Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

Somo Yagyu stayed by General Xiuzhong's side all the time, waiting for news of Xiulai's mother and son.He has been staying in the military camp in Okayama, so he has no knowledge of the dispute between Hayami Kaimori and Ii Naotaka and others, nor has he heard the gunshots.He has full confidence in his cousin.With Okuhara Shinjuro by the side of Osaka mother and son, why worry?Shinjuro is knowledgeable, talented, and decisive, and he will surely live up to expectations.I can rest assured and wait until the appointed time. However, at noon, Jingqiaokou began to use knives and guns, which was unexpected by both parties.

The first party said it was a last resort.At this time, Tokugawa Ieyasu had already entered Sakura Mimon, and the agreed time had passed.However, a large group of people still gathered in the square open space in front of the Kyobashi entrance.These people are mainly old and weak women and children who escaped from the fire, as well as disabled soldiers who can't walk, but how can the Kanto side know their strength? The Kwantung Army is secretly worried, if there are so many samurai hidden inside, they attack the Ying Yumen in one fell swoop and block the entrance and exit, is that okay?Of course, if Ieyasu had received Hideyori's mother and son before noon, such suspicions would not have arisen, and he would have told everyone, "The war is over, put down your swords and guns and go home."However, due to the delay of the people in the barn, the situation took a turn for the worse, and Kanto naturally became suspicious: Could it be that these people have some intentions?Doubt becomes vigilance, and vigilance becomes fear.So the Kwantung Army gave up waiting, blasted open the closed gate with gunpowder, and rushed into the open space.

The sound of the explosion shocked Osaka. "What happened? This voice..." Xiuzhong changed his face and stood up, "Mataemon, go and have a look!" "Follow orders!" Munemo Yagyu rushed to the entrance of Kyobashi on a flying horse.As soon as he arrived, he saw so many corpses lying on the ground in a horrific state... There were young women whose abdomen had been cut open to death, old people and children who had no strength to restrain chickens, monks, and ordinary people in the market. At this time, the bare-chested warriors were still slaughtering crazily.

"Stop! Stop! You bastards!" Mataemon yelled angrily, and suddenly, he found another person who also drew his sword, as if trying to stop the massacre. "Ah, Shinjuro Okuhara?" Yagyu Mataemon couldn't help but wiped his eyes.He originally thought that Shinjuro would definitely stay with Hideyori's mother and son, and must stay with them, but why is he here now? Zong Mo loudly reprimanded the crazy samurai, while approaching the man who looked like Shinjuro, he said, "But Okuhara?" "Hmm..." The other party responded softly. "What happened? Has Hideyori's mother and son been handed over to the Imperial Palace?"

The man didn't answer, turned around and jumped into the moat beside the stone wall. Mataemon exclaimed.On the smoky water, a small boat sailed out quickly.Shinjuro came by boat, why... Yagyu Munemo has no time to think carefully in order to stop the massacre in front of him.He still has full trust in Shinjuro, and he is also very relieved about the barn in Ashidaen. In fact, that person was Shinjuro Okuhara. Shinjuro Okuhara is also the same as Munemo.When he heard a servant report the critical situation at Jingqiaokou, he thought something was wrong.But there was restlessness in the barn at that time, and he didn't dare to be negligent.However, if there is a riot at the entrance of Jingqiao, the exit of the diversion canal must be blocked, and the way he prepared to escape in the worst case will be useless.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" He heard the sound of gunpowder exploding on the way to Jingqiaokou.When they arrived, the horrific massacre had already begun... This is not a war. On this square open space, a group of wolves opened their mouths wide and pounced on a group of sheep who had no way out and had lost their fighting spirit, and started atrocities: the crowd let out a burst of violence. There was a burst of mourning, and the blood splattered further fueled the brutality of the wolf. "Stop! The war is over! I tell you to stop!" Toyomasa Okuhara Shinjuro swung his sword and rushed over. He had forgotten his identity.Although it was only for a moment, he really forgot why he came here.When he came to his senses, he found that he had rushed into the crowd.If Yagyu Sokichi hadn't arrived, in order to restore calm to the wolves, he would have been involved in the frenzied killing from which he could not escape.

Hearing Zong Ju's exclamation, he suddenly regained his composure.When he came back to his senses, what he heard was no longer the wailing at Jingqiaoguchi, but the gunshots at Lutian Garden... broken!Shinjuro Okuhara bit his lip hard on the boat.He never even thought about what happened during the time he was away.He understands that the Jing Yi Army, who suffered a loss in the battle yesterday, will definitely retaliate. They all hate Xiu Lai's mother and son to the bone. "Hurry up!" He urged his servants, "There is no one on the waterway, just in case of emergency..." He said loudly, as if telling himself, "Listen, calm down, calm down! Hurry up!"

However, when Shinjuro parked the boat under the shade of willows next to the latrine, the Jing Yi army had already surrounded the barn, and there was silence in the barn without any life.He suddenly felt a chill down his spine. "Okay, here we are!" Shinjuro heard the trembling voice of the servant, but he seemed to be frozen and remained motionless.It's all over!It seemed that someone took advantage of this small gap and made all his painstaking efforts come to naught.Were everyone in the warehouse killed, or did they commit suicide?Grief-stricken, he took a deep breath and leaped into the barn—he wanted to see with his own eyes that there were no more survivors.

sky!What greeted his eyes were dozens of blood-stained corpses, indescribably tragic and serene: he reluctantly poured the lamp oil on the straw mats and grain piles, and the wick was tipped, and the fire burst into flames.Afterwards, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jing Yijun charging in murderously. Shinjuro had no chance to escape, so he had to lie between Hideyori and Mrs. Yodo, pretending to be a dead body.His series of calm actions in a daze were by no means premeditated, but just out of a moment of urgency. When Ii Naotaka and Honda Masazumi came in, he had already mingled with Ii's miscellaneous soldiers, carrying corpses out and cleaning the blood.The flames and smoke could cover his figure, but they couldn't cover the sadness in his heart.

"A lot of forgiveness, a lot of forgiveness..." Shinjuro thought to himself, removed the sword that was stabbed in Madam Yodo's chest, and pulled his sleeve to cover her open wound.Only then did he come back to his senses, and immediately fell into deep self-blame: I was the one who harmed the Toyotomi family... No matter what, the official lives of Mrs. Hideyorai and Mrs. Yodo must be preserved. This was his oath when he left Okuhara and came to Osaka Castle, and it was even the belief he had buried in his heart recently.However, this belief was shattered by his instant departure.

Hideyori's body had lost its head, but Mrs. Yodo's face looked quite serene, with the ease and calm after being freed from troubles.Only Qianji was saved?Strangely, this incident stimulated Shinjuro's conscience.Until Ii Naotaka washed Hideyori's head and took it away, Shinjuro was still calm.He kept working, because he knew that if he didn't move, the soldiers next to him would become suspicious and bleed again.As he walked back and forth in a hurry, he said bitterly: What should I do in the future? Dozens of corpses were divided into several piles and buried in Lutian Garden on the spot.The supervisor is not Ii Naotaka, but Honda Masazumi and Abe Masaji.When Toshikatsu Doi rushed over from the military camp in Okayama, the surrounding area of ​​the barn had been cleaned up. Everyone stood in the drizzle, with pain or emotion on their faces.Whenever a dead body is removed from the barn on a rough straw mat, they put their palms together and chant Buddha in their mouths. The earthen tombs were newly piled up, and they looked extraordinarily quiet in the drizzle.The figures around Shinjuro gradually became sparse, and Naotaka Ii, Toshikatsu Doi, Masazumi Honda, Shoji Abe, Shigenobu Ando, ​​Tadatoshi Aoyama and others all disappeared.After the war was won, they had a mountain of things to do. Everyone left without being suspicious of Shinjuro who was still there, which made him feel an indescribable loneliness. After a long time, a servant named Xinqi quietly returned to Lutian Garden. He wore a bamboo hat, looked at Shinjuro worriedly, and said, "My lord, everyone is waiting on the other side. Get on the boat." If you don't listen, let it go. Upon hearing this, Shinjuro Okuhara burst into tears.Xin Qi covered his head with a bamboo hat, and stood silently aside, waiting for him to finish crying.But how could Shinjuro's wail stop for a moment? The rain was getting heavier and pounding on the bamboo hat. Okuhara Shinjuro trembled, cried for about a quarter of an hour, and finally stopped.He looked back at Xin Qi, his usual appearance could be seen in his bloodshot eyes. Xinqi breathed a sigh of relief, "Please get on board." Shinjuro smiled, with a touch of heartbreaking sadness in this smile.He walked away slowly. "My lord!" Xinqi shouted.But when he realized where Shinjuro was going, he shut up. Next to the warehouse that was about to collapse, there were several pituitary trees more than ten feet high, and several saplings of linden trees.Shinjuro went straight to the pituitary tree, and suddenly tore off the petals.He even plucked off the saplings of the Bodhi tree, just like slaughtering living beings. Xinqi held his breath.On weekdays, Shinjuro believes that every flower bud and every petal has life, and he cherishes it very much. "Grasses and trees also have lives. It's a pity that they can't tell their pain and hunger like cats and dogs..." Shinjuro, who often said these words, treated them so cruelly at this time? Xinqi was puzzled.Shinjuro has returned, and his hands are full of dead flowers and leaves.He stared straight ahead with a strange gaze. Shinjuro walked towards the earthen grave in the rain.Holding Pittonia flowers and young leaves of the linden tree in his hands, he came to a new grave, stopped, stood there motionless, and fixed his eyes on the grave.The smell of blood had already penetrated into the soil, and disappeared into the boundless emptiness. "Falling leaves return to their roots!" Shinjuro muttered in a low voice, stretching his hands forward, "People and land are safe... Hey!" Petals and young leaves are falling. Hearing this loud shout, several soldiers who stayed beside the barn were startled, and they all looked this way.Okuhara Shinjuro turned around and retreated to the dark place. "Okay, let's sail." His voice was very thin, as if weeping.This boat was originally prepared for Mrs. Dian and Xiu Lai, in case they escape.However, none of the Kwantung soldiers found this boat strange. Everyone in Toyotomi has no one left to live. Thinking about it this way, Toyomasa Okuhara Shinjuro and his retainers everywhere under his orders have naturally become people from Kanto.He had never hated or liked any party, perhaps because of this, the change of his mind was extremely natural. It's still an adult's art of war!Xinqi praised secretly while rowing.After these few days, everyone can return to Yamato safely.Many people still have parents, wives and children. Even if they have no children, their ancestral graves for hundreds of years are still in Okuhara.Seeing these people who followed Shinjuro come back, the ancestor Jiuquan knew it, and he would be quite relieved.To be able to go back alive is really like a nightmare... Thinking of this, Xin Qi's eyes became hot. When rowing to the riverside, a boat with the flag of Nine Ghosts Shoulong came rowing, and someone shouted, "The fief or the green mountain?" "The fief!" Xinqidao said. The place they are going to is Baxuan's house.On the river bank, many family members have already gathered together, waiting for Shinjuro Okuhara.Needless to say, the pursuit of the rest of Osaka began on the river bank.Fights can be seen everywhere, but few people have doubts about this unscrupulous boat. On the boat, Shinjuro Okuhara crossed his arms and fell into deep thought. Don't disturb the adults yet... Shinshichi couldn't hide the joy in his heart, looking at the scenery along the way, he didn't dare to disturb Shinjuro Okuhara.In his opinion, Okuhara Shinjuro was wholeheartedly trying to save the lives of Hideyori and Mrs. Yodo, but he was saddened by such a result. Tianmanqiao appeared in front of my eyes, and the figures of some common people could be seen on the bridge, passing by in a hurry.Everyone knows that the war is over, and they are going home to take care of tomorrow's livelihood. "Shinchi." Shinjuro Toyomasa said suddenly, "Is Lingtang still healthy?" "He died two years ago." "Oh, it's dead." "After the villain returns, he must first go to the grave to report his safety." "Even under the Nine Springs, mothers still have to wait for their children to return safely." "Aren't adults going to visit the grave too?" "Ok." "The old family will be very relieved to see us go back. But at this time, the taro is still too young." "Taro?" "Yes. Although they are still young, they still have to dig them out and eat them, all in order to survive." Shinjuro said, "I'm about to separate from you." "Hey? What did you say?" Xin Qi hurriedly asked. "I can't go back." Shinjuro Toyomasa whispered, and glanced at Xinqi, "Xinqi, do you think the person in the tomb is alive or dead?" Xinqi stared wide-eyed, and stopped paddling, "Yeah...it is said that death is rebirth, that is, continuing to live in another world." "Oh." "Don't you think so?" "I think so too. Continue to live in another world... Yes, that's why death in this world is called rebirth." "Yes. Grandpa said to the villain: He is not going to die, but to continue to live in another world without worries and sorrows. Although the little one can't hear his voice or see his face, as long as the little one If you act properly, he will help secretly." "Oh." "So, after returning home, the first thing to do is to visit the grave and thank your grandfather. The adults will definitely do the same. The ancestral graves of the adults are much larger than those of the small ones." "Oh." "Therefore, there are many more Buddhas than the little ones, waiting for the adults to go back." As he asked, the boat had already docked. "The fief or the green hill?" "fief!" It was Date Bingbing who asked the question. The two master and servant got off the boat, and after seeing Yida's army pass by, they came to an old tea house under the old camphor tree and sat down.The owner of the shop here is probably going to take refuge. There are reed curtains hanging in the big room, but there is no sign of opening.Okuhara Shinjuro's family consisted of about forty people. They sat cross-legged in a circle, each with a small piece of cloth with the words "benefactor" hanging on their left shoulders, which was completely the image of the Kwantung Army. The rain is getting lighter, and the sky in the west is getting brighter. "Oh, the master is here." "Exactly, just lit the fire." Sure enough, the smell of rice wafted from the house. "You have worked hard!" Shinjuro Okuhara wiped the rain from his face in the room, and whispered, "The war is over. After dinner, everyone divide into two teams and go home." These words made Xinqi feel very uneasy, "What about you, my lord?" Shinjuro shook his head slowly, "I can't go back. I have no face to visit the grave and meet my ancestors..." "This, this is...why?" The family members hurriedly asked, "How can we go back if the master doesn't go back? The old family will not agree, and everyone will be angry and call us disloyal..." "Yes! How can we leave the master and go home alone! If the master doesn't go back, we won't go back either!" The servants echoed.After saying that, the audience was silent, everyone wanted to hear Shinjuro's explanation.However, Shinjuro didn't say much, he just took off the deerskin bag at his waist and threw it in front of everyone, "Go back around Nara Road. It contains our military pay, which is issued by Youfu." "but……" "A lot of shops have already opened, and I can buy some gifts for my family... Also, if my family members ask me, they will say that I have died in battle or have lost track." "Master, no matter what..." "Yes, no matter what, I won't go back!" Shinjuro put on a smile and looked up at the drizzled sky, "You don't understand, I...I can't go back, there's no need to say the reason. I lost...lost to Myself! I can't forget this failure." "..." "Actually, there is another reason, that is, I am Toyotomi's retainer. I don't want to hurt the folks because of this. You have to remember, if someone goes to question you, you will say that Okuhara Shinjuro Toyomasa has not returned. They will I won't blame you. No, maybe you will be rewarded in the future..." Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, all silent, seeming to understand Shinjuro's words. "Remember, you must live in harmony with the people in the village, and I also ask everyone to guard my tomb. This is the only wish in my life. Only in this way will the ancestors be relieved, saying that Shinjuro has some backbone." After finishing speaking, Shinjuro stood up. "Wait a minute!" Shinshichi grabbed Shinjuro's armor, "Well... well, before that, my lord should hide for a while. Besides, traveling around the world requires some money. Take these!" "Don't worry!" Shinjuro smiled slightly, "There won't be any more wars in the near future. The shops of all sizes on the street will be open. I will sell this armor and this sword on my body, and I will be able to live on my own. Remember every year I'm going to sweep the grave, please!" "what……" "Everyone, don't look for me...don't look for the defeated ones, this is the rule of Yagyu's gate wall. No matter who asks, they will say that I have lost my whereabouts." After speaking, Shinjuro took Shinshichi's hand away, Disappeared in the drizzly street. Toyomasa Okuhara Shinjuro never set foot on his homeland again.Many years later, the people in the village are still guarding the cemetery of his family...