Chapter 15 Unconventional Ideas

  "Huh? You're so confident you can expose him?" Kiryu Manzoumaru sneered, and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Yamagata Zenzaburou, thinking that his brain and Honda Masanobu's duel might be too cruel. So he kindly reminded: "Don't underestimate others, Yae's advantage is intelligence, your advantage is the way of the bow and horse, you two are destined to take different paths, Zenzaburou, you'd better keep a good relationship with him!"

  "I, who have been a vassal and the leader of the side chamber attendants, will I be afraid of just one little kid?! Therefore, I, Saganosuke, no matter what, must make Yabei submit!" Saganosuke confidently announced his plan to subdue him, but this plan was truly full of holes and pathetic, making Kira Kosuke no Danshaku nod in admiration at the foolishness of the brain.

  "Alright, you stubborn fool, since you won't turn back until you hit the wall, let's make you suffer a bit first!" Kiryū Manzōmaru sent this idiot off and before he left, told Yamagata Zentarō that from now on, Honda Yorizō had permission to enter the school and borrow books. This immediately shocked Yamagata Zentarō, who thought "The master is being biased!", and with a resentful face, hung his head in dejection and retreated.

  "It seems I've become the one who fans the flames again! Kiryuu Mantaroumaru thought he was doing a good job, although Yamagata Zentaro was a close relative and confidant, but Honda Yaichirou seemed to have more potential, and it wouldn't be bad to have them fight each other."

  Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than a dozen days have passed. Entering the late July, because the autumn harvest is approaching, including ōgōchi Sadatsugu, all the family elders are busy returning to their respective domains to supervise the autumn harvest, tax collection, and other matters. Therefore, Kiryū Manzaburou seems very carefree, and naturally, he doesn't need to worry about the autumn harvest problems of the Kiryū house. Similarly, without knowing the territory, Yamamoto Kan no Suke leads 500 kanmon (high salary) and continues to serve as a direct vassal of the Kiryū house.

  There was no big river inside, and his days were spent very comfortably. Every day, he would read books, write letters, practice military tactics, and so on, which was quite enjoyable. The promise to Yamamoto Kansuke had long been cast aside, and things like the Imagawa family and military training seemed too far away. It was better to just be a small lord and live a carefree life.

  "Master of the mansion!" Yamagata Zenzaburou ran to the Tenshukaku again with a bitter face, complaining about his recent troubles. Kira Yoshinaka would not ruin his good mood just to listen to him venting, anyway he was just saying that Mihachi was getting along with the small names or Mihachi was using the master's name to boast, "He took sides with other small names and said I was treating them harshly..." and such boring topics.

  "It's really shameful that a grown-up like you is no match for a kid three years younger than yourself, isn't it?" Kiryuu Mantsurou said with a grin.

  "Master, how can you say such a thing to me! I've been doing all this for your sake!" Yamagaki Zentaro was indignant and felt that the master didn't appreciate him at all. He had worked so hard to discipline dozens of children, but the master said he wasn't as skilled as others. This was truly heartbreaking!

  "Alright, alright! Stop yelling, if the young masters find out that Zentaro has run to our house to complain, it will surely be seen as an act of surrender and incompetence!"

  "Ah! That despicable Matashichirō! I, Sanjirō Yamagaki, will never admit defeat... But Matashichirō is just too cunning! Not even a hint of the bravery of a Mikawa warrior!"

  "What is the spirit of Mikawa warriors?" Kirishima Mitsumaru asked curiously: "By the way, I have never quite understood what this so-called Mikawa warrior is. What kind of person is considered a Mikawa warrior?"

  "This... is a vague rumor that has been circulating among lower-ranking samurai." Yamagata Zentarō seemed to think he had misspoken, and hastily added: "As the master of a renowned martial arts school, it's only natural that you wouldn't have heard about it. I myself have only occasionally heard people mention it when drinking with some ronin."

  "Drinking? You're already old enough to drink, aren't you?" Kiriu Mantsumaru smacked his lips and stared at Yamagata Zentaro, who was shrinking away: "Where did you go drinking, then? A sake shop? I heard that a new whale house just opened in the lower town of Saijo Castle. The head of the family thinks we should discuss this with your father."

  "Spare my life, sir! I'll never dare again! Really, never again...... Waaah!"

  "Alright, alright, you can go wherever you want! Don't be so disgusting with your snot and tears... By the way, your genpuku name is Yamagata Naoe, right? Since your genpuku at the beginning of the year, I haven't called you by your adult name yet."

  "Both 'Chokoro' and 'Zenshirou' are names under me, so please continue to call me Zenshirou, Honorable Master!"

  "Alright! Stop spouting nonsense and tell me what a Mikawa samurai really is. I'm very interested in knowing."

  "Yes! Loyalty, bravery, silence! That is the spirit of Mikawa samurai! It is also our way of bushido!" said Yamagaki Zentaro with a serious expression.

  Kiriyama Mantsumaru had always disliked samurai who would draw their swords at the slightest provocation, and those who would be chatting with you one moment and then suddenly engage in a fight to the death. So when he heard Zenjiro say that, he maliciously conjectured: "Oh, a silent samurai? With an introverted personality, not showing any emotions on his face... Does it mean that if the lord punishes him, he would either commit seppuku or rebel?"

  "No! Please, honorable master, don't misunderstand! The way of the warrior values loyalty above all else. Those who are disloyal will become evil spirits after death and fall into hell, and even the gods will not forgive them!"

  "Alright, alright! Time for you to get busy with your own affairs, brave Sanada warrior!" He chased away Yamagata no Jirō.

  For more than 500 years since the rise of the samurai, except for the first nine years of the Heian period and the last three years of war, the Minamoto clan, a pillar of the samurai family in Kawachi Province, became the ruler of Kanto, but the so-called code of conduct for samurai had not yet appeared. The famous Hogen Rebellion was one such instance.

  Minamoto no Yoshitomo was at odds with his father Minamoto no Tameyoshi and took opposite sides during the Hōgen Rebellion, ultimately emerging victorious. In Kyoto's Shijō ōmiya, Yoshitomo personally oversaw the executions of those who had opposed him, including his own father Tameyoshi, as well as four of his brothers: Minamoto no Yoriyasu (the fourth son), Minamoto no Yoshiyasu (the fifth son), Minamoto no Tametomo (the sixth son), Minamoto no Naritomo (the seventh son), and Minamoto no Yoshitaka (the ninth son).

  Minamoto no Sanetomo later followed the tradition of his father's generation, forcing Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Noriyori to death. His descendants were also used by the Northern Fujiwara clan to become extinct due to internal strife, so the Kamakura shogunate was completely controlled by the Hojo family, and the behavioral norms of the samurai class were only constrained by laws such as "Goseibai Shikimoku".

  Before this, the samurai families did not have a system of primogeniture, except for the inheritance of the family's main house by the eldest son. The division of land and property was equally distributed, so in the early days of the samurai, it was a bloody struggle, with fathers and sons as sworn enemies, and brothers cutting each other down with swords.

  Until the outbreak of the ōnin War about a century ago, the Shujigaku theory spread from the aristocratic families and the five major temples in Kinai, which allowed the Ashikaga shogunate to re-establish the orthodox succession of the samurai family. This can be said to be the first time that the behavior of the samurai was specifically regulated. Without special reasons, the eldest son must be the successor. If there is a dispute over inheritance, it is necessary to go to Kyoto to file a lawsuit with the shogunate. This is also one of the methods for the shogunate to strengthen its ruling authority and increase its binding force and deterrent power on the national aristocratic families.

  What Yamamoto Tsunetomo said about Bushido is completely non-mainstream in this era. Leaving aside the Shogunate's guardian system, the Gokenin system established by the Kawachi Genji family at that time had the core idea of "Gōon Hōkō", which means to exchange bravery and loyalty for territorial rewards. Without rewards, who would serve? This was confirmed in the two Mongol invasions and later when the Gokenin went to Kamakura to seek rewards.

  However, the good times did not last long. As the Kamakura shogunate was monopolized by the Hojo family, they arbitrarily appointed their relatives to control most of the provinces and territories, making it impossible for the imperial court to maintain its power. The imperial family became bankrupt and increasingly resentful towards the shogunate. In the twelfth month, they completely broke with the Hojo family, leading to the collapse of the imperial family and contributing to the downfall of the Kamakura shogunate. The Genko War, the Kemmu Restoration, and the subsequent Nanboku-cho period saw the resurgence of the warrior class, dealing a significant blow to the power of the imperial court and the shogunate. It was not until then that the Muromachi shogunate was established, lasting for over 200 years.

  After the Muromachi period, the Ashikaga clan attached great importance to the development of their relatives, but it seems that they valued them a bit too much. The three kanrei held the puppet shogun in power, and for nearly a hundred years, there were constant political upheavals, with the shoguns dying young, being assassinated, or exiled, causing the bakufu's authority to decline. How to use this one door has always been a problem for the samurai class to think about.

  To date, a new samurai norm has not been established, but the lower-ranking samurai in Mikawa Province have indeed had a new sprout, which is a product of the combination of Linji Zong Chan thought and Zhu Xi's rationalism. In the next hundred years, it will be mixed with the shadow of Shintoism and continue to this day.

  Kirishima Manzanmaru did not like this idea, the samurai before the Muromachi period were too barbaric, having milk was a mother's thing, and after the Warring States period, the establishment of power bound this unconventional idea in the countryside of Mikawa Province, making the entire warrior class dull and lifeless, like the sunset sinking below the western mountains.