Chapter 2 Lord Shingen

  On the way to meet Shingen, Li Xiao didn't have too much excitement in her heart. Although she had played countless times of Sengoku games, her concept of Sengoku figures was just a purely data-based cognition, remembering their series of stats such as unity, military strength, intelligence, politics and so on.

  In the past three years of idle university life, Li Xiao used to play Warring States games, using various ways to challenge the highest difficulty to self-abuse, and to pass the time. At the same time, because of the game, he also had a certain understanding of Japan's Warring States period. However, he never thought that he would return to the Warring States era nearly four hundred years ago. Perhaps here, he will meet many famous Warring States generals, as a participant, join this era of heroes and outstanding people.

  But experiencing history is an idea, how to survive in this harsh environment is a must. The Takeda family had the strongest army in Japan at that time, and if Shingen hadn't died and his successors hadn't made mistakes later on, there might have been a chance for them to unify Japan. This was also an opportunity for Li Xiao, who had big ambitions.

  A commoner from the streets, Hashiba Hidenobu can become Japan's Warring States' first man to rise to prominence, and his greatest asset is a strong physique, which in Japan's Warring States era, can be called a fierce general.

  It is said that Tokugawa Ieyasu's top general, Honda Tadakatsu, was only about 1.4 meters tall during Japan's Warring States period. So, with Li Xiao's innate conditions, he shouldn't be inferior to Honda Tadakatsu. What he lacks is training and actual combat experience.

  In addition, being familiar with Japan's Warring States period and the endless fantasies of modern people, I can blend in seamlessly.

  While Li Xiao was imagining in his mind, he and Ma Changsheng's group had already approached their destination. The main camp of the Takeda family was set up by the stream in the valley, surrounded by white cloth curtains with the Takeda family crest 'Four Diamonds' printed on them, forming a square-shaped array.

  Around the array, four poles of Takeda's military flag were erected about 6-7 meters high. Under the military flags were messengers waiting for orders. Unlike ordinary ashigaru soldiers, the messengers of the Takeda family had a centipede pattern on the back of their flag pointers.

  The flag of the centipede is a symbol of Marishiten, the messenger of the god of war, and many samurai families in Japan worshiped Marishiten as their guardian deity.

  In the outer circle of the Jinbai, there is a flag corps (similar to the Imperial Guard) directly under the Daimyo's command, responsible for guarding the main camp. Apart from patrolling and standing guard, all members of the flag corps carry long spears on their shoulders, sit cross-legged in small square formations, ready to rise up at any moment to face the enemy.

  The resting troops did not have a single person who dared to talk freely, and there were no extra movements, which showed the strictness of military discipline. During the Warring States period, as soldiers of the daimyo's flag team, they were different from the peasant soldiers recruited at zero time. More than half of them were warriors, and warriors in this era were equivalent to professional soldiers, standing army.

  Although the Japanese at that time were generally still short, Li Xiao did not dare to underestimate these professional warriors. At least they would not be like those six peasant soldiers who were scared and trembling when he shouted at them initially.

  When Maruko Shinbo, Li Xiao and his party arrived at the mountain valley, two Wada family soldiers immediately came forward to block them, with two long-handled spears crossed in front of them. Only after Maruko Shinbo let out a low shout did these two soldiers withdraw their guns and return to their original positions.

  Baba Nobufusa was originally a hatamoto of the Takeda clan, serving two generations of daimyos. He was an old and qualified member of the Takeda family, and Shingen treated him as his confidant. Whenever there was a major battle, he often entrusted him with important tasks.

  So the Hatamoto samurai also had some fear of him.

  A group of people arrived in front of the formation, except for Ma Changsheng and Li Xiao, all the others waited outside. Immediately, a soldier lifted up one corner of the edge of the curtain, and two people entered from the front and back.

  In the center of the tent, a long, rectangular rug was spread out. A man with a short mustache sat cross-legged on the rug, dressed in official attire. To his right, a young servant with clear eyebrows and bright eyes knelt beside him, holding a dagger in both hands.

  This is the Warring States' first military strategist, Takeda Shingen. Unlike the overbearing Takeda Shingen in CG, the real Takeda Shingen has a refined temperament, with a mustache on his lips and a glint of wisdom in his eyes.

  "At your service, sir."

  Ma Changxin bowed his head and paid respects first, while Li Xiao stood upright on the spot, only with both hands clasped together in greeting, which was exactly the courtesy of the Ming people at that time.

  "Rude."

  The man behind him was about to stand up and scold, but Takeda Shingen waved his hand generously and said, "It doesn't matter."

  Takeda Shingen immediately asked Baba Nobufusa, "Nobuharu, is this the Ming person you met, Li Xiao?"

  "It is you, milord."

  Takeda Shingen nodded and said, "Please sit down."

  Xiao Xing immediately brought over two stools and placed them a few meters in front of Takeda Shingen. Li Xiao sat down without hesitation, while Maeba Nobuhide sat down and said to Li Xiao in Chinese: "Lord Takeda-sama, who rules both Kai and Shinano provinces, with an army of 100,000 elite soldiers, is the greatest hero under heaven."

  After listening to Ma Changsheng, Li Xiao secretly smiled in her heart. This Ma Changsheng is all big talk, thinking I haven't seen the world. Japan's national administrative unit, at most equivalent to a county in the Ming Dynasty.

  On the forum, Chinese people often mention Japan's Warring States period as a time when village heads and town heads fought with knives, this statement is somewhat biased, but the claim of having an invincible army of 100,000 soldiers is absolutely exaggerated.

  Li Xiao listened to Ma Changsheng's words and only smiled faintly, then replied with a typical Chinese polite phrase: "I've long admired your great name, I've long admired your great name."

  Unexpectedly, as soon as Li Xiao finished speaking, both Takeda Shingen and Baba Nobuharu revealed a smile on their faces.

  "What you said is correct, in our Japan, we usually call the ruler of a country 'daimyo'. And our master, in your Ming country's words, is an even greater daimyo among daimyos."

  "What?"

  Li Xiao almost blurted out a Japanese phrase, but it seemed like the other person was enjoying this way of speaking, and he rarely explained. However, the "great name" in the great name, was there such an expression during the Ming Dynasty? The fighting machine in mobile phones, I had heard of it before.

  Then it was Li Xiao's turn to boast about his own origin, saying that he was originally from the Ming Dynasty, belonging to Fuzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, and was a hereditary military officer of the 100 households. He sailed out to sea for battle when he encountered a storm and eventually drifted to this place.

  "Is it Ming Guo Wu Jiang?"

  When Li Xiao introduced himself like that, Takeda Shingen's expression remained unchanged, but Maeda Toshiie looked surprised and asked: "Mr. Li, are you really a Ming general?"

  Li Xiao saw the other party's suspicious heart, so he stood up and put on a martial general's appearance, saying: "If you don't believe it, Li is willing to try his skills."

  Bajō Nobuzane hesitated for a moment, but Takeda Shingen spoke directly: "In that case, let me see it, the bravery of the Ming general."

  At this time, Baba Nobuharu glanced at Li Xiao and suddenly spoke a string of Japanese to Takeda Shingen in a low voice. He probably still thought that Li Xiao didn't understand Japanese at all, but he didn't expect that Li Xiao could roughly make out the meaning from his words. Baba Nobuharu's intention was naturally to worry about Li Xiao's identity, fearing that he would be unfavorable to Takeda Shingen.

  But Takeda Shingen looked unconvinced and replied in Japanese, saying that judging from Li Xiao's appearance, he didn't look like a Japanese person at all, let alone a spy. He just wanted to confirm Li Xiao's martial arts skills and see if he was really a great general of the Ming Dynasty.

  The two of them talked for a while and finally decided to go outside the formation to see Li Xiao's martial arts. As for why they chose to go outside, it was because all the flag-bearing team warriors were outside, so they didn't have to worry about Li Xiao suddenly making a move to harm them.

  Li Xiao didn't care about all that, and walked out of the formation, holding a long-handled bamboo spear in his hand, wearing the single garment of a light infantryman he had changed into earlier, standing majestically in the arena.

  The hatamoto samurai of the Takeda family heard that a military commander from the Ming dynasty had come to demonstrate his martial arts, and naturally they all came with interest. Takeda Shingen, Baba Nobuharu and several other generals who rushed over upon hearing the news stood on one side and watched.

  Li Xiao saw that these Takeda vassals, seeing his tall stature, were all uttering phrases like "Sugoi" in admiration.

  The long-handled spear in Li Xiao's hand was exactly three chi in length, a genuine three-chi spear. The iron tip of the spearhead was about fifteen centimeters long, and the outer bamboo strips were coated with a layer of red lacquer to prevent water and corrosion, while the inside was solid and hard oak wood, making the spear both flexible and not lacking in hardness.

  Li Xiao made a fist and saluted Takeda Shingen, then flipped the spear that was slung over his shoulder downwards with a whoosh. The spearhead whipped up a fierce gust of wind, humming loudly as it sliced through the air. Li Xiao's body shook, opening up his stance, the spear pointing forward like a thunderclap in the sky, and he let out a mighty roar: "Kill!"

  Li Xiao used all his might, using the shooting skills taught by the old cadre, and exerted himself fully.

  After the most intense part, Li Xiao finished his gun dance and slammed the hilt of his sword to the ground. On the surface, he was drenched in sweat, but in reality, he still maintained a steady breath, looking like he had plenty of energy left.

  At this time, Takeda Shingen and Baba Nobuharu applauded and cheered, and the Takeda family's soldiers also cheered.

  "Father, I am willing to engage in a trial of strength with this Ming general."

  At this time, a young general with a long gun stepped out, and the person looked at him for a year or two. He was obviously just wearing a crown, but he was obviously vigorous and had a look of a newborn calf that was not afraid of tigers.

  Takeda Shingen glanced at the opponent and smiled slightly, saying: "Shiro, do you want to try? The opponent is a brave general of Ming country, losing will damage our Takeda family's prestige."

  "This young general took another step forward and said: 'He is a brave general of the Ming State, I am the son of Shingen, and I will not lose to him.'"

  Having obtained his father's consent, he turned to Li Xiao and said: "I am Takeda Shorenori, challenging the brave warriors of Ming country."

  Shirō? Takeda Shōryū?

  When he heard the other party's self-introduction, Li Xiao carefully sized up this future head of the Takeda family. His earliest memory of this person came from Kurosawa Akira's "Shadow Warrior".

  In Kurosawa's film, he best interprets what is the definition of a prodigal son who sells his father's fields without feeling heartache, that is, personally burying the family business of Takeda, which was painstakingly built by his father and his subordinates.

  In the final scene of the film, in the tragic Battle of Nagashino, what Li Xiao remembered most deeply was that the elite cavalry corps of the Takeda family, the samurai corps, were all annihilated in the iron cannon formation of the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces.

  Rui just like a gambler who had lost his bet, with an iron face waved the military command in his hand, ordering wave after wave of troops to charge forward with their heads down.

  However, at this moment, Takeda Katsuyori still looked like a young man, and he was not the first heir of the Takeda family, but his older brother Yoshinobu. Unexpectedly, this time Takeda Shingen brought him along when he came out of the array.

  Li Xiao immediately accepted the challenge from his opponent. Although his opponent was a few years younger than him, Li Xiao would never underestimate him.

  Takeda Shingen was like a newborn calf not fearing tigers, his long spear was shorter than Li Xiao's by half an interval, and his height and build were also inferior by a large margin, but he didn't care about this difference at all. Takeda Shingen didn't say a word and came up to launch a surprise attack, looking like he would make Li Xiao concede defeat in three or four moves.

  On the contrary, Li Xiao seemed to be suppressed by his opponent and was defending with all his might, without any of the flair he had shown when dancing with his spear. Just as everyone thought Li Xiao was all show and no substance and was about to be defeated by Takeda Shōryū, Li Xiao suddenly turned defense into offense and neatly used the butt of his spear to jab at Takeda's chest.

  With just one move, Takeda Shingen was knocked to the ground in the blink of an eye. All the generals of the Takeda clan were shocked and only then did they realize that the Ming general's strength was truly astonishing.

  Li Xiao's face wore a faint smile as he defeated Takeda Shingen with one move, knowing well the historical figure's impulsive and aggressive personality.

  Li Xiao intentionally showed weakness, letting the opponent attack first and waiting for their energy to dissipate before launching a fierce counterattack. But in the eyes of the Takeda clan's warriors, Li Xiao was like an unparalleled sword master, effortlessly toying with a reckless challenger, only slightly punishing them at the end.

  At this time, Takeda Shingen, who had been watching from the sidelines, suddenly burst out laughing and then clapped his hands together three times.

  At this time, a samurai of the Takeda family handed over to Shingen Takeda a deerskin pouch that seemed quite heavy with both hands, bowed and left after making a bow.

  At this time, Li Xiao could feel that the gaze of the surrounding Takeda warriors looking at him all showed excitement and admiration.

  Takeda Shingen smiled slightly and untied the rope at the mouth of the deerskin bag, revealing that it was filled with gold dust.

  "Good job!"

  As Takeda Shingen let out a loud cry, the surrounding Takeda clan warriors responded in unison with a loud shout, and they all raised their spears high.

  This bag of glittering gold made Li Xiao's eyes dizzy, after all, it was the first time he had seen so much gold. Li Xiao observed the expressions and noticed that several generals behind Takeda Shingen did not show any signs of displeasure, apparently his strength had been recognized, and this bag of gold sand in front of him was almost equal to the annual salary of a high-ranking vassal of the Takeda family, and the reward could not be said to be light.

  Li Xiao immediately made a fist and bowed, saying: "Thank you for the reward, but as the Chinese say 'no merit no reward', I'm afraid I cannot accept this gold."

  Most people did not understand what Li Xiao meant, at this time a young general beside Takeda Shingen translated it in Japanese, so most people understood what Li Xiao meant. Now Li Xiao can feel that the warriors of the Takeda family look at their own eyes with a more respectful expression.

  Takeda Shingen burst out laughing and said: "You don't have to decline, I was just about to hire you as a samurai for the Takeda family."