Chapter 26 second quarter

Before three o'clock in the morning, before dawn, Niu Yi and his party left Arima.There are three guides, all of whom are tough young men full of wild spirit.From here to Settsu Sanda, the north-south journey is about four miles.On the way to the Sanda Plain, there are shortcuts similar to the Beast Trail everywhere.In the early hours of the morning, when nocturnal beasts, dangerous reptiles, insects, etc. go to sleep, it is safe to cross these paths.However, these trails are surrounded by mountains and rocks, and the surrounding area is shrouded in the thick night of ghosts and monsters.

"From here, you have to endure for more than half a quarter of an hour. In order not to step into the air, you need to use ropes to connect each other's bodies." Niu Yi felt that this was a bit exaggerated, but still obeyed the arrangement, wrapped the hemp rope handed over by the lead hunter around his body, and then handed one end of the rope to the second hunter.Then, Tashi and the third hunter also took the rope.In this way, they are like grasshoppers strung on a rope, lined up in a row, leaning on the hemp rope, each with an ax pinned to their waist, bent down, and descended to Mount Arima.Because the surrounding area is covered with mangosteen, in order not to cause a fire, only two hunters who are accustomed to walking on mountain roads, located in the middle and at the front of the team, hold torches.

A group of people kept silent and walked northward.Almost all the way is downhill, which is why it is very dangerous to miss.At the beginning, Niu Yi felt that the hemp rope wrapped around his waist was a bit exaggerated, but only then did he realize that it is of great effect on the narrow path.From time to time, the roar of the Arima River could be heard from the soles of the feet, and the ground shook. Even Niu Yi, who was used to traveling, rolled on the ground many times. Thanks to the hemp rope around his waist, he was able to escape.Soon, in a silent forest, strange sparks flew by, and suddenly, the treetops rattled, but there was no wind blowing around.

"Locally, we call this ghost crying." The hunter who was at the front of the team muttered, looking terrified.It was the cry of a creepy ghost. "Ahahaha, when marching at night, in order to appease the bored soldiers, all kinds of things from the past pop up, it's very lively, isn't it great?" Niu smiled calmly when he thought of the marching scene when he was young, and didn't take it seriously at all.Tashi, who was born in Tanba, dressed up as a young samurai with a big sword on his back, resolute and resolute. Tall trees, such as jaggery trees, stood everywhere in front of it, making one feel that the dawn light could not shine in anyway.

Tamba has been known as an unlucky place since ancient times.Through this rapid march before dawn, Niu felt the meaning of this sentence all over his body.The east, west, north, south, and north entrances of the Tamba area are surrounded by deep mountains and valleys to the depths.There are cliffs and natural caves everywhere, and if something happens, all of them can be turned into fortresses.Even if the invaders tried their best to reach the central basin, they would be counterattacked by the enemies hiding in the steep mountains.Therefore, countless small forces can occupy the mountain as king here and separate one side.It is not easy to eliminate them one by one.Back then, when Hideyoshi of the Oda camp pacified the Chugoku region, he strode forward along the Sanyo Road and made great military exploits.in comparison.Guangxiu marched in the steep mountains and suffered repeated setbacks.When they were in Antucheng, Niu Yi and the others felt that Mitsuhide was obviously not as good as Hideyoshi, but after going through the field, they found that Mitsuhide was really not easy back then.

The reason why Mitsuhide got the lottery to conquer the dangerous Tamba was because he once stood between Nobunaga and the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki. The first Tamba people to approach Nobunaga was Akai Tadaka.In the second year after Lord Nobunaga went to Beijing—the thirteenth year of Yongroku (the first year of Yuangui), Akai's request for the protection of the three counties in Tamba was approved. Taking this as an opportunity, the Naito family and the Utsu family also followed suit. File a claim for territorial protection.When he first came to Beijing, Lord Nobunaga and General Ashikaga Yoshiaki had a good relationship. Regarding the Tamba people's territorial protection request, the two of them discussed and adjusted in advance. There is no contradiction.At that time, Akechi Mitsuhide was appointed by Nobunaga to be responsible for the coordination between the two parties.

"As for this task, please don't let me take it on." Mitsuhide shy away from this job from the very beginning. Even though he has already joined the Oda camp, he still wants to avoid the delicate negotiations between the old doctrine Showa and Nobunaga.With regard to the protected area, if the two parties disagree, it is obvious at a glance that Guangxiu will be caught between the old and new lords and tortured.In fact, Mitsuhide was criticized by the two of them many times later, but Nobunaga insisted on Mitsuhide taking over this task. In the second year of Motoki, Lord Nobunaga suddenly promoted Mitsuhide to be the lord of Omi Sakamoto Castle, in order to give Mitsuhide authority in the negotiations between the two parties and maintain the dominant position of Oda Shuyin.Mitsuhide owned the city a little earlier than Hashiba Hideyoshi, who was on the rise, and his salary was higher than that for a while.That's why.

From the third year of Tensho, when the relationship between Nobunaga and Tanba deteriorated, Mitsuhide's tragedy began.is the year.The Utsu family occupied the royal territory of Sankokuso, and the emperor was at a loss.For this reason, there was a rift between Nobunaga and the Utsu clan, and Akechi Mitsuhide was once again used to crusade against each other.Afterwards, in the Tamba area, the number of people who opposed Nobunaga's powerful rule gradually increased, and resistance emerged in an endless stream, such as Ogino Naomasa of Kuroi Castle and Hatano Hideharu of Hachigami Castle.Mitsuhide worked so hard for the suppression that he was unable to escape from the Tamba area until the end.

In January of the fourth year of Tianzheng, during the harsh winter, Mitsuhide attacked Heijing City in the northwest of Danba, and was defeated and forced to retreat.His army is not used to the ice and snow, so it is understandable that they cannot resist the Danbo people.In late January, he came to report with horror on his face.Niu Yi remembered very clearly that it was before Lord Nobunaga was about to move to Antu City, and all his close officials were worried that he would come at an untimely time.Sure enough, Mitsuhide was reprimanded by Nobunaga-"It's really unlucky"-and fled Azuchi scrambling.

"Guangxiu has fallen out of favor since then. In the cries of ghosts, Guangxiu's ghost may also be lingering." Niu Yi raised his head and looked at the pale sky in the east, mumbling to himself. In "Nobunaga Ji", Niu Yi consciously avoided the description of Mitsuhide's defeat in Heijing City in the fourth year of Tianzheng.Guangxiu's sluggish look at that time was still fresh in his memory, and he couldn't bear to describe it.Fortunately, at the recitation of "Xinchang Ji", Taige did not notice and was able to escape. ("Nobunaga Ji" full of sins, thankfully I didn't write that part.)

In this way, Niu Yi recalled the fate with Danbo in the past, and marched hurriedly in the early morning light. At eight or nine in the morning, they arrived at Settsu Sanda, where they parted ways with the three hunters.When the open and gentle basin of Settsu Mita suddenly appeared in front of him, Tashi shouted happily. "In the past, when that town held a temple fair, I often put pottery on horseback with my grandfather and came here to sell." Duo Zhi's face was full of brilliance. "Really? You've been here before, to sell things?" In front of Niu Yi's eyes, such a scene appeared - the grandfather was leading the horse, and the cute little girl was running back and forth around. Since the Middle Ages, Settsu Sanda has prospered as the Monzen town of Kinshin-ji Temple.In modern times, the local people used the fertile land formed by the nearby Muko River and its tributaries to cultivate a pastoral area.Now, looking around, there are golden rice waves everywhere. Niu Yi and the others stayed in the Itami area yesterday and found out after inquiring that this place supplies rice for the brewery there. (A peaceful town second only to Itami.) Niu Yi had this impression.Interestingly, none of the temples in the city hold prayers for Taiko's recovery. "Master Taige's majesty has not yet affected here." Dazhi took a deep breath of the refreshing aroma of rice ears, and looked up at Niu Yi. "There are reasons for that, but not quite." Niu Yi recalled the past, and took a deep breath himself. "How should I say it?" Duo Zhi asked, setting up a pergola with his hands to block the sun. "After Akechi's death, the people here hated Hashiba Hidekatsu (Nobunaga's son, Hideyoshi's adopted son) and continued to rebel. Komaki? During the Nagakute War, Ashida Tokunao and others were instigated by Tokugawa Ieyasu and occupied Kuroi Castle and Yuda Fortress, functioning as an anti-Hashiba army. Perhaps because of that, the locals don’t hold prayers for Taiko’s recovery now. Your grandfather doesn’t hate Taiko?” "Grandpa only cared about making pottery, not Akechi, Hashiba, and Tokugawa. He hated all samurai. However, both my dad and uncle said Tamba's pottery was boring, and they couldn't make money, so they gave up their family business and went on the samurai path , and finally all died in battle.” "Last time you said that only your younger brother inherited the family business?" "Yes, besides my father, my uncle is also dead. He is single and has no children. Only my father is the eldest brother, leaving me and my younger brother in this world. My younger brother also hated the old-fashioned family business when he was young. He went to Kyoto and planned to become a monk. But one day, for unknown reasons, he suddenly left the temple and returned to his hometown." Dazhi looked a little puzzled. "Yes. However, even if only one grandson comes back, your grandfather will feel happy." Thinking of being estranged from his family, Niu suddenly felt lonely and quickly changed the subject. "Your hometown, Lihang, where is it?" Niu Yi narrowed his eyes and looked ahead. "Starting from here, we will go upstream along the river. There is still a journey of about three miles. It is a gentle uphill road. You can see the beautiful Mount Arima Fuji on the right side of the road." Dazhi smiled, then perhaps thought of his hometown, and hurried away.Here, she is a trustworthy guide.Niu Yi followed silently. Slim village where Tamba pottery was fired was seen. It is said that at the end of the Heian period, Tamba pottery flourished in Tamba Onohara-so.In the northeast of Onohara, there stands White Hair Mountain. Along the Sidou Valley River originating from its west foot, two villages are formed, facing each other across the river.The villages on the right side of the river are located in a belt-shaped valley, extending from Onohara in the north to Kamaya in the south; the villages on the left side of the river are distributed in the hilly areas around Sanbon Pass and Inari Mountain. Long pottery kiln. Go half a circle along the pottery kiln, turn to the back, and on the lower river bank, potters' homes are scattered here and there.Those houses were built on the hillside. In order to prevent sparks, they did not have thatched roofs. They were replaced by cypress bark and flat stones. The outer walls were also made of red-brown fireproof clay. Under the leadership of Duozhi, Niu Yi walked into a family in the village of Inari Mountain.When I went in, I saw that the room was very spacious and deep.This is probably related to the excavation in Yishan. The front of the entrance is full of workshops, with a workbench in the center, a clay drying field on the left, and a room with a soil mixer in front of it; on the right, there are foot-operated reels and shelves.An old man in overalls stood in front of the shelf, his white hair hanging down to his shoulders. "Is it grandpa? I'm Afeng." Tashi, wearing a samurai costume, suddenly yelled and threw himself into the old man's arms.The old man was stunned, looking at the young warrior in his arms, and after a while, he realized that it was his granddaughter. "Is it really Afeng? Are you alright?" He whimpered loudly and hugged his granddaughter. Only then did Niu Yi know that Duozhi was called Afeng in Lihang.After the Maeno family was wiped out, Afeng disappeared, and the family mistakenly thought that she was killed by Hideyoshi. Soon, a half-naked man ran in from outside the house, greeted Niuyi, and said that he was Afeng's younger brother Shiro.He must have come straight from the kiln, with tea-red soil covering his bare chest and back.A Feng didn't care what happened, he took his younger brother to his side, and the three of them hugged into a ball, weeping with joy. (This is where the human bond comes in.) Niu Yi was moved by the close family relationship. "Oh, oh, sorry." Soon, the old man separated from his siblings and bowed respectfully to Niu Yi. "Afeng came back suddenly. It was too unexpected. Everything was disrupted. My name is Zongbingwei, and I am Afeng's grandfather." He is not tall and has a strong physique.After Niuyi looked at him face to face, he was shocked. His reddish-brown face had no age spots, almost no wrinkles, his waist was straight, and he was very energetic. It was impossible to believe that he was ninety-eight years old. "Where, where, I take the liberty to bother you. I live in seclusion in Osaka, my name is Jifeng, and I used to be a medicine merchant in Echizen Matsuto." Niu Yi solemnly returned the gift. Then, Afeng introduced that the Maeno family was wiped out three years ago, she was hunted down by Hideyoshi, and she was introduced to this gentleman.Although there was no discussion in advance, Afeng is very smart on this point.She knew very well that if grandpa knew that Niu Yi was his granddaughter's savior, he would be very happy and would like him. "That, that is really thankful!" The old man lowered his head even lower. Niu Yi felt embarrassed, and looked at A Feng who was smiling quietly. After chatting for a while—— "To be honest, a year ago, I thought there was no hope, so I set up an empty grave for Afeng. Now that he is back, I want to destroy that empty grave as soon as possible." The old man seemed to come back, which made everyone laugh.Niu Yi also laughed heartily, but for some reason, Afeng just gave a bleak smile. Afeng winked at Niu Yi and his younger brother, which seemed to mean - go out for a walk.Niu Yi immediately reacted. "Please tell me about the pottery in a while. Now I want to take a look around this area before it gets dark." Niu Yichong asked the old man. "I haven't thought of this yet. Hurry up and take a look. The evening scenery in this area is nothing to say. When you are away, I just told the villagers to prepare some simple meals for the evening." Zongbei sent Niu Yi to the door all the time. "The mountain in front is called Kongkongzang Mountain, and the opposite is Hotan Temple Mountain." He pointed to the east and west mountains and told Niu Yi.The river that flows between the two mountains is called Sidou Valley River.Now, the front of the Kongkongzang Mountain is dyed red by the setting sun, and the purple air in the evening has risen slightly from the Hotan Temple Mountain.In the depths of the mountains under the setting sun, the simple and symmetrical beauty of nature is quietly revealed. Under the urging of A Feng, Niu Yi and Shi Lang walked around the hilly area with her and came to the joint burial place in the potter's village.A wooden sign with A Feng's name was erected in one corner. "I told Grandpa not to destroy this empty tomb, sister." "Why, Shiro." "In that case, my sister will never die again." "how is this possible?" The two hugged their stomachs, laughed, and finally decided to let grandpa handle it.The siblings are cheerful and lively, and have a harmonious relationship. However, there is no cemetery of Afeng's parents here. Afeng quietly told Niu Yi that his grandfather could not forgive his eldest son and daughter-in-law who betrayed him.Just now, when grandpa said that he wanted to destroy Afeng's cemetery, she couldn't laugh out loud because of this. Her parents also knew that her grandfather was angry, and they built a cemetery under Bashang City before their death.However, this cemetery was destroyed by Zhizhi's army, and even the stone pagoda became the cornerstone of Zhizhi's fortification.The parents' cemetery disappeared without a trace. As a substitute, A Feng planted a white plum.In the open space of Tsuboya's cemetery, the plum tree stands quietly, about five feet high, usually carefully pruned by Shiro, the branches and leaves are neat, and a circle of small white flowers will bloom in season. The three of Afeng regarded this plum tree as the graveyard of their parents, put their hands together, and visited for a while.For Niu Yi, regardless of the outcome, anyway, Afeng's mother is the benefactor who helped complete the first volume of "Xinchang Ji". (Worth a stop here.) As soon as Niu turned his head, Shiro spoke impatiently. "This plum tree also produced many small plums this year. I picked them home and marinated them. Lord Jifeng, I hope you will bring some back when you go back." Niu Yi replied with a smile on his face: "I am very grateful, thank you." On the way home, Niu Yi chatted with the open-minded Shiro.Shiro's words took him by surprise, and he couldn't help standing in the twilight. "What? You were at Amitabha Temple in Kyoto?" "Yes. I was hunted down by Yu Chai's army. I escaped from the temple with great difficulty. I will never forget what happened sixteen years ago." Shiro said in a calm tone, but for some reason, his clenched fist trembled slightly.