Chapter 9 The fifth story Yamato Dai Nagon-1

In the Nakamura area of ​​my hometown, Owari country, the sky is vast and the plains are vast, and they all extend endlessly to the sea. The only thing that changes the scenery of this hometown is the clouds that day.There are no hills near the village.However, the river ditches are vertical and horizontal, intertwined like a net, and there are many fish media such as clams and crucian carp in them.When Hideyoshi was a child, he used to fish and catch shrimp in the river ditch for food.And his only younger brother, Koichiro, is just like him. When Xiuchang was a child, people in the village called him "Little Bamboo".

His father's name was Takeami, and because he was Takeami's son, he was called Kotake.If it was a child of a samurai family or a wealthy family in the countryside, his parents would have given him another nickname, but Hidecho had no memory of that. Everyone in the village said: "Little bamboo is stronger than monkeys!" Xiaozhu has a gentle temperament, a round face, and a chubby jaw, which is very attractive.The elder brother nicknamed Monkey is simply ugly, but Xiao Zhu is completely different from him.Even the personalities of the two are so different that it is hard to believe that they are brothers.All the people in the village, old and young, wished Xiao Zhu well, saying that he was lucky not to be like his elder brother.

Their mother's name is Ah Zhong. She was originally from the Owari Kingdom Gotokisho village, but due to some fate, she married in this village and became the wife of Yaemon, a farmer.When Yaemon was young, he left his hometown and worked as a pawn under Oda master, earning a small salary to support his family.Unexpectedly, he became disabled on the battlefield and returned to the countryside to farm.Unexpectedly, after letting Ah Zhong give birth to a daughter and a boy, he passed away.This eldest son is Hideyoshi. Ah Zhong was very embarrassed.This was originally a very poor family. Apart from cultivating their own small field, they also got other people's work to make ends meet.And relying on her as a woman, how can she bear such a heavy labor.

Next door to Ah Zhong's house lived a man named Take Ami, who used to be a tea doctor in Mr. Oda's house.He happened to be a widower.At this time, someone with good intentions in the village came out to make a match, so Ah Zhong married this Zhuami by means of recruiting a son-in-law. The young Hideyoshi thought to himself, "Takeami next door is going to be my father!" He didn't like the new stepfather and refused to call him dad.Takeami also doesn't love this unlovable boy, especially after Xiaozhu (Hidecho) was born, Takeami treats the child born to her ex-husband very meanly.For this reason, Hideyoshi finally ran away from home.

Therefore, Xiuchang didn't know this half-brother. "It's a good thing you don't look like a monkey!" the villagers said to him.However, he has no idea what kind of kid Brother Monkey is.I heard people say that my brother is like a beast in the wilderness, very cunning, often taking advantage of people not to guard him, and doing all kinds of mischief-this can no longer be called mischief.Everyone in the village hated him. Xiaozhu sometimes asked Takeami: "What is brother doing now?" Unexpectedly, Takeami said viciously: "This family belongs to me, and you are the eldest son. If you want to have an older brother, then who can bear it!" From Takeami's point of view, it may be natural to have such thoughts.He works in the fields early in the morning and in the dark, and works tirelessly to manage the family business. If in the end, his own son, Xiaozhu, is not available to him, and all of it belongs to the monkey, how boring it is.This is also a reason why he drove the monkey out of the house.After all, Ah Zhong is the monkey's biological mother. When the monkey ran away, she shed tears sadly, but deep down in her heart, she also breathed a sigh of relief.Because from then on, I can no longer witness the scene of Takeami beating and scolding monkeys, and the days when the new husband smiles will gradually increase.

However, Xiaozhu seems quite interested in this elder brother.He once inquired about it privately with his mother and villagers.However, no definite information was obtained.Some said that he wandered to a foreign country with a salesman; some said that he became an apprentice of an eminent monk in Koya Mountain; After a few years, there was another news that he entered the green forest and became a strongman who blocked roads and robbed. When the news that the monkey had become a robber reached the village, Takeami said excitedly, "This is something that boy can do. I expected him to be such a coward. If he dared to sneak back Come to the village, no one else needs to do it, I will definitely lift up the hoe and smash his head to pieces."

However, Xiaozhu hated his father who said such things.Xiaozhu has a kind personality and is not the kind of person who hates people casually.On the other hand, it is also because, from the perspective of his father, Takeami, his elder brother is just another person's child, but to Xiaozhu, he is a half-brother with different fathers, who is related to him by blood.Emotions are not normal.Since then, whenever Xiaozhu heard any news about monkeys, she stopped telling her father, but quietly told her mother. Every time my mother heard these rumors, she always sobbed with tears.Sometimes he said loudly: "It's better to die sooner for me!"

Although Xiaozhu was still a child, he comforted his mother at this time, saying: "I heard people say that if someone curses someone, it will come true. Mom should hurry up and ask the Kitchen God for forgiveness." Later, when Xiaozhu knew The reason why my father didn't like my brother was that when it came to the inheritance rights of the family property, he said to my mother: "I don't want the land or the house at home, let my brother inherit it." Upon hearing this, the mother became anxious, and stopped him repeatedly, saying: "Don't say such a thing, you are not allowed to say such a thing next time." This is for fear of being overheard by Takeami; secondly, it is for Ah Zhong , Xiaozhu is more likable than monkeys.When I get old in the future, it will be a great blessing in my old age to have a child with a good temperament like Xiaozhu take care of me by my side.

When Xiaozhu was seventeen or eighteen years old (in a poor and busy family like Xiaozhu, even the mother often does not know the exact age of the children), Takeami was no longer alive. Summer came early this year.Xiaozhu was doing part-time work in someone else's house, and when the hot sun was basking on his back, he was opening a canal to release water in the paddy field, when he saw a samurai on horseback running along the road by the side of the village. "What's the matter?" The samurai's appearance was so weird that it caught Xiaozhu's attention.The horse that sat down seemed most likely to be a plow horse.Moreover, probably because of getting old, the horse's neck is always drooping, like an ear of rice that has blossomed.There was a simple saddle on the horse's back, without even a stirrup, and the rider's feet were stepped on rings made of thick rope.

"It's ridiculous, that's a samurai!" Just thinking this way, after a while, people's eyes and nose can gradually see clearly.I saw that he was a small man with a slightly chubby face, a pointed chin, and his eyes were wide open, looking very airy, but his jaw was loose, and there were many laugh lines at the corners of his eyes.This person looks a bit like a monkey. As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Xiaozhu's heart was shocked: Could it be that he is my elder brother.This isn't just a figment of the imagination.A few days ago, news spread to the village that my brother had been promoted from an infantry to a junior officer at Master Oda's house.Thinking of this, Xiaozhu dropped the shovel in his hand.However, he is a stable character, and he can no longer take more actions to show his surprise.He just held a bamboo hat in one hand and squatted down on the ridge of the field.

Probably because the man on the horse also saw Xiaozhu's gesture, suddenly a deafening voice came from the opposite side like a thunderbolt: "Who are you?" It is said that the sonorous voice was inherited from the monkey's biological father. "I am Takeami's son!" "You fool!" It was too late to talk, and the monkey turned over and fell off the horse.The speed of its movements, apart from the word "tumbling", there is really no other suitable adjective.Then, the monkey walked up to Xiaozhu in three steps at a time, and shouted loudly: "Son of Takeami, please don't say such oblique words. Isn't Takeami's son my younger brother? I am Fujikichiro Ah!" The name Fujikichiro was given to himself after he became a soldier of the Oda family.His surname is Kinoshita. "'木' for wood, '下' for up and down." While saying this, Fujikichiro picked up a branch from the ground and wrote two large characters "Kinoshita" on the ground.Then he said: "This is our surname, our family also has a surname." Fujikichiro pointed to the horse next to him again, and said to Xiaozhu: "Look, I am already such a status now!" This probably means that he is already able to ride a horse.However, there is no fiefdom yet, just receiving food and salary.However, in the future, one must make meritorious deeds. Once meritorious deeds are achieved, at least a territory of about 300 shi can be entrusted.At that time, you will have to have two or three followers at your disposal. Fujikichiro said, "That's why I came back." On the one hand, he wanted to return to his hometown, and on the other hand, he must also want to find some promising young people in his own village.As one's own followers, people of the same clan are naturally preferred.If the younger brother is willing to do it, then there is nothing to say. "Well, come with me!" Until then, Xiaozhu said: "Are you a warrior?" Becoming a samurai, such a thing, Xiao Zhu never even thought about it. Fujikichiro didn't know how to drink, but he drank a lot that night and got a little drunk.I only heard him say this sentence over and over again: "If I become a daimyo, then you will be the commander of an army. Come and be a warrior with me, and make up your mind!" Xiaozhu said in embarrassment: "I don't have the strength!" What Xiaozhu meant was that to be a samurai, one must be proficient in all aspects of swordsmanship and swordsmanship. Once the two armies fight, one must have the strength to cut off the enemy's head. Hearing what Xiaozhu said, Fujikichiro laughed and said, "What kind of strength does a samurai need?" After hearing this, Xiaozhu felt that it was reasonable.You see, Fujikichiro is a small man, and his strength is not great, and his martial arts seem to be not strong.Fujikichiro went on to say that what a general needs is wisdom, while what a samurai needs is seriousness.If the superior orders not to retreat, then, even if you are trembling with fear and your bones are rattling, you will never retreat a step. This is an excellent warrior.On the contrary, if you are very strong and talk big on weekdays, but retreat at a critical moment in battle, then you cannot be a warrior. "So this is ah!" Xiaozhu was completely attracted by the eloquent words of the half-brother.A thought suddenly flashed in his mind: If this is the case, then I can be one too.And it was this difference of thought that changed his fate. Hearing what his younger brother said, Fujikichiro nodded immediately: "You can call me Koichiro!" He even thought of a name for Xiao Zhu.The reason for taking such a name probably means: the eldest son of Fujikichiro's stepfather-and Ichiro is equivalent to the eldest son. Fujikichiro was in high spirits from beginning to end.He preached with the knowledge he had wholesaled from Master Pipa, a blind artist who traveled all over the rivers and lakes and spoke drums: "Since ancient times, there have been many stories of brothers meeting. The time we met at Kisegawa." That night, Fujikichiro was uncharacteristically happy.He would actually think of the grand meeting between Dong Liang of Genji and his noble son.Early the next morning, he went back to Qingzhou.After this, his mother Ah Zhong frowned more than once and complained: "This kid is really helpless!" Because of giving birth to such a son as him, I don't know how much I have suffered.And now he came to instigate Xiaozhu again, wanting to treat him as his servant and bring him to the battlefield.Xiao Zhu was the only son left beside Ah Zhong.If even Xiao Zhu went to serve in the army, who would he ask to take care of him when he was old? Time flies like an arrow, and more than twenty years have passed in a blink of an eye. It's like moving from the world to heaven, everything has undergone a fundamental change, whether it's fate or circumstances.Hideyoshi inherited the Oda regime, won the central part of the world, mastered the capital, and placed his base in Osaka.Ah Zhong lived in Daban City, and a large number of maids waited on her.The daughter born between her and Takeami became the wife of Saji Hinata, a small daimyo under the Hashiba regime; The lord of the country, with Himeji Castle as its capital. "It's like a dream!" Other than that, no other view is possible.However, A Zhongke didn't just start living a noble life from now on.As early as eleven years ago, when Hideyoshi was named the daimyo of Omi Nagahama City's 200,000 koku territory by Nobunaga, she moved from her hometown in Gifu to Nagahama City. In that lakeside city, she started a luxurious life. Life. All in all, eleven years have passed since then.For this reason, I have long been accustomed to this kind of life. However, some things have not been adapted so far.Probably because Hideyoshi wants to preside over the government from this year.In order to re-arrange the harem in Daban City like a palace, many daughters of officials and eunuchs were recruited from the capital to serve as maids.In this way, even the rules of going to the bathroom to relieve oneself have all changed. "I can go alone." Even though Ah Zhong said so, the maids did not agree, and several of them always followed behind, standing at the door of the toilet to take care of her meticulously.What's more, the toilet is no longer the place to unwind, the bottom is covered with sand.When the thing fell on the sand, someone took it away without hesitation. One day Ah Zhong asked a maid from the capital, "Is that used as fertilizer?" From the perspective of Ah Zhong, who was a farmer, it was sprinkled in the vegetable garden. "No, no," the maids shook their heads vigorously, and replied, "That's for the sake of Kuzhai." What exactly is "Knowing the Kuzhai"?It's ridiculous to say that Ah Zhong always thinks that he is an official who specializes in stinky things.But shortly afterwards, she knew that was not the case.There was a former imperial physician in the capital, named Qu Naose Masamori, who came to Osaka from the capital not long ago and became the attendant physician of Hideyoshi's family.This person took a name, called Although Knowing Kuzhai.It probably comes from the meaning of suffering despite knowing the reason. This is not the only case where Ah Zhong was in a dilemma because of his sudden promotion.Another example is that one day, the maid asked her: "Did the old lady work under the emperor in the palace?" Ah Chung thought, I’m really joking. I was born in a poor peasant’s family in Owari Gokisho. Later, I married Yaemon Nakamura as his wife.This is the first half of my life.At this time Ah Zhong asked back: "Who said that?" According to the maid, it was actually Hideyoshi who said it. "So it's this kid!" She almost blurted out.Because of his sudden prosperity, this kid must have gone mad with joy. After inquiring carefully, I realized that the story could be justified: Ah Zhong was originally a maid in the palace and worked as a cook.At that time, the emperor was called Empress Nara, and one day he met Ah Zhong and fell in love with her at first sight, so he pulled Ah Zhong by the sleeve and entered the bedroom of the inner palace.Hideyoshi seems to say this to people: "Because of this, I have touched the jade body of the emperor." The story goes on to say that Ah Chung became pregnant, and then returned to his hometown of Owari and gave birth to a boy. Hideyoshi and so on. Hideyoshi spoke these words to people in the mansion of Shiyakuin in Kyoto.Let's say that Shiyaoyuan mansion is the place where Hideyoshi straightened his attire when he went to the palace to meet the emperor.The person who heard him say this was Joanna Matsunaga. Matsunaga Joan was the son of Matsunaga Dan Masahide, who was famous in the capital in the past.After Jiuxiu's death, his son Jeanne abandoned martial arts and went to literature, and lived in the capital, writing Liange and Haixie as a career.Hideyoshi thought that it was very convenient to win over Joan of Arc to his side, not only to know all kinds of news in the officialdom, but also to find out the intelligence of the court.Joan of Arc happened to be at his side on the day of the above speech.That day, Hideyoshi finished changing his clothes and was sitting on the floor, resting with his back against the courtyard pillars. Hideyoshi said, "When my mother was young..." This Joan of Arc was deeply surprised to hear Hideyoshi say this, and couldn't help being stunned.Regardless of whether you believe it or not, let's write it down truthfully for the time being.After that, he spread the words to others. Ah Zhong shook his head, thinking: "What kind of medicine is sold in this kid's gourd!" After a few days, Hideyoshi returned to Osaka Castle after finishing his campaign against Kishu.Hideyoshi was a dutiful son, every time he came back from the front line, he always came to greet his mother Ah Zhong first.This has become his habit. When they met this time, Ah Zhong deliberately dismissed everyone and asked in a low voice, "I heard that you actually said such a thing to someone in the court, didn't you?" Hearing what his mother said, Hideyoshi laughed out loud.Judging from the fact that he didn't deny it, I'm afraid it was indeed such a reckless bragging. "Why do you say that?" Ah Zhong couldn't help thinking, maybe it was out of vanity.Even she was a little elusive about the motives of her own son's actions.Hideyoshi shook his head. Hideyoshi replied: "Please take a look at the right minister, Mr. Oda!" He cited the late master who died at Honno-ji Temple as an example.There are also ambiguities in the genealogy of Nobunaga's ancestors.The ancestor of the Oda family was originally the priest of the Oda Shrine in Dansheng County, Echizen (now Fukui Prefecture). About a hundred or so years before Nobunaga was born, he lived in Owari, became a local gentry, and gradually grew in power.It is said that the ancestor's original surname was Fujiwara.For this reason, Nobunaga was originally called Fujiwara.However, when the possibility of conquering the world began to emerge, he suddenly declared: "My family is the Ping family, a descendant of Ping Zisheng." He changed his ancestors all at once.The reason is that the Ashikaga family in power today is the descendant of Minamoto, and it must be the Taira family to overthrow the Ashikaga family and inherit the world.The idea that the world is ruled alternately by the Genji and the Hera families had a profound influence on the rich and famous families at that time.Therefore, Nobunaga took advantage of this secular superstition and used it to create public opinion for the establishment of the Oda family's world.Nobunaga ordered the clerk to write a family tree for himself.However, on the point of why they are descendants of the Ping family, they are in a dilemma.So he made up a fictional character named Ping Qinshi.It is said that he was the second son of Hei Zisheng who died in Tanzhipu. When the Heike family perished, he was just born and was still a nursing baby.His biological mother fled to Omi with him in her arms and became the wife of a local big family named Tsuda.Later, Oda, the god of Echizen Oda Shrine, felt sorry for the situation of Amigo, and made him his heir, inheriting the Oda family business.The above is a legend fabricated by Nobunaga's friend-the Oda family is the descendant of the Taira family. Hideyoshi witnessed this evolution.However, Hideyoshi himself, because of his humble background, could not even make up such a legend.In this case, Hideyoshi probably wanted to use Genji's surname.Because since Nobunaga is Taira, then Hideyoshi after him should be Genji.If it is Genji, according to the precedent, the imperial court can issue an edict as the general who conquers Yi and open the shogunate.Tokugawa Ieyasu from the Mikawa area changed his surname at the same time as Nobunaga changed his surname, and created his own family tree, but it is too late for Hideyoshi to do so now! Since he couldn't be the general who conquered the barbarians, Hideyoshi thought to himself, then he might as well be the minister of the imperial court, and become Guan Bai.Guan Bai must be the Fujiwara family who is the son of the royal family.If this is the only point, a simple solution is to be the adopted son of a minister who has a close relationship with him (later Hideyoshi became the son of Kikutei Dai Nagan), and in this way, the problem will be solved.However, even if he entered a famous family as an adopted son, as he is now, his background still cannot be resolved.For this reason, Hideyoshi spread the story that he was a descendant of the emperor. Needless to say, no one would believe this.Hideyoshi felt that as long as the story spread, it would be fine.Even if someone asked about this, Hideyoshi himself did not intend to give an affirmative answer.Instead, prepare to laugh and treat it like a joke.In short, before becoming the adopted son of Mr. Fujiwara, if the rumor that "the society also said so" could be created and spread, then it would be much easier for the formalistic court to accept Hideyoshi.The above-mentioned stories of the emperor's descendants were created for this purpose.But now my mother broke the casserole and asked the truth, so seriously, how could Hideyoshi resist it. Ah Zhong said: "Don't forget, you still have a sister!" It would have been fine if my sister had died, but she was still alive. Together with her husband, she inherited the surname of Miyoshi, a well-known family in Awa, and her son Hideji became Hideyoshi's adopted son.If it is said that when Ah Zhong was a young girl, he was conceived by the emperor and returned to Owari, then how to explain the existence of this elder sister.To say that it is a young girl who drags oil bottles, the story does not make sense. Hideyoshi laughed loudly: "Ah, hahaha!" According to Hideyoshi, who cares, this was originally just a myth fabricated for the favor of the formal court, so there is no question of whether it makes sense. "So, how is your brother Koichiro?" "He is Takeami's son." "That is to say, only you are the descendants of the Son of Heaven!" Ah Zhong slowly shook his head, his face full of astonishment, as if to say, this is really scary.This son, who was born between Yaemon and me, has become an incomprehensible person just because he ran away from home when he was a child and kept away from him. In contrast, Takeami's son, Koichiro Hidecho, was brought up by Naka single-handedly. Compared with his elder brother, he is such an upright and lovable son. Koichiro might be considered a born German.He was summoned by Hideyoshi three years later. At that time, Hideyoshi was still a low-level samurai of the Oda family and served as the defense of the Mogu Walled City.Not only Koichiro, Hideyoshi also called his mother, sister, brother-in-law and younger sister Axu.And made a big feast and entertained them.At this time, Ah Zhong met his daughter-in-law, Hideyoshi's wife Ning Ning for the first time, and also met Ning Ning's cousin Asano Yahei Nagamasa.It can be said that this was a big meeting between Hideyoshi's close relatives and Ningning's natal family.During the banquet, Hideyoshi frequently persuaded people to drink and received them very hospitablely. Soon, when the banquet was over, Hideyoshi patted his half-brother on the shoulder with his hand and said, "Koichiro, stay in this castle!" Ah Zhong wanted to try to obstruct it, but Xiaoichiro had already nodded in agreement.He became a samurai from that day on.Hideyoshi called the younger brother to another room, and called his brother-in-law, Nagamasa Asano from his wife's family, and said, "Please help me, both of you." Since ancient times, there has been a habit in samurai families, that is, the eldest son will be the general, and the younger brother and uncle will be his confidants and generals to help him.Since samurai families were established by the blood alliance of the same clan, Hideyoshi also wanted to adopt this method. Hideyoshi said: "Xiao Yilang, you will be my agent in the future, you have to study hard and get familiar with it quickly!" He entrusted military advisor Hanbei Takenaka to be in charge of Koichiro's education.Hanbei Takenaka was a native of Mino, and at that time he had served as a military adviser in Mogu City.During the actual battle of defending Mogu Walled City, Banbingwei taught Xiaoyilang the skills of leading troops in battle: how to advance and retreat, how to observe the enemy's situation, how to give orders, how to take care of soldiers, etc., and even the details. give pointers.Koichiro is a good student.From beginning to end, he listened to the military division's explanation with a meticulous attitude and did field training.When the military adviser asked him to command with real swords and guns, he could do what the teacher taught him, and he handled everything just right.Banbing Wei commented: Although he has no outstanding talent, if he is allowed to be the left-behind captain, he is completely competent. Hanbei thought to himself: "This is also a kind of talent!" In his opinion, although Koichiro lacks the spirit of originality, he has a strong ability to imitate; he does not like to be unconventional by nature, so he can faithfully follow the instructions of his superiors, and he is down-to-earth and meticulous.Judging by his personality, he was born to be the captain of the city for his brother.Let me give you an example.Once Hideyoshi was ordered by Nobunaga to lead troops to attack Gifu City, and he asked his younger brother to stay behind in the barracks.In this battle, Hideyoshi personally led a small number of light soldiers from Hachisuka's army, and sneaked into the castle from the back mountain of Gifu Castle.Before setting off, Hideyoshi told Koichiro and made an agreement with him: "I will lead an army to sneak into the city and pull the gate bolt from the inside. At that time, I will erect a long bamboo pole high, with a bamboo pole tied to the top. A gourd, when you see this signal, you must quickly open the city gate from outside the city, rush into the city, and join me." If this plan is disrupted, then Hideyoshi will surely perish in the city.However, Koichiro cooperated closely and completed the task instructed by his brother brilliantly. After this battle, Hanbei even came to Hideyoshi specially and blessed him: "It is the general's blessing to have such a good brother!" Banbei has always advocated that in an army composed of all generals who are close relatives, it is enough for a man with outstanding intelligence to have an older brother, and a younger brother should not be more talented than his elder brother.If the younger brother is stronger than the elder brother, then the soldiers will naturally be close to the younger brother.In this way, the command of the whole army will be chaotic.In addition, Hanbei also advocated that the younger brother must be a person of asceticism.If the younger brother is greedy, he will compete with other generals under his elder brother for merit. In this way, the entire family army will often be in chaos.In these two respects, Koichiro, a young man, can be regarded as a perfect and ideal person. More than ten years have passed since the defense of Mogu Walled City. Once Hideyoshi was ordered by Nobunaga to lead an army to conquer China.Koichiro served as the chief general of this army.He was on the front line, from Harima to Beichu, he moved to various places and made martial arts.The troops led by Koichiro are brave and good at fighting, and they are not inferior to other generals under Oda.He became famous in the army. During this period, Hanbei Takenaka was bedridden due to a relapse of an old illness in the army.When Koichiro came to visit him, Hanbei was already terminally ill, and he was in danger.But he still let the orderly support his back, sat up, and said to Koichiro, "I have something to tell you." Banbei, who was dying, exhausted all his strength in order to speak to his disciples who had been obedient to him since the Mogu era. "Pay attention to protecting yourself, the ultimate goal of the art of war is here." Hanbei is worried about Koichiro's rising reputation.When you are famous, you will be proud.An arrogant attitude will cause resentment from other generals, maybe they will speak ill of you in front of Lord Zhuzhou (Hideyoshi).After you have made military exploits, you should give all the credit to the generals under you.Generals can only get ahead by building military exploits.And even if you have no meritorious service, you are still the younger brother of Master Zhuzhou. "In the past, you have always done this." With such words, Hanbei once again praised Koichiro's achievements in the past ten years.He didn't try to make a name for himself at all, and all the credit goes to his subordinates. He was Hideyoshi's representative, and only made Hideyoshi famous, and he didn't show off himself at all. "It's a nice job." However, it is not known what will happen in the future.Especially in this Battle of Banshu, Koichiro made outstanding achievements and gained a great reputation. It is not known whether this may change his character, and it is precisely this that Hanbei is worried about. Hanbei finally said: "You have to become a person like the shadow." He said, to be Hideyoshi's shadow, and be satisfied with it, forget your existence as Koichiro.He reminded again, looking forward to the future, other than doing this, there is no place in the world for you, Koichiro, to settle down.The purpose of the art of war is ultimately to conceal oneself.Can it be done? Koichiro had no objection, nodded sincerely, and said gratefully with tears in his eyes, "Thank you for your teaching, Master." Later, within half an hour, Hanbei died.Needless to say, the above words were the last words spoken by Ban Bingsheng before his death. While Hideyoshi was attacking China, Nobunaga died at the Honnoji Temple at the most critical moment of the war.In order to attack Mitsuhide Akechi who occupied the capital, Hideyoshi turned his troops from Beichu and drove to the capital. On the way, he first entered Himeji Castle.During this period, Hideyoshi was awarded by Nobunaga, in addition to owning the three counties of Kita Omi, he also owned Banzhou, and used Himeji Castle as his base.Hideyoshi entered the city after a long march in the rain, took a bath as soon as he arrived in the city, and issued all military orders from the bathroom.In order to fight this battle with all his strength, he ordered that all the gold, silver, treasures, food, fodder, firewood, etc. in the city be distributed to the soldiers.After issuing these orders, Hideyoshi issued another order: "Koichiro stay and defend the castle!" Koichiro was standing outside the bathroom door to listen to the order. Koichiro thought to himself, "This is a disgrace!" After Hanbei's death, Kuroda Kanbei (Jusui) served as Hideyoshi's adviser.Koichiro consulted with him, hoping to change the disgraceful task assigned to him.The reason Koichiro said seems to make sense.If his elder brother Hideyoshi were to lose in the battle against Akechi Mitsuhide, then this mere Himeji Castle would be vulnerable to the enemy, and there were less than 500 soldiers left to guard the castle, not to mention the food and fodder necessary to defend the castle. All of them have been distributed, and the so-called garrison mission is nothing more than guarding the hostages taken from various wealthy families in Banshu, as well as protecting Hideyoshi's wife who is commonly known as Himeji Hime.How can this be an honorable position for a manly man when life and death are at stake in this world?Unexpectedly, Kuroda Guanbingwei quietly tugged on his sleeve, pulled him to a secluded corner of the room, and said, "This is your wrong idea." According to him, this battle is the one that will determine the final outcome.Eighty percent of the generals under Hideyoshi's command were sent by Master Oda. They supported Hideyoshi, and they were eager to make military contributions to their family's future in this battle.Master Zhuzhou's great luck depends on the active efforts of these generals to develop.Because you are his own flesh and blood, the most important thing is to exercise restraint and patience at such times. You must not compete with the generals for rewards, but give others the opportunity to make meritorious deeds. The above is what the officers and soldiers said.If it was normal, Koichiro would nod obediently and follow this reasoning.But just because the times are different, this man, who has always been gentle and honest, couldn't restrain his inner excitement at this time. He let go of his voice and shouted: "Every time I stay behind, I will be the one! This time it is about my brother. I, Koichiro, would like to fight the enemy to the death with my brother on the battlefield of Yamashiro (one of the Five Kingdoms of Gyeonggi, south of today's Kyoto Prefecture)." Koichiro only had a thick and loud voice like Hideyoshi's, and his voice reached Hideyoshi's ears who were soaking in the bathtub. "Xiaoichiro!" Hideyoshi called him in the same rough and loud voice, "I heard what you said. You are wrong." Then he shouted: "If you say that, what about Nagahama Castle?" Well, Nagahama is pretty much an abandoned and completely unguarded city now. Maybe even our mother and my wife are dying in the burning fire right now." Omi Nagahama Castle is Hideyoshi's base.Ah Zhong and Ning Ning both lived there.The enemy will naturally attack the city.Although mother and Ning Ning are women, they will definitely follow the rules of Wumen, stay inside the city wall and wait for help.Do you still feel dissatisfied with being asked to defend Himeji Castle?Otherwise, are you willing to share fate with Himeji? Unexpectedly, even Hideyoshi was very excited and kept yelling incoherently.However, Koichiro had already been overwhelmed by the thunderbolt-like shout, and became listless like a deflated ball. Xiaoichiro even had this thought in his mind: "There is no one in the world more pitiful than the identity of a younger brother!" From the perspective of elder brother Hideyoshi, he may feel that there is no one in the world who is easier to handle than his younger brother.If it was such a face-to-face reprimand, if it was another general, he would definitely hold a grudge against him, and would even throw his black hat on the spot and quit.Thanks to being my younger brother, I don't have to worry about such a thing happening. At this moment, I saw Koichiro's fat body curled up, his round face lowered, and he looked frightened. "Do you understand?" When Hideyoshi asked again, Koichiro lowered his head and replied softly, "I will definitely do what my brother tells me." After Hideyoshi led the army to leave Himeji, he defeated Akechi Mitsuhide's army in the Yamazaki area of ​​Yamashiro shortly after, confirming his status as the successor of the Oda regime. Afterwards, Koichiro also took part in the Battle of Mt. Kino, which was a great battle concerning whether he could take over the world.In addition, he participated in the Battle of Komaki with the army.后来又参加了征讨纪州的战争，这可以说是一场在京城附近扫荡残敌的战斗。 平定纪州之后，秀吉对小一郎下命令道：“小一郎，请你去管辖纪州！” 纪州这地方，早从信长那时起，便是块叫人十分棘手的地区。当地的武士们性子刚烈，动辄拔刀相向。民众富于独立心，在战国时代一百多年间，他们通过协商，联合成了一个统一管理的国家，一次也不曾接纳过中央派来的诸侯。而且，这里是佛教一向宗的地盘，当地居民把阿弥陀如来看作唯一的绝对权威，而不尊重地上的领主。再则，这地区的山上，盘踞着众多的绿林好汉，海边的渔港，大多是海盗的巢穴。在秀吉看来，“要治好纪州这地方，非小一郎这样的人不可。” 安抚绿林好汉和海盗，耐心地倾听他们的不平，雷厉风行地扫除人世间的不公平，尽管手下将领如群星灿烂，可是当秀吉环顾四周时，他却发现，小一郎是唯一能够胜任此重任的。 这位弟弟没有辜负兄长的期待。天正十三年（1585）三月受封之后，小一郎便在小杂贺（现和歌山市）地方，筑了一座城堡，着手治理。他一方面显示了新领主的威严，另一方面也告诫家臣不准为非作歹，同时制定了法律，极力发扬民治。这样，这个素称难以治理的国土的人民，竟不可思议地与小一郎建立了亲密的关系。纪州两岸自不必说，就连纪州其他地方——北起泉州，南至熊野之间七十余万石的小野，也变得风平浪静，一派升平景象。 命令小一郎管辖纪州的秀吉首先惊叹不已地说道：“小一郎这个人，倒真有点奇特的才干哪！” 在秀吉眼里，小一郎似乎是个天生的调停人，民政家。更叫秀吉喜欢的是，在愚钝粗疏者居多的自己的亲属之中，唯独小一郎是个出类拔萃的人物，甚至可以称得上是个奇迹。无论从他的才干来看，还是从他的品行来看，这小一郎，将来多半会成为秀吉政权的中流砥柱的吧。