Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven Back to Okazaki

The day that people in Okazaki longed for day and night has finally arrived.Jiro Saburo Yuanxin, who was in Junfu, had given birth to a daughter, and Yuanxin was not too young. He was finally allowed to return to Okazaki City to visit the grave. The daughter she gave birth to was named A Gui.Why it is called this name, Okazaki people do not know.This can only be attributed to the fact that the gossip and gossip flying around Junfu did not reach their ears.This daughter was born prematurely, but there are no rumors that she was the child of Mrs. Suruga and other men. Some people say that her parents were very romantic before marriage... The daughter's name seems to be based on the idea of ​​Mrs. Suruga.Yoshimoto doesn't call Mrs. Suruga's baby name Sena Hime, but calls her Tsuru just like he calls Kira's daughter Kame.And Mrs. Suruga seems to have some kind of meaning in her daughter's name "Game", and it is not known whether it is a concession to Saburo Jiro.

In any case, on the day the baby girl was born, Yoshiwon seemed relieved. "I will let you go back before the first month." When the news that Jiro Saburo was allowed to return to Okazaki Castle at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month reached Okazaki, Jiro Saburo had already set off from Junfu. Okazaki people immediately gathered in the city.They didn't know the price and conditions of Jiro Saburo's return to the city. However, it has been nearly ten years since the ignorant Takechiyo left Okazaki Castle. Regarding the residence of Jiro Saburo, there are two schools of thought.The Joyoro sent by Junfu doesn't seem to have the intention of giving up the city for Jiro Saburo.However, if Jiro Saburo were allowed to live in Erdao City, the retainers could not accept it emotionally, so they were divided into two groups. One group advocated negotiating with the city representative and letting him leave the city temporarily; the other group thought that would make things easier. more complicated.

"If my lord decides not to return to Junfu, it's better not to enter the city occupied by the enemy." "No, it won't. Madame and Miss are still in Junfu." "But do you understand the plan of the grown-up protagonist?" When the two factions were at a stalemate, the old man Tadayoshi Torii, who was temporarily serving in Sandao City, made a decision. "First welcome the lord to the Dashu Temple, and then ask the lord for his opinion. What do you think? Because it is going back to the hometown to sweep the grave, it is more appropriate to do so."

On the eighth day of December in the third year of Hongzhi, Takechiyo, who had grown up and changed his name to Jiro Saburo, returned to Okazaki Castle.It was a cloudless afternoon and the sky was blue.The retainers went out all the way to the vicinity of Ohira Namiki. They completely forgot the cold of winter, and sat quietly on the dry grass and waited. There are all kinds of people coming out to welcome them.The men still kept their samurai attire, but the women of the samurai family could hardly be distinguished from ordinary market women.Among these ragged people, only Heihachi Honda was wearing a beautiful and conspicuous kimono with small sleeves, probably modified from the clothes his mother got when she went to Sumu.Heihachi has grown into an adult, and when he shook his mother's hands, someone shouted: "Here we come!"

"Ah, I see!" "Ah... ah... really impressive!" "Ah... that horse is so majestic!" But it didn't take long for the murmurs of praise to turn into sobs. Jiro Saburo followed behind Sakai Masaku and Uemura Shinrokuro, while Hiraiwa Shinkichi in front rode forward with his spear held high.When he went to Atsuta, Takechiyo was still an innocent and immature child, but now he has become an upright and strong young man. The old people can still see the shadow of his grandfather in the past. "Oh, it's exactly the same as the previous generation's city lord..." The crowd whispered.

Torii Tadakichi and Okubo Tadatoshi took the lead towards the horse team.At this time, Jiro Saburo had already stopped the team and shouted: "Is it the seniors? Thank you!" "As long as the Lord is safe..." Zhongjun replied, he burst out laughing, his voice choked up in an instant, and he couldn't speak anymore. Torii Tadakichi silently walked up to Jiro Saburo's horse, grabbed the reins, and faced the crowd. There was silence all around, only the sound of sobbing could be heard. Mrs. Honda took Heihachi's hand and walked out from the crowd: "Give the reins to Heihachi."

"My lord! Please go back to the mansion." Ping Ba shouted and took the reins from Zhongji. Jiro Saburo still did not move.Waves of hot current hit his heart, he had mixed feelings, but he thought, no matter what kind of difficulties and obstacles he encountered, he must become the pillar of these people! "Let's go to the family temple." Zhongji said.The people sitting silently in the withered grass raised their heads when they heard this sentence. "Well, Okazaki Castle now has a lord, a lord who can unite tens of thousands of people!" The family members of the lower-level samurai who didn't know the inside story thought that Jiro Saburo would stay in Okazaki Castle this time.As the procession marched, discussions among the following crowd erupted one after another.

"The lord is now a relative of Lord Junfu." "Yes. If the people from Junfu withdraw, Okazaki Castle will be ours again." "Yes, let's work together. We will have a good harvest this year." "In any case, this is a rare happy event. Spring has come ahead of schedule." Before arriving at Ohira Namiki, there were only four or five people carrying simple luggage for Jiro Saburo; and when they quickly entered Okazaki Castle, the team was already like Iga Hachiman The day of worshiping the gods in the palace was so huge that everyone had smiles on their faces.

Jiro Saburo walked forward generously and confidently. When he felt his throat was a little choked up, he could only look up at the sky.The more joyful people are, the more sad Jiro Saburo feels in his heart.Because he has not been able to meet everyone's expectations.Whether it was going to Suruga as a hostage, holding Yuanfu ceremony, getting married, or going back to Okazaki to visit the grave, he was just following Yiyuan's orders.And what Yoshimoto will order him to do next is also very clear-to be the vanguard to remove obstacles for Yoshimoto to enter Beijing... That means, to fight to the death with Nobunaga who has already consolidated Owari's territory.The thought of leading these exhausted retainers to a bloody battle with the rich Owari elite division, and the scene of the Okazaki people swearing to the death, made Jiro Saburo feel like a knife cut his heart.

Check it out today!I have come to the grave of my ancestors, but I have no home to return to.Even that big tree temple, only because of Imagawa's permission, will accept him happily.I, am I a homeless daimyo?No, I have been cleverly deprived of all the powers of being a daimyo, and I am just a hostage under the fence.Not only himself, but also his wife and newborn daughter are also hostages. "Let's pay homage to Iga Hachiman Shrine first." When the team turned to the official road, Saburo Jiro looked at Okazaki Castle on the left, and said calmly to Tadakichi who was walking in front.

"Alright." Zhongji came to his horse.He whispered softly, "I'll go to Moonlight Nunnery later." Jiro Saburo didn't answer, just looked up at the clear blue sky.From Zhongji's mouth, he learned that his father Guangzhong's body was once placed in Dashu Temple, and was buried secretly in Moonlight Nunnery later. Zhongkichi was probably afraid that Jiro Saburo, who was so trusted by everyone, would be too sad, so he specially reminded him.Jiro Saburo felt sad for a while, thinking to himself that the death of his father is something Okazaki people don't want to talk about, so he settled down.Let's postpone the sweeping of the grave until later, and forget about my father today! After crossing the Iga Bridge, the Iga Hachiman, enshrined by the Matsudaira clan for generations, appears on the left.Saburo Jiro got off his horse in front of the Hachiman priest and walked up the long stone steps.Although only fifteen years old, he already knew exactly how to control the sadness in his heart.He looked straight at the temple, with no trace of sadness or sorrow on his face. After the visit, Saburo Jiro nodded slightly to Shinrokuro Uemura, whose eyes were filled with tears, exited the shrine, and stepped on his horse leisurely. "Grandfather used to gallop in this area." Before Zhongkichi could answer, the old man Okubo nodded first: "Exactly. Now that I think about it... Xueqiang Kuro was carrying a red spear, and I was carrying a flag. Passing here..." The old man didn't cry, but suddenly let out a dry laugh. When the group arrived at the Dashu Temple in Yatian Township, it was already high in the sun. This Buddhist temple of the Jodo sect built by Sakyono Susuminotada, the fourth patriarch of the Matsudaira family, is a building above the castle in this area.It has been more than 20 years since Jiro Saburo's grandfather Qingyasu restored Qitang Temple in the fourth year of Tianwen, but Dashu Temple still shows no signs of being abandoned. After closing the temple gate, it is as strong as a fortress. "Welcome everyone!" The abbot, the Great Monk Tiantian, greeted them in person and greeted them graciously.Behind him stood about forty mighty monks.These people are monks who protect the Buddhist temple in troubled times, not monks and soldiers. Jiro Saburo got off his horse in front of the door and walked quickly towards the sky monk. "Master Lao is here." "Where, my temple has a deep relationship with the Matsudaira family, so you don't have to be polite. Please go to the guest hall!" He looked carefully at Saburo Jiro again.Fifteen-year-old Jiro Saburo looked very mature, but the monk in the sky felt that he was cautious, different from his father Hirota, more like a deep and sophisticated heroic warrior. There are three guest halls.The innermost room is the rest room of Kiyoyasu, the grandfather of Kiyotada and Jiro Saburo. It is the lower place during this stay in Okazaki, and it is also the place to meet the retainers; but compared with the residence of Shunfu, it looks more like the residence of the daimyo. . The veterans took their seats in the next room.After serving the tea, the monks began to look at Saburo Jiro.That is not the face of an ordinary person, especially his unique ears and facial features, even if he is mixed in the crowd, it is easy to identify him based on this.The monks couldn't help sighing: "It's too similar to his grandfather... His majestic appearance reveals profoundness and fortitude, and his good physique is full of strength and courage." "Are you going to visit the tomb immediately after drinking tea, or after a short rest?" Sky asked. "It depends on what everyone thinks." Saburo Jiro replied. The monk could not help but look at Saburo Jiro again.Jiro Saburo felt like he was being weighed down by something heavy.Leaving aside the Okazaki Castle that he saw just now, let's talk about his ancestors, what exactly were they expecting, and what strength did they rely on to build this Qitang Temple... He felt depressed and a little confused. At this time, veterans came in one after another. "The preparations for visiting the cemetery are ready." Because he has lived as a hostage for a long time, Jiro Saburo often shows a certain kind of carelessness. He has not yet been exposed to the tireless and hard-working trivial life.Even if it was Furuno Castle, Wansong Temple, or the majestic city walls in Junfu, he only regarded them as magnificent buildings. Although these magnificent buildings shocked his immature heart, he did not feel the infiltration of them. the will of man.But when he saw the temple characters built by his ancestors and restored by his grandfather today, he couldn't help but feel a deep and solemn feeling. He felt the dignity of the general family, and truly understood that he was the continuator and inheritor of Songping's bloodline... Jiro Saburo led the important ministers to the ancestor's cemetery under the guidance of the sky monk.Five huge pine trees stand in the cemetery, with several bird nests in the treetops. "At night, these birds are the guardians of the cemetery." The monk stretched out his finger, pointed to the treetops, and then lit a joss stick in front of the tombstone.Jiro Saburo folded his hands facing the setting sun, but he didn't know what to pray for on this occasion.There are his flesh and blood here.A feeling of longing suddenly surged in his heart.He is already the ninth generation of the Matsudaira family... How many more generations will it last? After the sacrifice, the monk in the sky led him back to the mountain gate, and introduced to him the plaque given by Emperor Nara hanging upstairs, with the words "Daishu Temple" inscribed on it. "This is the plaque bestowed by the emperor in November of the second year of Tianwen during the reign of Duke Kang of the Qing Dynasty." Next, the abbot led Jiro Saburo to watch the Tabao Pagoda, observe Qing Yasushi's handwriting engraved on the stone pillar, and also took him to appreciate the portrait of Amitabha Buddha in Yamagoshi donated to Taishu Temple by his relatives. Jiro Saburo just nodded silently.Before, he only felt that his retainers were united around him; now, he felt that he was united with many ancestors. Everyone finally returned to the guest hall. "There's something else for you to see. Please come here, too." Monk Sky called the ministers to Jiro Saburo, and then showed them all the objects that Matsudaira had donated to Dashu Temple over the years.Hiromada, who died at the age of twenty-four, donated so many things that Jiro Saburo felt very sad.There are portraits of Prince Shotoku, banners made by Muxi, and waka written by Hirochu himself. When Jiro Saburo was looking at these relics, Torii Tadakichi suddenly murmured quietly to himself: "It's hard to return to the country as I wished, and I would like to invite my lord to visit my hometown in Tori. I also have some things that I want my lord to see. " Jiro Saburo heard Zhongkichi's words in his ears, but his eyes did not move away from his father's relics. The next day, Jiro Saburo went to Torii Tadakichi's house in Watari. The day before, Saburo Jiro entered Okazaki Castle to pay a routine visit to Joyo sent by the Imagawa clan.In the eyes of the other party, he was just a child, but because Yoshimoto had already ordered him, Cheng Dai prepared five dishes and two soups, and had a dinner with him, but they did not talk about political affairs. "My lord will definitely need your cooperation when he enters Beijing, so I hope you will practice martial arts frequently." The other party repeated in a lecture-like tone, "It's hard to come back to the country, don't forget to advise your servants to be loyal and hardworking." Jiro Saburo just said Nodding silently.How impotent he is!How sad are his retainers!More importantly, what he saw and heard here reminded him of his grandmother's last words and the knot proposed by Zen Master Xuezhai.There will be a bloody battle next time.As long as he thinks of his increasingly painful identity and situation, he feels his blood surging. "This is my castle, I can't just go back like this!" He made up his mind to abandon Mrs. Suruga and her daughter and stay in Okazaki Castle.Torii Tadakichi probably saw what Jiro Saburo was thinking, and instead of leading him to his house in Sandao City, he took him to his private estate in the village. Watari is covered with dense ivy trees, and Zhongkichi's manor looks very majestic among the trees. "Is this the home of the senior?" Saburo Jiro felt that he had finally seen a place he could visit with a smile. The house is surrounded by high walls, and the gate is quite grand.In the whole family, only Zhongji lived in such a intact mansion.Because of his wealth, Zhongji often sent things to Junfu to help, but he did not expect Zhongji to be so rich.The servants welcomed everyone in.After taking his seat, Saburo Jiro realized that this is an academy-style building.I probably thought that many people would come to watch, so I recruited a large number of servants.Tea and snacks were served first, and the family members were respectful and orderly.Although the house is magnificent, everyone's clothes are very simple, but they can still feel the atmosphere of abundance. The winter sun shone warmly on the latticed door. "If the lord has rested, I have something to show the lord." Zhongkichi urged Jiro Saburo.When they arrived in the courtyard, a strong smell of horse feed came to their nostrils. Looking intently, there were four warehouses faintly.Zhongji stood in the courtyard and asked the servant to bring the key. "Go down." He told the servant to leave, and inserted the key into the keyhole of the third warehouse.The solid warehouse door kicked back heavily. "Come inside, please." Jiro Saburo didn't know what Zhongkichi was going to show him, so he bent down and walked in. "Huh?" He couldn't help but widen his eyes.The floor was strewn with piles of copper coins. "My lord." Zhongji said calmly, "If the copper coins are strung together like this, they will not rot, please remember." The amount of money and the way of stringing money made Saburo Jiro interested.It is impossible for Zhongji to have so much money personally.As for how many there are, he is still unable to visually determine when he is young. "So much money! Whose?" "How can a person have so much money? It's all the master's." "mine?" Zhongkichi didn't speak until Jiro Saburo calmed down. "When the lord returns to the country... the elders think that it is the time when the war breaks out. The most important thing in the war is the military salary. If you disturb the people before the battle and make up hastily, it will definitely arouse people's resentment." As he said, he pulled away and walked out Warehouse, "My lord, please don't forget that behind you are the countless hard work of your retainers." His eyes were a little moist, and he closed the door gently. The next warehouse was full of horse gear, armor, knives and guns. "First accumulate money, then prepare weapons, and then store food, all of which are in preparation for the Lord's first expedition." "Is there still food?" "Regardless of people or horses, the battle in front of us can still be dealt with... Even withered grass, we can harvest two thousand dan." Jiro Saburo was speechless.He didn't expect the old man to be so prepared.He even refused to use these grains to help his impoverished retainers, everything was for an emergency... "senior." "yes." "I will never forget all of this! There is one more thing I want to ask Senior." "My lord, please speak." "Imagawa ordered you to be responsible for collecting taxes. Are you using public affairs for personal gain?" Hearing this, Zhongkichi looked at Saburo Jiro in surprise in the dim light.When he saw that there was no expression of blame on Jiro Saburo's face, he felt relieved and replied seriously, "It was originally Matsudaira's taxation, and it's not about shaming the public for personal gain." "It's my wording that was wrong. But senior has saved money and food for me in this way. If the other party finds out, it will definitely cause trouble. Wouldn't senior create disaster for me?" Zhongji's old shoulders excited her to tremble. "senior!" "My lord!" "Senior... Jiro Saburo is able to have such a good retainer, it is thanks to his ancestors..." Jiro Saburo tightly grasped Zhongkichi's wrinkled hands, unable to speak anymore.Zhongji let him hold his hand, coughing violently. At this time, Yuan Zhong, the son of Zhongkichi who returned with Jiro Saburo, shouted: "Father! My lord! Where are you? Sakai Masakusuke and others rushed over from Okazaki Castle." He shouted and ran towards the warehouse.The two wiped away their tears and left the warehouse.The sun outside was extremely bright and dazzling. When the two of them returned to the guest room with Yuan Zhong, Ya Lezhu who galloped forward was wiping sweat under the corridor. "What happened?" Zhongji asked. Ya Lezhu turned his head and told the attendants beside him to go down.After everyone retreated, he looked at Jiro Saburo, then at the old man Zhongji, and said: "I heard that Oda Nobunaga has led an army to the Daka Castle." "Is there going to be a war?" Ya Lezhu nodded. "After Dosan Rendao was killed, I thought Nobunaga would not take the initiative to attack; did he want to form an alliance with his father-in-law's enemy Yilong?" The old man tilted his head in disbelief, "I thought it was impossible for Nobunaga to fight with Yilong The dragon formed an alliance. But it is really reckless to attack Meinong on its own initiative..." "I think a big war may break out, so I came here to discuss with you." Jiro Saburo bit his lip and listened quietly to the conversation between the two.In his opinion, who is very familiar with Nobunaga's character and style, this matter must not be taken lightly.It can be considered that this is a show of strength, that is, Nobunaga's power is strong enough to not be affected by the death of his father-in-law.Of course, it can also be considered that his intention is just the opposite, that is, this action is to show that he and Yilong have reached a tacit agreement to jointly prevent Imagawa from entering Beijing.Nobunaga's actions are often unexpected, and his true intentions are hidden deeply.Maybe he knew that Saburo Jiro was going back to his hometown to sweep the grave, so he wanted to create a chance for him to leave Junfu!Nobunaga was always helping the former Takechiyo.Therefore, this may be regarded as a precursor to the arrival of Nobunaga's messenger.During this period of time, there were constant rumors that Nobunaga had repeatedly sought out the daughters of his retainers as his concubine, and there were already four women in the inner court—could he have really become a womanizer? "If this is Nobunaga's reckless move," Galesuke said to the old man Zhongkichi, "Shunfu will never sit idly by. Why don't we take this opportunity to ask Junfu to let the lord stay in Okazaki Castle and command us to fight? ?” The old man closed his eyes.Yalezhu's words are not unreasonable, but it is difficult to judge whether it is feasible or not.If Jiro Saburo is welcomed into Okazaki Castle now, he is bound to become the vanguard of the castle generals in this war, and Yoshimoto will not show his face.Instead of doing that, wouldn't it be better to send Jiro Saburo back to Junfu immediately, and then ask to welcome the lord into Okazaki when Yoshimoto goes out to fight in person? At this time, Jiro Saburo seemed completely absent-minded.As a young man, he has already endured too much trouble and confusion.One day he will abandon his wife and children, he is seeking the power of determination.Since it will be abandoned sooner or later, why not simply today... Thinking of this, his blood boiled again. Zhongkichi opened his eyes, and seemed to say to Jiro Saburo instead of Masarasuke: "For the Owari Army's actions, let's observe for a few days. After that, the Lord may need to rush back to Sumfu immediately." Nobunaga is throwing stones to ask for directions!Saburo Jiro stared at Zhongkichi closely, thinking in his heart.