The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 13

Therefore, their identity cannot be determined.

After all, the Oi Shigeki family were Shinano samurai and not very familiar with the western provinces.

Shinzaburo decided to cut out his family crest and carry it with him so he could ask someone knowledgeable about it in the future.

The captured weapons and equipment, though "severely worn," were still better than what Kubo Village originally had, and were divided up among the villagers who had dared to pursue them.

Then he found Kumakichi and Hashisuke, two of Kinbei's father's confidants, and instructed them to arrange for the villagers to strengthen their vigilance and to hold a funeral for the deceased old man and young boy.

As for Shinzaburo himself, he was about to set off for Kofukuji Temple.

First, I reported back to Master Mingzhou.

Secondly, I want to find a doctor in the town below Kōfuku-ji Temple so I can come back and see my father, Kinbei, and the other injured villagers.

While we're at it, let's show the cut-out family crest to the high monks and see if they know the origins of the wild samurai.

……

So they immediately set off for Kofuku-ji Temple with Ooi Shigeie and others.

This time, he was completely familiar with the place and the monks guarding the gate already knew him. They even bowed very politely and addressed him as "Lord Shinzaburo".

He successfully met with the new abbot, Master Mingzhou, and told him that his mission was complete. The abbot expressed his satisfaction.

He then recounted the attack on Kubo Village in the early morning, and handed over the family crest that had been cut from the clothes of the samurai leader.

Master Mingzhou glanced at them and said without hesitation, "Isn't this a member of the Harima Akamatsu family? Hmm, their family crests are somewhat different from those of the Akamatsu main family, so they must be from a collateral branch."

Shinzaburo recalled his historical knowledge and asked in surprise, "Isn't the Akamatsu family a prestigious family that has served as the head of the shogunate's samurai office and the governor of Harima? How could their family members have become unruly samurai?"

Master Mingzhou patiently explained, "The Akamatsu family has been in disarray for many years, and the power in Harima is actually in the hands of their retainer, the Urakami clan. This year, the Urakami clan has also been embroiled in internal strife among their brothers, with the Mimasaka no Kami (Urakami Masamune) and the Tōtōmi no Kami (Urakami Munekage) factions fighting each other endlessly. These people probably fled to Tanba after losing power."

Shinzaburo bowed deeply in gratitude, saying, "Fortunately, the master has shown me the way. Seeing these bastards attack Kubo Village must have been an accident. Alas, my poor fellow villagers, who died in this calamity."

Master Mingzhou nodded, then frowned and recalled for a moment, saying, "I remember two months ago, there was news that a group of ronin, suspected to be from the Akamatsu family of Harima, were causing trouble in Amagasaki Town. Most of them were killed by the guards, and only a few escaped. Perhaps it was these ronin."

Seeing the old monk's kind attitude, Shinzaburo asked the question that had been bothering him: "Since they are ronin who have lost power and fled, how come they dare to cause trouble in Amagasaki Town?"

Master Mingzhou showed a hint of disgust and shook his head, saying, "The people in charge of Amagasaki Town are cunning and ruthless Nichiren monks, unlike my Rinzai sect, who are reasonable. They might have set a trap to swindle the ronin out of his money, and then turned around and accused him of causing trouble!"

Shinzaburo naturally couldn't comment on such sectarian discrimination, so he said that his mission was complete and he planned to take his leave to find a doctor for Kinbei's father and the villagers.

However, Master Mingzhou suddenly reached out and pulled him back, a meaningful look on his face, and said in a low voice, "Kubomura just helped me with some things, and suddenly he was attacked by wild samurai... I'm afraid we can't rule out the possibility that someone is behind this!"

Shinzaburo was taken aback upon hearing this, realizing that Master Mingzhou wanted to use this as an excuse to extort benefits.

I just don't know who to ask for it from.

Furthermore, it's unknown whether this process will offend other "important figures."

He could only cautiously reply, "However, I led the villagers to search the bodies of those wild samurai, but found nothing suspicious. Moreover, they all seemed to have come hungry... I think that if someone is behind this, at least they should be given a full meal!"

This means that while there's nothing I can do if you want to cause trouble, I personally don't really want to join in.

After speaking, Shinzaburo felt uneasy, thinking that the old monk would not be very satisfied.

Unexpectedly, Master Mingzhou simply chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Since that's the case, then let's leave it at that. Just say that someone who works for this old monk was attacked, without embellishing the story. Even if it's just said like that, it will still be of some use."

Shinzaburo quickly bowed and said, "I'm so sorry I couldn't help the abbot."

Master Mingzhou waved his hand calmly and said, "It's alright."

After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "I heard that Shinzaburo received a dream from the Immovable Myo-o two months ago and escaped a disaster. Could you tell me the details?"

This was most likely told by Kinbei's father when he was fulfilling a vow at the temple.

Shinzaburo was both amused and exasperated, but he dared not admit that he had made it up at the time, so he had to repeat the lie about "black robe, red clouds, and vajra" again.

As a high-ranking monk, Master Mingzhou did not display the fanatical faith of Old Man Jinbingwei after hearing these words. Instead, he lowered his head and pondered for a long time, looking Shinzaburo up and down for a while before saying in a resolute tone, "This must be a Buddhist connection."

Then Master Mingzhou closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then suddenly opened them again, as if he had made up his mind. Before Shinzaburo could answer, he continued, "Since we have a connection with Buddhism, there is something I must ask."

Shinzaburo hurriedly asked, "What teachings does the abbot have?"

Master Mingzhou chuckled, adopting the demeanor of a kind elder, and asked, "I heard that Shinsanrou has turned sixteen. Has your family made any arrangements for his marriage?"

Hearing this, it felt like—

Do you want a wife or not?

Shinzaburo's chest tightened, and he quickly said, "This matter naturally depends entirely on my father's decision."

Master Mingzhou shook his head solemnly: "In this Warring States period, only by adhering to one's own path can one become a hero. How can one simply follow the example of one's father?"

Shinzaburo could only bow in gratitude and say, "Master is right! I will certainly keep this teaching in mind."

"It's alright, it's alright, it was just a casual remark, no need to take it so seriously." Master Mingzhou changed to a kind and gentle expression and said slowly, "I have already recommended you to Lord Matsunaga Nagayori. Shinzaburo, you will soon become a samurai with a family name, so it is naturally not appropriate for you to marry a commoner as your principal wife. However, your position is not yet established and your foundation is still weak, so it is not certain that any powerful family will be willing to marry a noblewoman to you."

Shinzaburo felt he had already guessed what the other person was going to say, but he put on a fearful and uneasy look and carefully replied, "I only ask for a woman in my home who can do the housework and cook, how dare I hope for a noblewoman?"

Unexpectedly, Master Mingzhou remained silent for a long time, as if hesitating about something. After a long silence, he slowly uttered, "There's no need to rush your marriage. You can take your time to find a suitable partner. If you hastily find a wicked wife, wouldn't that bring disaster to your family?"

Having said all that, it felt like the process was halfway through, almost bursting forth, when suddenly it came to an abrupt halt, stuck in a rut. Shinzaburo felt extremely frustrated and uncomfortable, but dared not show it, and could only nod and say, "Thank you for your wise words, Abbot. I will certainly keep them in mind."

After a moment of silence, Master Mingzhou seemed to return to reality and said, "I will send a doctor from the temple who is familiar with sword wounds to Kubo Village to help check on your father and the other villagers' injuries, so that you don't waste your money and may not be able to find a good doctor."

Although Shinzaburo was still confused, he truly felt the abbot's kindness and sincerely thanked him repeatedly.

Then he said goodbye and left.

Master Mingzhou then instructed, "After you have settled things in the village, please come to Guangfu Temple again. I still have many follow-up matters to arrange."

Shinzaburo naturally agreed without hesitation.

024 seems to still be in the evaluation period.

The weather cleared up a bit that day, and the snow on the road was worn into a path by pedestrians, making it easier to walk. Shinzaburo didn't waste any time and returned to Kubo Village that day with the doctor sent by Master Mingzhou, as well as "Pig-Slaying Hero" Oi Shigeie and others.

The physician was also a monk, and he always had a cold and unapproachable demeanor towards everyone, even in front of Master Mingzhou.

But he was probably quite reliable. He quickly examined the wounded and was able to deduce the circumstances of the battle from the shape of the wounds, making a very accurate judgment.

Moreover, he did not look down on poor farmers. He immediately took out his tools and materials and personally demonstrated how to bandage and apply medicine to help the villagers recover quickly.

Such words and actions certainly resemble the style of a "good doctor".

In the end, the injured young men in the village were all diagnosed with "no harm if they rest and recuperate properly".

However, the doctor shook his head repeatedly at Jin Bingwei's father: "Why risk your life at this age? You are already too old, and you have overworked yourself in the past. Even if the wound heals, your vitality will be greatly depleted. Just pray for your own good fortune!"

Shingoro, the cute little boy, and Ari, the little girl, listened with teary eyes, almost bursting into tears.

Old Man Jin Bingwei grinned, striking a carefree pose, and said, shaking his head, "This old body of mine has lived for almost fifty years. Now that I see there are successors, what more could I ask for?"

The doctor, probably accustomed to life and death, silently shook his head and said nothing. He left some medicine, gave some instructions, and then asked directly, "It's obvious I won't be able to return to the temple tonight. Have you arranged accommodations for this humble monk? I hope they are clean and bright."

Of all the houses in Kubo Village, the Otsuna family's house was the most spacious, with two guest rooms. Previously, the Oi Shigeya family was assigned to one room, and the other three monks shared another room, which was already full.

Shinzaburo was in a dilemma. After all, this was a renowned doctor who had come all the way from the temple to help; he couldn't afford to neglect him!

Old Man Jinbingwei, however, remained calm and unhurried. He summoned his two most trusted lackeys, the dark-faced and short-statured Kumakichi and the sallow-faced and thin Hashisuke, and ordered Kumakichi's entire family to squeeze into Hashisuke's house to make room for the "distinguished guest."

Without a word, Xiongji and Qiaozhu agreed and immediately went out to do as they were told, without the slightest reluctance.

Shinzaburo took two steps and chased after them to express his gratitude, saying, "Thank you both for your hard work."

Xiong Ji quickly returned the greeting, saying, "You flatter me! Lord Yiming has been incredibly kind to me. If he gives the word, I will do anything, from tilling the fields to killing and burning!"

Hashisuke, bowing slightly, smiled and said, "Without Lord Otsuna's protection, our Kubo Village would be just as poor as Takeda Village. How could we possibly have enough to eat and wear? Isn't it only natural to obey orders?"

After seeing the two off and arranging the doctor's residence, Shinzaburo returned home and entered his father Kinbei's room, casually saying, "Today, Master Meishu of Kofukuji Temple asked me if I was engaged, and I thought he was really going to introduce me to his illegitimate daughter. Unexpectedly, he didn't say anything in the end, but just told me not to rush into marriage."

Jin Bingwei's father, lying on the bed, was picking his teeth. Hearing this, he wasn't surprised at all. He chuckled and said, "Master Mingzhou probably only took a liking to you because he saw your cleverness and competence, and also because he knew about the dream of Fudo Myoo. But he's only known you for a month or two. How could he make a decision so quickly?"

Shinzaburo paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's what I think too. It seems Master Mingzhou still needs to observe for a while longer."

Jin Bingwei's father added, "I don't think the investigation will last long. After all, she's an illegitimate daughter whose identity is hard to explain. If, as Oi Shigeie said, she's already eighteen and has lost two fiancés, then Master Mingzhou would have been extremely anxious long ago. I reckon it won't be more than a few months."

Shinzaburo looked up, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Do you still think it's inappropriate to marry Master Mingzhou's illegitimate daughter?"

Jin Bingwei's father sighed, "What's the use of my opinion that it's not suitable? If Master Mingzhou truly likes you, who would dare to say a word against it? I only hope that in the future he will change his mind and look down on you! In the end, it would be better to marry a proper martial arts family woman, even if it's a poor and down-on-his-luck martial arts family!"

Shinzaburo smiled, advised Kinbei's father to get some rest, and then returned to his room.

Lying in bed, unable to fall asleep, my mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Actually, at the very beginning, when he said he wanted to marry a woman he had never met, he was filled with mixed emotions.

But considering the stakes, and after constantly convincing myself, I've basically accepted it. Regardless of the girl's appearance or personality, given Master Mingzhou's power, I have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

Little did I expect that all that mental preparation would be for nothing.

They haven't actually finalized anything; they've just put him in a "probationary period."

There's nothing that can be done about it; people of low status are always inevitably manipulated by those in power.

……

On the ninth day of the twelfth month, Shinzaburo once again arrived at Kofukuji Temple to await orders, as arranged by Master Meishu.

But the temple said that the abbot had gone out.

He waited in the guest room for several days before being summoned.

Master Mingzhou seemed to be in a fairly good mood and got straight to the point: "The Naito family has decided that Lord Matsunaga Nagayori will serve as the acting head of the family, and the announcement will be made soon. My Kofukuji Temple is also among those invited, so you will accompany me as my attendant!"

Shinzaburo's inner tension finally eased a little.

After so much work and effort, the big event has finally been accomplished!

Seeing the old monk's smiling face, he mustered his courage and tentatively asked, "I suspect that without the intervention of Guangfu Temple, this matter would not have been resolved so quickly."

“That’s not entirely wrong.” A hint of pride flashed across Master Mingzhou’s face, but he quickly returned to his aloof Zen monk demeanor and shook his head, saying, “As a member of the Zen sect, one should not be involved in too many worldly affairs. However, this matter involves the well-being of many believers, so this old monk has no choice but to demonstrate the power of Buddhism to the warriors.”

"Who says otherwise?" Shinzaburo thought to himself, but outwardly he showered the abbot with compliments: "We can never repay the abbot's kindness!"

Master Mingzhou may be addicted to showing off; he feels uncomfortable if he doesn't act like a high-ranking monk every day.

Fortunately, he was able to speak properly once he finished pretending.

After spouting a few nonsensical words, Master Mingzhou said, "You will depart with me first thing tomorrow morning. Today, I will first explain to you the current situation in Tanba Kingdom..."

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo immediately suppressed all his inner turmoil and sincerely adopted a respectful and receptive attitude, patiently listening to the old monk's explanation.

This is valuable intelligence!

Master Mingzhou glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye, showing satisfaction with his attitude. He nodded slightly and began his narration.

Now, the province of Tanba has been nominally controlled by the main branch of the Hosokawa family for over a hundred years.

However, because the Hosokawa family had too many and too scattered territories, they were often preoccupied with other matters and had no time to take care of Tanba, a poor and remote area. As a result, the Naito clan, the deputy governor, gradually became too powerful to control.

Of course, the saying that the tail is too big to be turned off actually only refers to the relatively centralized rule within Funai County, while the other five counties still obey orders but not proclamations.

However, in Muromachi period Japan, this was already a considerable force.

The Hosokawa family became wary of this and intended to support other forces in an attempt to counterbalance the Naito clan. In this process, the Hatano clan, who was appointed as the deputy governor of Taki district, stood out.

This created a situation where Naito and Hatano were vying for supremacy.

There is also the Akai clan, who have been the local power in Tanba since the Heian period. Although they lost power at one point, they are like a centipede that does not die but remains strong. In the last thirty years, the Akai family has been playing both sides between Naito and Hatano, repeatedly switching sides, and has gradually grown powerful in Hikami District.

Thus, the saying "the three powers of Tanba stand in a tripartite balance" came about.

Meanwhile, the northern counties of Tanba, including Tiantian, Helu, and Sangtian, remain home to numerous powerful local clans.

Among them, Utsu, Kawakatsu, Adachi, Ashida, and others all have considerable strength.

At this point, Master Mingzhou suddenly asked, "Think about it, now that the Naito family has a new head of the clan, how many people will come to witness the ceremony?"

Shinzaburo pondered for a moment, then bowed and said, "As you said, Funai County is almost entirely under the jurisdiction of the Naito family, so it's natural that all parties in the county would pay their respects to the new head of the family. As for Hatano of Taki County and Akai of Hikami County, since they have already openly opposed the Naito family, they probably won't come to join in the fun."

Master Mingzhou remained noncommittal and then asked, "What about the other three prefectures?"

This time, Shinzaburo was less confident and considered it for a bit longer before tentatively replying, "The local gentry from the other three districts will probably send representatives to Yagi Castle to give face to the Naito family, the deputy governor. But I doubt it will be any particularly important retainers, much less the head of the family himself. Ah, unless someone is trying to curry favor with the Miyoshi family behind the Naito family, then they might come with great fanfare."

Master Mingzhou nodded with pleasure and smiled, "Your deduction is very accurate. No wonder you are Shinzaburo, who is protected by the Immovable King! This is roughly the situation in Tanba. As for the rest, you can see for yourself tomorrow!"

025 Is this what a good leader looks like?

The next morning, outside Guangfu Temple, amidst the biting wind and snow, Master Mingzhou leisurely boarded a sedan chair carried by four strong men, with several riders accompanying him on either side.

In addition, there were two rows of fully armed monks on foot in front, responsible for security; behind them were more than a dozen young monks pushing three large carts, filled with the old monks' luggage.

Such an imposing presence is no less impressive than that of Naito Kunisada, the former governor of Tanba.

Shinzaburo was assigned a riding horse today and appeared in the procession as a member of the entourage.