife would shrink back and couldn't hit him.When he risked his life and rushed forward, the dragon horse picked off his chest protector, and he flew straight for nearly two feet. In the third round, he hit Guzhuang's helmet, and Guzhuang lost. Afterwards, Suesori and Yoshida at the directory level competed with Ryoma respectively. They didn't even touch Ryoma's bamboo sword, and they were easily defeated by Ryoma in all three rounds. awesome!Sighs came from every corner of the training ground.This clearly shows the gap in strength between the first-class swordsmen in Edo and the country swordsmen. The doorman took the dragon horse to take a bath and took him to the guest room.Food and drink are already prepared there. Shikata asked Ryoma to sit on the top seat, then took out a silver wine vessel, and introduced Ryoma's daughter who came to serve them drinking. "Little girl Qianshi, my only daughter." When Qianshi was pouring wine for Ryoma, Ryoma looked at her nonchalantly, almost unable to breathe.He didn't expect this woman to be so beautiful. "This..." Ryoma would look stupid at such a time.He turned to Lu Tian, ​​opened his mouth and asked, "Mr. Lu Tian, ​​are you really this girl's father?" "As I said just now, this is my daughter." A trace of displeasure flashed across Lu Tian's face. This is incredible, Ryoma thought to himself.Lu Tian looks so good, why did he give birth to a daughter who looks like a fairy?There are many things in this world that I don't understand.It is too early to intervene in the theory of the founding of the country by expelling barbarians. Ryoma was thinking wildly, Qian Shi tilted his head and said, "Mr. Sakamoto, your wine... spilled on your lap." "Oh." Ryoma hastily wiped his thigh with his sleeve. "Oh, use your sleeves..." "Anyway, the clothes are already covered with residue." "Sakamoto-kun," Lu Tian said, "just now is really admirable. The martial arts at night, because of the flowing lights and shadows, if you are not used to it, no matter how good your kung fu is, you will not be able to use your full strength." "It's a real headache. I'm short-sighted and don't play well in the dark." "Shortsighted?" Among swordsmanship, short-sightedness suffers the most. "How did you win?" "Guzhuang, I can still handle it. But the two of you later on are pretty good, so I had to close my eyes and swing the long knife, so that I wouldn't be disturbed by the shaking of the knife shadow, which would be beneficial." Shikata was stunned. Perhaps because his father often drank with others, Qian Shi was very good at warming wine and persuading him.Ryoma accidentally got slightly drunk.而且，鹿田传兵卫跟龙马论剑术，也很有意思。他谈及了上泉伊势守、冢原卜传、宫本武藏、伊藤一刀斋、小野治郎左卫门、桃井春藏和斋藤弥九郎等古今剑客的事迹和强弱，滔滔不绝。 “要说最厉害的还是宫本武藏，可以说是古今一绝。”传兵卫道。 每到停顿时，千势便在旁边微笑着，给他们二人斟酒。 “武藏的剑法已经出神入化，但是他的功夫有一个重大的缺陷。你知道是什么吗？”传兵卫心情很好。 “不知道。”龙马微笑着，一派纯真。 “武藏的功夫，没有继承人。此人天生气魄超凡。他将这种气魄注入剑术之中，独创出剑法。但是，后辈若没有武藏这种气魄，就无法达到他那种境界。不管怎么读《五轮书》，也成不了武藏。” "yes." “在这一点上，武藏和同时代的高手伊藤一刀斋完全不同。伊藤每在剑法上达到一个新的境地，便会记下一个法则。剑术重法则。只有有了法则，才能流传后世。所以，他创立一刀流，历经几百年，不仅没有衰落，反而分化出伊藤派一刀流、小野派一刀流、梶派一刀流、中西派一刀流以及我们师父开创的北辰一刀流等，大小五十多派，呈现出前所未有的繁荣。不仅武艺，这世上所有的技艺，都有武藏和一刀斋之别。” 千势又给龙马倒上了酒。 传兵卫吃了一口大酱，道：“你属于哪一类？” 龙马不知如何作答，于是道：“似乎两种都不是。” 这是实话。他喜剑，但是还不至于要把一生都投入到修习剑术中去，期望达到剑术的最高境界。从这方面来说，他没有脱离时代。若是在太平之世，他或许会全身心投入到剑术之中，作为一介剑客，了此一生。但是现在不同了，形势风起云涌。洋人的坚船利炮已经开始威胁日本，国内热血沸腾的武士开始奔走呼喊攘夷。龙马还不至于在这样一个时代只一心关注剑术。此时的他，摇摆不定。 “如何，坂本君？”鹿田传兵卫说道，“是成为宫本武藏，还是成为伊藤一刀斋呢？” 龙马弓着身子，一个劲儿地挠头。传兵卫的话的确很有意思，他也从中学到了很多东西，但是，他和传兵卫却似乎有些隔代之感。年轻的他不会像传兵卫一样，只一心关注剑术。即便是宫本武藏也不会冲上美国军舰去击退美国兵吧？但是，龙马也不是武市半平太那种泪流满面义愤填膺地议论国家大事之人。 “我还不知道。”龙马道，“但我觉得，再过一段日子，应该能明白。” "It makes sense." 传兵卫眯上眼睛微笑着点了点头。龙马有些不好意思地说道：“我是个蠢材。” “哪里，大智若愚。小才只能看到眼前，反而会误了大事。对了……”传兵卫道，“我有话跟你说。” "What is it?" “自从看了重太郎的来信，我就已经决定了。所以在你一来到这里，我就让你展示功夫。你意下如何？” "what?" “你愿不愿意留在这里为主家出力？” “桑名松平家？” “对，我向主公荐你。” 桑名松平家和会津松平家一样，在亲藩当中，以武勇而闻名于世。据传兵卫说，此藩位于东海道的要冲之地，可以纵观天下。全藩上下都认为，万一洋夷入侵，他们应该作为诸大名效仿的典范，奋勇杀敌。所以，藩府现正募集各地豪杰。 传兵卫认为龙马会欣然应允。一个不知名的小乡士家的次子，能够在亲藩任职，是莫大的幸事。但是，龙马却没有这个打算。他的人生才刚刚开始，他根本不想在小小桑名缚住自己。 “多谢您的好意，像我这种随性之人，不适合做官。” “怎么会做不了呢？我们今天彻夜商量此事吧。” 龙马放下了杯子。他突然想起了一件大事。水原播磨介还在客栈里。他突然有一种不祥的预感，开始忧心起来。 “怎么了？”鹿田传兵卫道。龙马却不能跟他说播磨介的事情。“我突然想起有个东西丢在客栈里了。” “那东西很重要吗？” "yes." 千势在一旁说道：“如果可以，小女子去帮您把那东西取来。” “多谢您的好意，但是我必须得自己去。” “那东西有那么沉吗？”千势瞪大了眼睛说道。 “有一百来斤吧。” “那太沉了。但是我可以带两个下人去，让他们抬来。” “但是……”龙马感到很为难，“是一个活人。” “哎呀，女人？”千势表情由喜而忧。 “什么？”鹿田传兵卫脸色就像在说“果然不出所料”。实际上，他到城下的客栈去找龙马的时候，就觉得他的举动有些异常。“坂本君，你经常去花街柳巷啊？” “也不是经常去。” “我看错人了。你现在还在修行之中，怎么能这样？” "This……" “我还以为你是个近来少见的青年俊才，想向藩府举荐，而且要是你愿意，把千势许配给你……” “啊？”龙马大吃一惊。 鹿田传兵卫是一个性急之人。世上有很多这样的人，别人作为若不合自己脑中所想，便会大怒。虽是好意，却让龙马为难。 “总之我得先回客栈。” “好了，算了，接着喝酒。那种女人你让她等再久，也不会坏掉。”传兵卫把杯子递了过来。 龙马接过杯子，千势给他倒上了酒。千势乃是良家女儿，教养好，刚才脸上的不悦已经消失，取而代之的是一脸微笑。 “但是，把那样的女人留在客栈里，还是会坐立不安吧？” “女人？”龙马这才明白，原来他们误会了。他只能道：“不，是个男的，一个贼。” “贼？你怎么什么都干？” “不，是我的随从。” “你让一个贼做你的随从？” 传兵卫已经醉了。 龙马也醉了，不久便开始恍惚起来，不省人事了。 龙马醒来的时候，已经日上三竿。 broken!他踢开被子，跳将起来。藏青色被子发出染料的香味。他还记得昨晚传兵卫和他喝酒，之后的事便都不记得了。播磨介不知怎样了。他马上穿好衣服，走出了房间，准备回客栈。 在走廊里遇见了千势。千势跪在地上郑重其事地施礼，道：“公子去洗漱吧，在井边，都给您准备好了。” “我不怎么洗脸。” “哎呀，那您至少也要梳梳头吧。” “不，我的头发这样，很好。” 他的头发就像被暴风吹过一样，根根竖立。以前在老家的时候，都是姐姐帮他，有时给他梳头，盘成发髻，整整齐齐。但是他总会将两鬓的头发弄得乱蓬蓬的。那种梳起来紧绷绷的感觉，他不喜欢。不洗脸，不梳头，衣服总是脏兮兮的也不在意，从这些方面来看，同宫本武藏很像。千势觉得可笑。 龙马向传兵卫道过早安，匆匆吃了早饭，出了大门。 回到下处，听说水原播磨介和寝待藤兵卫已经在一个时辰之前离开。 客栈的老板娘用难懂的伊势方言絮絮叨叨地说道：“我说您哪，您到底是去哪儿了呢？那两位，等您等得可着急了，觉得您可能是不回来了。他们说不等您了，要先走，让我告诉您，等您回来，赶快去追他们。” “知道了。”龙马奔到路上。 后面跟着一个可疑的人。看打扮像个游民，着一身行装，肤色却并没有经过风吹日晒。可能是刚从桑名出发。 是什么人呢？龙马心里提防着。很有可能是那些刺客的密探。 龙马到了四日市的茶店吃了午饭，其时已是下午。 从茶店出来，进了赤堀地区。这一带以大桥小桥众多而闻名。龙马先后过了钱瓶桥、落合桥、川气桥、长田桥、田畠桥之后，最后过了加太夫桥时，一直跟在身后的那人喊道：“公子！” 龙马感到意外。那人五短身材，看起来很善良。 "What's up?" “小的赤藏，在桑名开一家小杂货铺，以前和藤兵卫同行过。藤兵卫让小的跟着您。” 这家伙也是个贼。龙马心中有数。 赤藏走路很快。见龙马慢吞吞的，他便会催促。藤兵卫吩咐他的任务就是让他带着龙马赶紧追上播磨介。 到了石药师，太阳落山了，西天还有些残照。龙马有些疲惫了，道：“赤藏，在这里住下吧。” 赤藏却不答应。“到龟山只剩下二十里了。现在虽然天已经晚了，但是我们最好还是赶紧赶上他们。藤兵卫在那里一家叫大和屋平七的客栈中等着呢，我们再走一段吧。” 到龟山时已经过了戌时。赤藏让龙马在大和屋门前等候，自己进去，问是不是有播磨介其人住在此处，伙计翻了客人名簿，说没有。 “公子，”赤藏贴在龙马耳边说道，“可能发生变故了。” "how come?" "Definitely." 这种常年生活在暗处的人，对事情的变故有着常人没有的敏感。 “龟山城下有一处叫新町的地方，我有一个道上的大哥，在那里做苦力荐头，烦劳您跟我去他那里一下。” 龙马应了。那店叫水屋伊助，店面大，生意也兴隆。 龙马被带到客室。不久，这里的老板——一个肥头大耳的老人出来打了个招呼，又回去了。 “赤藏，这个店家实际上也是做盗贼的么？” “哪里，人家可是正经生意。伊助年轻时确也干过不正当的事，但现在受到龟山六万石石川家的宠任，官用的苦力劳工都是由他调遣的。” “原来如此。”读万卷书，行万里路，这话果然不假。Long Ma thought.这世上原来有太多有趣的事。 “我借伊助手下的人去城下各家客栈打听，今晚您就在此歇息，等他们的消息吧。” “有劳你了。” “不必客气。以前我也给寝待藤兵卫添了不少麻烦。” 藤兵卫在他们这个行当里，是个了不起的神秘人物。 龙马睡下后，水屋伊助手下的年轻人，大概有四五十人，跑遍了整个城下的客栈。丑时过后，赤藏回来，叫醒了龙马。“公子，果然大事不好。此去不远有一条海善寺川，那河边，死了个人，像是播磨介……” 龙马拿着长刀，奔了出去，往东走了二里余。 果然有一座叫河合桥的土桥。桥下便是海善寺川，河里的水几乎都已经干涸了，岸上杂草丛生。 “赤藏，人在哪里？”龙马站在土桥上问道。 “就在这座桥的正下。” “我先下去，你拿着灯笼跟过来。” 龙马踏着杂草走下去，的确有一具武士的尸体。龙马马上把手指放在那人的太阳穴上摸了摸，脉搏已经停止了跳动。虽说交情尚浅，龙马却感到非常心痛，心叹这才是真正的男人。 龙马从小便跟着乙女读汉籍，虽然是囫囵吞枣地背诵，但也记住了不少警句。其中有一句是这样的：志士不忘在沟壑，勇士不忘丧其元。这句话的意思，是说立志拯救天下的人，要时常做好心理准备，即便将来自己的尸体被扔进沟渠之中，也在所不惜；而且有勇气的人，也不能害怕自己的头颅被敌人砍掉。只有这样的人才能成就大事。播磨介便是这样的人啊。龙马心中叹息。此人看上去像女人般胆小怯懦，但是，前某一日，在客栈里，他却淡然说道：“我回到京都，可能会被幕府的官员逮捕。”所谓志士就是这样吧。龙马感服之下，又看了看这个京都人的脸颊。真是个了不起的人。 这时赤藏提着灯笼，踏草走了过来。“公子，灯……” “嗯，你给我照一照。” 龙马看了看尸体的脸，强忍着心中的惊讶，回头看着赤藏，道： “不是播磨介。” "Who is that?" 是那个彦根武士，他还记得这张脸。肯定没错。此人的家人肯定完全不知道他已经在异乡的河岸边丧了命。也可以将他称为一位勇士吧。 “这是藤兵卫的短刀。” 龙马抽出插在尸体胸口的短刀。彦根武士的血溅到了龙马手臂上。龙马用草擦了擦满是血污的短刀。既然已经发生了这种事，藤兵卫就不可能在这一带逗留了。他定已远走。 龙马叫上赤藏，爬上河堤，快步赶起路来。翻到铃鹿坡的半山腰，有一家向旅人卖糖果的茶店。 寝待藤兵卫正在那里。他抱着一个大碗，吹一吹，小口小口地喝着碗里的甜汤。看到行色匆匆的龙马和赤藏，他甩下碗站了起来，若无其事地跟上龙马。 “你在干什么？”龙马头也不回地说道。 “公子，您可让我好找。” “是我在找你们。我还以为你们被那彦根武士给杀了呢。” “公子，请您把我的短刀还给我。” “在海善寺河岸杀了那个彦根人的，果然是你？” “是。”藤兵卫毫不慌张。他平常虽也爱逗乐子，但是毕竟以前是做那种行当的，让人觉得有些可怕。 “我是故意把刀留在那里的。我想，水屋的人发现尸体之后告诉您，您看到短刀，肯定知道是我干的，也肯定知道我已经逃走。” “播磨介呢？” “他……”藤兵卫小声说道，“他好像怕我。” “他跑了？”龙马放慢了脚步。 藤兵卫说，过了桑名一带，彦根武士就跟了上来。他一直盯着时机，过了庄野的客栈，太阳就落山了。他于是潜伏在河合桥上，从暗处偷偷地扑了过去，将那人杀死了。 播磨介看到这一幕，一方面放下心来，但是同时觉得来历不明的藤兵卫非常可怕。之后，不管藤兵卫怎么安慰，他都难以平静下来，坚持要自己走。藤兵卫不得已，就在这个茶店中与他分别。播磨介赶夜路，现在应该到了铃鹿山脚下的土山。 “藤兵卫，你不该将他杀了。”龙马说道。 “但是，那家伙可是刺客啊，我要不杀他，播磨介现在早就已经没命了。” "Having said that..." 武士被盗贼杀了，这件事让龙马没来由地感到伤感。当天晚上，他们住在江州甲贺乡水口的客栈里。 龙马带着寝待藤兵卫和赤藏二人进入江州水口客栈时，太阳已经西斜了。 此地乃是战国时代以甲贺流忍术闻名的近江甲贺乡的首府，现在是加藤越中守二万五千石的领地。在东海道上，此处的客栈和茶店里的女招待素以粗矿闻名，每个客栈中都有比男人还厉害的女人到门口招揽旅客。龙马等人到了那里，十几个女人便蜂拥过来，抓住他们的袖子、胳膊。 “喂，几位爷，到菊屋来住吧。” “还是松屋好啊。浴室也是新造的，被子也软和。” “还是赶不上菱屋。前面院子里的花圃很漂裹，姑娘们都是京都人，她们会为您消除旅途劳顿。” 她们你一言我一语招揽。 龙马制止了她们，向她们说明了水原播磨介的个头长相，问有没有一个这样的武士住在这里。 “在我们那里。”一个看起来最老实的揽客女人说道。 “是吗？那就定你们家。” 在其他揽客女人的骂声中，龙马等人走到了升屋市兵卫的门前，脱下鞋，在掌柜的引领下，来到里面。水原播磨介果然在。 播磨介很高兴。在这个京都武士看来，商人藤兵卫虽然很可怕，龙马却让他感到十分放心，看到龙马的时候，他差点扑过来将他抱住。“哎呀呀，太好了，太好了！我还以为您厌倦我，在桑名逃走了呢，心中惶惶。现在见到您，就好像在地狱里见到菩萨一般。” 龙马想到别人这么信赖自己，越发后悔自己在桑名的擅自行动。 晚饭是泥鰍汤。这一带以烟袋和衣箱闻名，吃的则是泥鰍汤。每家旅馆都备有这道菜。 龙马让藤兵卫和赤藏住在隔壁，自己和播磨介在屋里悠闲地喝酒。 “您没事真是太好了。这里离京都还有百余里，已经和回到京都差不多了。” “不，现在的京都已经形同虎穴。听客栈的人说，志士们已经陆续被京都所司代逮捕。若州浪士梅田云滨、水户藩士鹈饲父子被捕之后，每天都有志士被幕府的官差逮捕。回京都向主人内大臣大人复命是我的使命，但是同时也是羊入虎口。” 正说着，客栈的老板迈着小步从走廊里过来，道：“京都西町奉行所与力渡边金三郎大人出来巡视检查，请各位安分待着。”说完，他便跑开了。 播磨介虽没有发出惊呼，却一脸恐惧。“坂本，我该怎么办？” 京都西町奉行所与力渡边金三郎，在安政大狱中最为活跃，人送外号“魔鬼与力”。不知有多少志士被此人关进六角狱，并被处死。几年之后，渡边方被武市半平太指挥的尊王攘夷派刺客刺死在江州水口附近的石部。 “既然渡边亲自出来巡查，目的肯定是我。坂本，我该怎么办？” “您逃吧。剩下的交给我坂本，我会跟他们好好说。” “跑得了吗？” 或许不可能的吧。与力都出动了，想必客栈周边、十字路口都布置了官差。隔壁的寝待藤兵卫和赤藏二人一脸紧张地走了进来。 “藤兵卫，赤藏。” "exist." “你们二人以前都做过那