.One Hundred and Eighty Six, before the river crosses, the bridge will be demolished first (Part 2)

One Hundred and Eighty-six, before the river crosses, the bridge will be demolished first (Part 2)

Under the stale and rigid shogunate system, the rural peasants of the Japanese island country were the ones who lived the most difficult life besides the untouchables.

Strictly speaking, there were no rich peasants in the Japanese countryside at that time. There were poor peasants who were so poor that they could not be poor anymore. Even the country warriors (referred to as village sages) who managed and ruled these poor peasants did not have a good life. Apart from having a knife, they were not much better than those poor people.

Xiangle Zongsan was born in such a village family. Although he was known as a samurai, he was so poor that he couldn't afford to live in a wooden house. He could only use yellow mud adobe house and thatched roof. Because the thatched roof was difficult to withstand the typhoon, he had to put many thick wooden piers and stones on the roof to crush the thatched grass. As a result, the earthquake collapsed. Fortunately, the house was thin and could not be destroyed...

The room was empty and there was no furniture. The floor was covered with dirt. There were only a few wooden boards next to the fire pit. The whole family squeezed to sleep beside the fire pit every night to avoid rheumatism caused by sleeping directly on the mud. The extravagant tatami and paper sliding doors were even hard to afford, and there were not even a few pieces of paper at home. Anyway, they didn't need paper to go to the toilet, and a bunch of straw was solved.

In Xiangle Zong San's memory, the family is worth a little money except for two swords, and it can basically be said to be nothing else. There has never been a luxury item lock on the door, and passers-by can push it open and enter it at will - because there is nothing to steal.

Even the fence on the edge of the yard is not to prevent thieves, but to prevent thieves from being lost. It is to prevent the chickens raised by their own homes from being lost. This is still a patent for the "rich family", because the only landlord Xiangle Zongsan in the village has a few egg hens and a big rooster equivalent to the alarm clock of the whole village. Therefore, in the homes of other farmers, even this simple barrier has been saved.

Unlike the superior warriors who earn salaries in the city, the rural sects have no salary to pay, and they also have to work in the fields with their hands. In theory, they are the most grassroots village cadres-level civil servants. Their job is to collect the farmers' land rent for the lord, deduct some oil and water and then pay it... But if the year is not good, not only will there be no oil and water to squeeze, but they will have to pay it in by themselves.

——Originally, the management and tax collection were usually the most oily and fatty, but at that time, the legal taxes in many vassal states were as high as 70% to 80% of the land. In addition, the private extortion of officials from the past were almost all the rice in the fields. The lowest-level village sect just wanted to deduct oil and water, but there was no unnecessary things to deduct.

Moreover, since the territory of each vassal state is quite small, the superiors naturally keep a close eye on it, and it is difficult to conceal the land. What's worse, unlike the gentry of the Central Plains Celestial Empire opposite the sea who did not have to pay taxes, even warriors in this country cannot be exempted from taxes. In addition, even in the year of disaster, it is difficult to obtain the grace of tax reduction and exemption. In order to pay taxes, many farmers had to borrow from merchants, but were unable to repay the debts, so they had to pay for it with their children...

Therefore, although Xiangle Zongsan's family is a samurai who manages a village, they can only eat radishes, taro, potatoes and sweet potatoes, and they can't fill their stomachs. It seems that only during the Chinese New Year and the holidays can they eat a few meals of white rice. They usually wear coarse cloth short clothes, barefoot, and the only set of samurai dresses are always collected as treasures. Every autumn, when paying tribute rice, they are often whipped because of arrears of rent.

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In the most tragic year, the village suffered a locust plague, and the grain yield was reduced to almost no grain harvest, but it was still urged. What's even more terrible is that due to the spread of famine in the whole country, merchants could not stock up, and the villagers wanted to borrow usury loans, but no one was willing to lend money. In the end, let alone rice, even the radish and taro were taken away by the officials. Even the three families of Xiangle had to eat bark and grass roots. Later, they couldn't stand it, and finally fled to Osaka City to join their distant relatives. Although they were so angry that they suffered so much that they had saved their lives.

When this disaster passed, Xiangle Zongsan followed his parents back to the village, but found that most of the villagers who stayed survived except for some old men and women. Asked them how they lived the winter, they replied that they had beaten a few wild boars. Xiangle Zongsan became suspicious at that time. When he left his hometown to escape, the villagers were so hungry that they could not walk. Where could they have the ability to fight fierce wild boars?

It was not until a long time later that he gradually understood how miserable things happened in the village at that time. As the weather began to winter, the ground was frozen firmly, and the villagers had no place to even get the bark and grass roots. As for killing wild boars, they didn't even think about it. The strong people had already gone out to escape the famine. The remaining old, weak, sick and disabled people were almost the same to give the wild boars snacks... Finally, they were about to starve to death together, and finally developed to the point where they had to eat people.

But eating people is not allowed by lunar morality after all. So some old people in the village stood up and put on wild boar skins to pretend to be wild boars. The villagers beat them to death as wild boars, cut off the meat and eat them separately, and then deceived themselves and said that they were eating wild boar meat...

Hearing such a tragedy that happened in his hometown this winter, and recalling the luxurious life of the wealthy and powerful people who saw in Osaka Castle at the same time, the luxurious life of the day and the yellow-haired and blue-eyed Western ghosts and animals rampant in the streets, arrogant and domineering, and wantonly beating the "noble" samurai, Xiangle Zongsan couldn't help but be angry at this dark world where right and wrong are reversed.

However, even with such a tragic life, Xiangle Zongsan, who became an adult, found that he could not survive any longer.

——In the past twenty years, thanks to the "Take of the Dragon" who first defected to the "foreign master", this country was originally the most humble and not even regarded as a human being, and other untouchables, transformed into two Japanese devils, and suddenly became proud and quickly took advantage of the strength of the Western colonists to oppress those who once despised themselves.

About a year ago, the hereditary territory inherited by Xiangle Zongsan (that poor village) was somehow noticed by a group of untouchables nearby. When they couldn't buy it for a low price, they forced some very irrelevant excuses to force the vassal to remove the samurai family character of Xiangle Zongsan on the charge of "slackness" and "delaying rent and taxes", and transferred the territory to the "filthy" gang that "exposed" the crime.

Faced with such a sudden disaster without warning, in order to protect his ancestors' foundation, Xiangle Zongsan, who had just graduated from a vassal school, tried his best to petition and appeal everywhere. Unfortunately, these untouchables stood behind the untouchables, and the government helped the Westerners to speak. After eating a lot of sticks in several yamen, Xiangle Zongsan was unfortunately defeated and was kicked out of the ancestral house. He was about to become a ronin and wandered away from his hometown.

Such a bad situation further aroused his anger towards this dark old world. Soon after, news came from Kyoto that His Majesty the Emperor had raised an army and destroyed the main force of the Shogunate's siege. After hearing the news, General San of Xiangle immediately sneaked back to the village, summoned a number of close friends, rushed into his old house, and cut down the "filthy" untouchables who occupied his ancestral property. Then he simply did not do anything, and led hundreds of troops to break through the nearby untouchables' settlement, so as to burn and kill them, so as to avenge them.

After all the revenge and killing were over, Xiangle Zongsan, who had calmed down, was shocked to find that after such a big vote, he had already drawn the bow and turned around. He had only one way to go to the dark after getting up to rebel.

As the world has become more and more chaotic over the years, the Edo Shogunate, who has ruled the island country for hundreds of years, is shaking. As he is about to come to an end, the blood of the warriors on him can't help but start to burn, eager to gallop on the battlefield - use blood and fire to cleanse this dirty and dark old world; use swords and muskets to write a magnificent song of his own in this great era; use brilliant military achievements to make himself a humble villager become the leader of a city and a country

——I have to say that this is a man who is full of passionate ideals of saving the country and is extremely eager to achieve fame and fortune.

So, Xiangle Zongsan formed a small "Child Propaganda Group" in his hometown, and took the lead in going to Beijing to serve the king. Then he asked himself to be the vanguard and went to Donghai Road alone. Relying on the imperial edict of the court to "exempt this year's tribute rice" to mobilize the peasants, he continued to expand his troops along the way and fought with the soldiers of various vassals all the way. However, in just a few months, he had already established a great reputation and could be called worthy of his ancestors.

However, his soldiers had increasingly become more and more suspicious of the justice and prospects of victory of this war.

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".........This, there are indeed many monks and nuns in the world who are unrestrained. However, the court did not prepare in advance, so they did a one-size-fits-all approach and completely wiped out the Buddha. It seemed a bit too hasty. It felt like they were throwing off the child and dirty water together..."

Regarding Xiangle Zongsan's view, his cousin Xiangle Zhongba retorted a little disagreeably, "... Not only are there plagues outbreaks everywhere, but we have also caused several monks who have finally invited to take care of the wounded and all of them have become waste. Now the brothers are injured and cannot be treated. They can only wrap them randomly in gauze, and then they rely on themselves to grit their teeth and hold on... A few brothers were not seriously injured, but unfortunately they accidentally let the wounds see the wind, which made them red and swollen, with dark spots all over their bodies, and they were almost unable to hold on..."

"...Is there no shrine nearby?" Xiangle Zongsan interrupted his complaint, "... I'll find a few witches or priests to come over, and it should be possible to heal the brothers' injuries. It's not that I have to rely on those bald donkeys..."

"...There is indeed a shrine near Okazaki Castle, and it is very grand. Unfortunately, like Nikko Tozhao Palace in Kanto, it is also a first general who worships the gods. His Highness Tozhao Daquan appears... Do you think they will be willing to treat us traitors?"

Kazuhara Kazuhara smiled bitterly and shrugged, "...worse, after hearing that the court had rebelled and forced all the officials and officials of the shogunate to resign, the old shogunate samurai who were not very active in fighting and even occasionally secretly helped us have changed their attitudes. I heard that they had gathered a team of 2,000 people in Hamamatsu Port in the east, intending to build high walls and solidify the bases to resist, and wait for an opportunity to launch a counterattack... Alas, if the imperial court issued an edict so lightly, how much trouble would we soldiers in front of us have caused."

"...Ahem, don't talk nonsense. We are all loyal ministers who are responsible for the king. How can we not say this casually..."

Xiangle General San hurriedly corrected the situation, but it seemed that he was a little lacking in confidence. Therefore, he was pushed back by Xiangle Zhongba's words, "...Finding the King and the loyal minister? Hehe, that's not what the imperial envoy yesterday saw yesterday. Do you still have to be self-indulgent?"

"...this...it should be just the willful acts of the people below."

At this time, Xiangle Zongsan became less and less confident when he spoke. He had to force himself to comfort himself, "...I believe that the emperor is smart and wise, and he will make a clear decision, and will not let us down the meritorious ministers..."

Regarding this brother's "unawareness", Aibao's deputy director, Aibao Group, smiled coldly in disappointment.

In fact, just the morning before, the day after the Akatsuki team conquered Okazaki Castle, the day after the battlefield was not cleaned, a imperial envoy came. At first, Suo Le Zong San thought it was coming to commend him, so he excitedly took people outside the city to greet him.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the low-level minister showed up, he showed off his cold face and made a warning. He first criticized the poor hospitality of the Sixth General San for his simple and simple manners. Then he also detained the troubled place on the Akagi team and flinched. He acted without asking the military order of Tokaido Governor Fujiwara Meguchi, etc., etc., a bunch of ridiculous charges.

——First of all, it is to disturb the local area. Since the court never distributes a penny to the soldiers, what other ways does the Achijo Group have besides asking the local "filial piety" along the way? Secondly, it is to shrink back... With just hundreds of troops, it has been attacking Okazaki from Kyoto in just over two months. Can it still be considered to be shrinking back? Then there is no need to ask for the military order of the Tokaido Governor Fujiwara Meguku... Please, when the Achijo Group set out from Kyoto, the court's three-way east expedition plan did not even have a shadow. This Fujiwara Meguku still seems to be unemployed at home, so who should I ask for military orders?

In the end, the imperial envoy did not listen to Xiangle Zong San's defense, so he extorted a large amount of bribes on the spot without any concealment. Otherwise, he would report that the Chibao Group "seemed to be loyal but actually had bad intentions and intended to secretly pass the rebels of Guandong and rebelliously", so he wanted to "sweep away" the upcoming imperial army... and the "righteous men" were almost furious.

To be honest, the Akasaki group was not short of money at this time. Not to mention the spoils seized along the way and the "reward gifts" from the local tyrants, even under the walls of Okasaki Castle, a cellar with tens of thousands of taels of silver was found. In order to prevent thieves, Okasaki Castle was melting all the silver into juice and pouring it into the cellar. After the silver was condensed, even if it was thieves, it would have no choice but to use the giant silver block condensed into pieces. But it was precisely for the same reason that when the defenders abandoned Okasaki Castle and broke through the siege, they could not dig out the huge amount of silver deposits and took them away. In the end, they had to take the Akasaki Group of Xiangle Zong San for free.

It is also a common case of official exchanges in grandly entertaining the imperial envoy of the court and giving him a generous "filial piety". No matter how strong the idealistic color of Xiangle Zongsan is, it will not be very resistant to it, especially when they are "not short of money".

But the problem is that the imperial envoy was extremely vicious and he would just sing a word to the serious crime of raiding the family and exterminate the clan. As soon as he came up, he put himself in the hat of rebellion, and then he had to threaten it with force... If it was in the Central Plains Celestial Empire where the imperial envoy was strong, the general led the army to hear the words of the imperial envoy, and he would beg for mercy even if he was bold. However, in this island country with weak imperial power, the soldiers of the Chibao Group were only filled with righteous indignation.

After all, in this country ruled by warriors, the roles of traitors and loyal ministers in the imperial edicts were very quickly - those who could knock the court to the ground and step on one foot were "the pillars of the country"; those who failed to defeat the court were "public enemy of the world"...

Since everyone thinks this way, the so-called "loyalty to the emperor and serve the country" is naturally just a verbal talk. If the court really dares to play the trick of "the emperor wants his minister to die and his ministers have to die", the warriors will definitely only draw out their knives to rebel without any negotiation.

Therefore, the arrogant imperial envoy who looked at people with his nostrils was beaten away by the angry soldiers on the spot. He had no time to throw away a few very ugly words, as well as an imperial decree to announce that the Akatsuki team belonged to the Governor of Tokaido, and a letter to ask Akara Tokaido to go to the Nagoya East Expedition Camp immediately to meet with his superiors and discuss military information. The issuer was the commander of the South Road East Expedition Army of the court, and the Governor of Tokaido, Lord Fujiwara Meguretake.

In response to this, Akatsuki Takahara, the deputy director of the Akatsuki group, has been persuading Xiangle Zongsan to find a reason to refuse. First, Xiangle Zongsan has been in poor health recently, and has a low fever that cannot subside, and needs rest. Secondly, judging from the arrogant and rude words and deeds of the imperial envoy, the upcoming imperial expedition army seems to have bad intentions for its own game, or at least contempt and disdain. Instead of leaning over and sticking to the cold butt, maybe even humiliation, it is better to stay in Okazaki City and listen to the tune and not listen to the news, and preserve its strength and watch coldly.

But Suzu San felt that he had to go, otherwise he might have confirmed the crime of "indiscretion and intention to rebel and rebellion", or at least he would leave grudges in the heart of the Governor of Tokaido, which would be very unfavorable for future development. Moreover, the current Achijo Group has less than 1,000 people, and its equipment and quality are also very poor. I am afraid there is no armed separatist and the capital of "listening to the tune but not the propaganda".

As for whether the governor would be unfavorable to him, Xiangle Zongsan thought this was completely over-considered. Although the court had not had a good reputation in the past, no matter how loyal the emperor and patriotism were, he would not be careful. However, the remnants of the old shogunate were still entrenched in Kanto, and the military strength of the Western ghosts and animals was far from being defeated. No matter how mean and merciless the court was, it would not have been able to unload the donkey at this time, and even demolish the bridge without even crossing the river...

Well, of course, there are no such examples. For example, the Yokohama who was dedicated to the court was recently destroyed by a group of wild samurai who came to Kyoto to serve the king. Instead, the court did not have the slightest intention of being fair, but instead took the blame and destroyed the Yokohama... But that was because the military and material resources of the Yokohama had been completely destroyed and there was no value to win over. The court planned to give up them to win over the newly resigned wild samurai. As long as the military strength of the Akatsuki group was still there and Okazaki Ken Castle was in hand, Suzumi Suzu thought that he would not be in danger in the camp.

Well, it is very likely that he will be humiliated in public at that time. After all, he is humble and cannot be seen by the nobles. However, Xiangle Zongsan has been mentally prepared to spit on his face and plans to bring a lot of gold, silver and treasures to bribe friendly generals and court officials to establish a good relationship with them... As the saying goes, don't hit people with smiles. With so many gifts to give them, at least you shouldn't be too embarrassed.

So, early the next morning, after saying goodbye to everyone under his command, Akatsura Tadahara, the deputy director of Akatsura group, was arranged to stay in Okazaki Castle and temporarily command the entire team of troops, Akatsura Group Chief Akatsura Satora Takes a few followers and flows out of the sea from Yasakikawa, west of the city, on a small boat, and then on a pre-prepared sea boat, embarking on a journey to the Nagoya East Expedition Camp.

However, Xiangle Zongsan never expected that this was his way of returning... Of course, this was also the way of returning for the imperial army.

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PS: Complete attendance this month, celebrating flowers

The plot afterwards is a bit stuck, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend all the time next month, but I still strive to finish the Japanese chapter before August.
Chapter completed!