Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen

As soon as Hataro Takeuchi returned to Kuma Mansion, there was an endless stream of visitors. The first person to visit was Mr. Hirushi who accompanied Master Odayoshi.He had a secret conversation with Portaro for two hours.No one knows what they are talking about, but it is conceivable that Hataro must have told him what he saw and heard on the way to the capital and Osaka.Hataro is so close to the Oda family, no one knows exactly what he wants to get out of it, what purpose he has. After the secret talk, Portaro came to the altar where he had been estranged for a long time, and offered sacrifices overnight.

Hieraka told Master Ji that Hataro wanted to rely on Oda and his son to save the troubled times. "The owner of this family was entrusted by the Southern Dynasty, and he is a practitioner. He hopes that through prayers, the blessings of the Heavenly Dynasty will come to you. You must listen attentively." When Bo Taro accompanied Master Ji to the altar, he mentioned something that had nothing to do with praying: "Master Ji, do you think you can successfully inherit the great cause of the Oda clan?" Over the past few years, Master Ji not only grew taller, but also became more mischievous and violent. "You think I don't have that ability?" He stared at a pair of eagle eyes and asked sharply.His tone and expression were nothing like that of an eleven-year-old boy.

Hataro still had a calm expression on his face, shaking his head slightly with a half-smile. "Why do you ask such a question?" "Because the young master is too clever." "Are you trying to warn me that it's too late?" Hataro nodded: "Young Master has many brothers. Although Oda-sama wants you to inherit the family business, there are some people who don't." "You mean, to make me dull?" "Look, look, it's like you are now, before others say the constitution, you take the lead. This will only create more enemies for yourself, not to mention inheriting the great cause, you may even lose your life. You must pretend to be stupid. Even if you think of a lot of things, you have to pretend that you didn't think of it."

Master Ji didn't speak, just glared at Bo Taro.Although he didn't say that he understood what Botaro meant, but after Botaro finished praying for him, he was much more honest than before.When he exited the altar, he said to Botaro: "You asked me to pretend to be stupid, but this kind of stupidity is different from the previous ones, isn't it?" He seemed to have read Botaro's mind, "I understand. I will Keep it firmly in mind." After Master Ji left, the strange monk came with the wind.Suifeng hardly talked about the current situation with Portaro this time.He is about to embark on his own journey to persuade powerful people from all over the world to become Buddhist disciples.He seems to have forgotten that Mizuno Tokuro he met in Osaka, that is, Ogawa Iori and A Jun eloped.Stayed in Xiong Mansion for three days, then left calmly with the wind.

Some people living near Kuma Village, whether it is Hataro's subordinates or not, also came to visit one after another.The lord of Kariya Castle, Mizuno Shimono Mori Nobumoto, who hadn’t seen each other for a long time, unexpectedly sent an envoy. He was a man in his thirties, whom Hataro had never met before. Perhaps it was the favorite minister that Nobumoto recruited after Mizuno Tadamasa’s death. . Walking into Xiong's Mansion, which is full of bearded plants, the envoy probably worried about his etiquette, so he adjusted his collar specially.When he came to the academy, he sat opposite to Hataro: "Akutagawa Higashima is here to visit!" After giving his name arrogantly, he babbled about how his lord, Shimono Mori, missed Hataro. "My lord is wiser than the previous lord. It is a great honor to be cared by such a wise lord." He told Hataro in a tone that could not refuse that Shimono Mamoru wanted to invite him to the city to enjoy the chrysanthemums.

Bo Taro showed no expression, and said: "Please tell Mr. Shimono that I happen to have something to do at this time, please choose another good day." The messenger stared at the dog.Although Hataro is exempt from paying the annual tax, he is also a leader of Mizuno.He dared to refuse the invitation of the city lord, which really made the messenger unbelievable. "I was quite surprised. My lord specially asked me to come here. If you refuse, it will be a disrespect. Please be sure to reject the agreement, sir!" Hataro said coldly: "Then, isn't it impolite to reject the previous agreement?"

"It varies from person to person. The one who invites you now is the city lord." "Then I will tell people, this is the order of the city lord, please forgive me." Portaro clapped his hands and called the goddess, and smiled at the envoy. "To send an envoy, let's say that Mizuno-sama ordered the cancellation of the 15-day sacrifice." He said calmly again, "Send an envoy to Odadan Masaobu Hide-sama in Gudu and Saburo Goro Nobuda-sama in Anxiang City." "Ah?" The messenger suddenly changed color. "Ah, no, wait!" He called to the goddess who was about to step back, "The person who made an appointment with you is Mr. Tanzheng and his son?"

Hataro avoided the other party's gaze, and looked at the echidna flowers in the yard.The figure of younger sister Yu Guo appeared in front of her eyes.Just now he received news that Yu Guo, who was delirious, gave birth to a child.Thinking of this, he suddenly began to tire of himself—sarcasm to mere envoys to show his resentment towards Xin Yuan, his mind was too narrow.Hataro then looked at the pale envoy, and said with a smile: "If Shimono Mori-sama breaks the appointment with Oda and his son because of Shimono Mori-sama's order, Shimono Mori-sama will probably be in trouble. Shimono Mori-sama ordered you to go down, there must be something. Okay, today I'll just go with Your Excellency." He looked back at the goddess, and said lightly, "Okay, I'm fine."

The emissary of Xiaye Shou took one step ahead of Hataro and hurried back to the city. Hataro leads the horse out of the Kuma mansion, and the autumn scenery can be seen in full view, and Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance.Blue sky and white clouds, wild chrysanthemums blooming at the feet.The war has lasted for a hundred years... Although this is unbelievable, a few ragged civilians in the autumn scenery are proof.People have come to believe that war will not disappear from this world.The peace of the Heian Dynasty and the Nara Dynasty can only appear in dreams, and the world will always be full of suffering.If this world is a cycle of suffering, then having a child is a sin, and being born in this world is even more a disaster.Hataro couldn't help but sighed as he rode on the horse.

In the territory of Jintai Temple, the birds are singing and the ears of rice are swaying heavily in the wind.The pine trees in the samurai mansion are full of branches and leaves, and all kinds of grass seem to be enjoying the joy of life.Why are only humans suffering?While incredible, it's not surprising.Everything in the world must conform to the laws of nature, but human beings have forgotten that their lives are endowed by heaven.They act arbitrarily, classify, seize land, kill, hate... When will human beings realize their ignorance?Thinking of the seemingly endless chaos in the world, Hataro sighed again.

The Buddha asserted that there are disputes in the world because people have desires, so he voluntarily gave up his status and power.The same is true of the royal family, who used sacrifices to express their awe of nature.And that wisdom is now clouded.People not only fight for every inch of land, but also turn all people who are born equal into servants and slaves, firmly in their hands.In this world, there are relatives, masters and slaves, will vegetation, mountains and rivers, birds and beasts be masters and slaves... Just thinking of this, several warriors with guns stood in front of Hataro, "Get off the horse! What do you think this is! " Only then did Hataro realize that he had arrived at the main gate of Kariya Castle.From here, pass through Erdaocheng and Sandaocheng to reach the main city, which is nearly ten towns away.When Mizuno Tadamasa was around, there was no need to dismount here.Shimono Mamoru began to become arrogant.The benevolence that regards Wanmin as a treasure has been replaced by martial arts.But many people still think they can get benefits from it, and rush to follow. Hataro dismounted, threw the reins to the opponent, untied the hakama belt leisurely, and urinated into the moat.The retainers had never seen such a bold person before, and they couldn't help but looked at each other. Morimoto Shimono received Hataro at the newly built university.Xinyuan has become slightly fatter, and his speech and eyes are slightly restrained. "Hataro, you haven't changed at all. Could it be that there is a magic formula for immortality?" He squinted his eyes, pretending to be very concerned, and then dismissed the people around him, "Zhanyan is gone. It's been three years, time really flies by." "yes." "I used to go to bother you, but I still miss Yu Guo." Hataro didn't answer, but just looked at the green miscanthus on the new partition. "I don't know who once said that people tend to feel nostalgic in autumn. I thought of you and wanted to enjoy the chrysanthemums with you... But I heard that you have already made an appointment with someone, so I feel helpless." Shimono continued in a low voice Said: "It's a pity for Yu Guo!" Hataro stared sharply at Nobumoto.There was neither hatred nor pity in his fixed eyes, they were as calm as water. "I... If she was a little more cautious, she might have married into the city by now. Alas, this is not the fault of Yu Guoyi, it is the fault of that bastard Tokuro..." Portaro felt that Xinyuan was pitiful.Can he really be comforted by repeating such a lie? Xinyuan saw that Hataro's expression was as calm as water, so he leaned forward and supported the couple. "No, I can't blame Mr. Fujikuro for this. He must not know the relationship between me and Yu Guo. I can only blame Yu Guo...but Yu Guo is still too pitiful. Every time I go to appreciate chrysanthemums, I will think of her. In the scent of white flowers, her soul..." "grown ups." "Oh?" "My lord came to me, what's your order?" "Look at me, I forgot about it for a while. We are all very sad about Yu Guo's affairs. However, today's incident is not unrelated to this." "My lord means..." "You love your sister, and so do I. Yuda who married into Okazaki..." Shimono Mamoru lowered his voice, "It seems that he has separated from Hirochu." Hataro stared at Shimono Mori. "I don't need to tell you why, you can understand it. Okazaki is very dissatisfied with my relationship with Oda-sama. Therefore, I have something to ask." Portaro said nothing. "Those veteran Okazaki ministers who caused the tragedy, in order to cover up their mistakes, will definitely be sent to my territory..." "Forgive me, it's hard to follow my orders!" Before Shimono finished his words, Hataro's face changed drastically. "you?" "It's hard to obey me." "Hmph! I haven't finished my sentence yet!" "If the adults don't say it, the subordinates will know." "How do you know?" "God informed." Shimono snorted.He was already impatient, and just now he was beating around the bush for a long time, but he was rejected before he finished speaking, how could he not be annoyed? "Oh? The gods told me——if that's the case, I can't do anything about it. Who told you to serve the gods?" "Exactly." "Okay, get out! But, Hataro, do you think you can continue to live in my territory?" "It was not in your territory." "What did you say? You don't live in my territory?" Hataro suddenly burst out laughing.Yu Guo's figure appeared in front of his eyes, and the resentment in his heart suddenly burst out.The gods created the land for humans, not for one individual.Once someone wants to take this public land for private use, the gods will use war as punishment.However, even if he told Shimono Mori this truth now, he would not understand. "The piece of land that I own, even Oda-sama was exempted from the annual tax...that's all I want to say. Haha...Sorry for being rude, please leave!" Hataro saluted respectfully and stood up. Shimono Mamoru widened his eyes angrily, staring closely at Hataro's back.He gritted his teeth and gave a high-five.Before the bodyguard came in, he stood up abruptly and walked out in a hurry. "Gon Rokuro! Gon Rokuro, change clothes!" Akutagawa Gonrokuro dressed as a servant and came to the eaves. "We can't let Xiong Ruomong go back like this!" Shimono Mamoru hurriedly said, "Did you hear the conversation between the two of us just now?" The ninja of the Akutagawa style nodded: "Master, don't tell outsiders about this." "Bastard!" Shimono Mamoru was about to go into a rage, but the bodyguard heard the applause and had already entered the academy.Shimono Mamoru hurriedly walked away from Gon Rokuro. "City Lord, you called me?" The valet put his hands on the ground beside the partition. "Of course I called you!" Shimono Mori cursed loudly, then paced back and forth in the room.He must not let his retainers see his panic—even though he thought so, he still couldn't calm down. "What should I do? That Hataro... and Okazaki's veteran..." "May I ask what is the order of the city lord?" the boy asked. Shimono Mamoru was still pacing up and down the room, and finally suppressed the anger in his heart.He thought that Portaro would be submissive to him as before, but it seems that he was wrong.Portaro has long been ambitious.At that time, he must have wanted to send Yu Guo to the city in order to obtain glory and wealth, but his dream was shattered with Yu Guo's death.Now Portaro has colluded with Oda.He is a traitor who serves the gods and often talks about gods, and he may be more favored by Zhenzheng Xinxiu than Xinyuan. Shimono Mamoru calmed down, feeling more and more terrible about Portaro.He is neither angry nor depressed, and can always see the depths of the other party's soul, like a cold spring flowing quietly.What a horrible man!This fear made Nobumoto's anger towards Okazaki even more intense.Hataro has strength.He has a careful mind and foresight, and he can influence Oda Danzheng.Compared with him, Matsudaira Hiroshida is a pedantic and incompetent generation. Shimono Mamoru had already forgotten the idea of ​​killing Okazaki Shigeomi, and became anxious.He felt that Guangzhong was against himself and broke up with Yu Dasan, it was beyond his control and extremely rude! "Why are you still there?" He just glanced at the boy waiting in the corridor.His voice was already very quiet: "Call Yuan Liu, I have something to do with him." The boy saluted and retreated.Shimono Mori walked out and waved towards the lush grass. "My lord called me?" The ninja Akutagawa Gonrokuro appeared nonchalantly. "Quan Six." "exist." "Just now I asked someone to call Yuan Liu, and I have something to order." "yes." "Genroku is the son of Motoemon, who was favored by his late father. Watch him and see if he can faithfully carry out my orders." "As ordered." "Also, even if Yuan Liu carries out my order, if you miss, you have to continue his mission." "Your Excellency, do you want to remove the head of Okazaki City Lord?" Shimono shook his head.He didn't hate Guangzhong that much. "Don't be smart. Listen to me first..." He looked up at the sky. "Innocent blue. Look, Quan Liu. The blue of the sky dripped down and turned into platycodon flowers." Hearing the approaching footsteps of Sugiyama Genroku behind him, he looked at the flower bed in the yard with joy. . Shimono Mamoru's words stabbed Sugiyama Genroku's heart like a needle.The weather was indeed sunny, but by no means cloudless.At this time, thick clouds rise from the left side of Mount Tsuki, which is very rare in autumn. In daimyo's house, whenever the master is changed, the important ministers will feel restless.Those favored by the old master will be alienated, and those who were alienated before will complain to the new master about their grievances.Those who are retainers often have to act according to the master's face. Yuanliu had to be cautious because his father Motoemon was reused by the former master.If his father Motoemon had continued to be the head of the family, the Sugiyama family might have been expelled as well.However, when the suzerain changed, Yuanyouemon voluntarily retired and gave up the throne to Yuanliu.This is the safety policy before the storm. "Yuanliu met the city lord." "Oh, Yuan Liu, come closer." Shimono quickly returned to his seat. "When Yu Da got married, it seemed that your sister followed her, didn't she?" "yes." "what is her name?" "Xiao Sasa." "Yes, it's Xiao Sasa. Xiao Sasa was brutally kicked out by Okazaki. Besides, it's not just Xiao Sasa." Yuan Liu couldn't guess Shimono Mamoru's intentions, and knelt down on the tatami mat respectfully. "Don't worry, I didn't blame you. You sent Okazaki, but Hirochu refused to follow my advice and refused to follow Oda." Yuan Liu looked up at his master, the clouds behind Xin Yuan were moving rapidly, and now they had covered half of the window, turning lead color.The sun shone into the house, making people feel frightened. "It's not your fault, it's Guangzhong who is too stupid." "I'm terrified." "It doesn't have to be. He's just plain rude." "Ah... yes." "Not only drove Xiao Sa out, shamed the envoy, but also separated from Yu Da." "Get away..." "You're angry, and I'm angry too—are we going to let him be so presumptuous?" Yuan Liu's shoulders began to tremble violently. "We can't stop here. If we don't give them a little color, how can we, Kariya, stand in the world? There is an important task for you." As the chief general, he will never put his subordinates to death.But Shimono Mamoru sent an important mission to his subordinates in anger.Yuan Liu was thinking about it secretly, and Shimomori said in a low voice: "Listen, if the team sent to Yuda dares to step into our territory, they will be killed without mercy! This is my greeting gift to Guangzhong. If you let go of a People, don’t even think about protecting the whole family.” The cloud just now finally completely obscured the window.The sun was still shining halfway across the sky, but a bolt of lightning flashed across the window and thunder rumbled. "Obey!" Sugiyama Genroku was not so much answering Shimono Mori as he was answering the sound of Akirai.He learned from Xiaosa that Yu Da was very popular in Okazaki.However, she also became a victim of troubled times and was forced to leave Okazaki.There must be many people who are reluctant to part with her. "Forgive me for your boldness..." After Yuan Liu took the order, he already had a premonition that he was about to face a severe storm, "If someone wants to harm Miss, what should I do?" "You mean, they dare to make a big move?" "I think they will definitely take Miss as a hostage." "No need to worry." "Oh?" "Yu Da is the one who married Okazaki, don't worry about her..." "Your Excellency, you don't need to worry about the young lady... just kill people?" "This is the rule of a warrior, don't think so much!" He ordered with a serious face, probably feeling that he was too cruel to his biological sister, and said again: "Yuan Liu, you have to understand my difficulties. Yu Da is indeed pitiful, but if We let them go like this, and Okazaki will look down on Kariya in the future, leaving a curse for the future." Yuan Liu bowed his head respectfully again.Thinking of Yu Da's pity and his own sorrow, he couldn't help feeling sad.The father who has retired will definitely not allow himself to accept this task, because after all Yu Da is the most beloved daughter of the Former Lord. "Even if you become a rogue because of this, you can't be ashamed of your predecessor." Seemingly hearing his father's voice, he looked up at Shimono again, with fear on his face, and said, "How many people should I take with me?" "Two hundred people." "two hundred……" "No, three hundred men, set up an ambush." "yes." "Don't rush forward in haste. Try to lure the enemy into deep before attacking." The raindrops tickled, the lightning pierced the sky, and the thunder was deafening.The two couldn't help but look out the window at the same time.Under the beating of the raindrops, the horse drunk tree fell to the ground. Akutagawa Gonrokuro came out from behind the wall. "Hmph, it's my duty to catch those little ones who escaped from Lord Sugiyama." He seemed to feel that he was overkill, so he gritted his teeth and whispered, and walked slowly to the eaves to avoid the rain.