Volume 2: Gathering Storms Chapter 36: Recruiting Rōnin

  Traveling in the lower town of Korakuen Castle.

  Since that day, Takeda Shōryū, Li Xiao and Yamamoto Kan no Suke, after this big battle of several ronin, the business of this small inn not only did not decline, but instead more ronin came to live in it, making the business prosperous.

  Among these ronin, there was a rumor that they believed Takeda Shingen-sama came to drink here because he had taken a liking to the 16-year-old daughter of the traveling inn's owner. And so, with such forced reasoning, those unemployed ronin, whose hot blood had been simmering for a long time, began to boil over.

  They had always cherished a hope in their hearts to see Lord Takeda Shingen again, and to find an opportunity here to become a samurai of the Takeda family.

  The large hall is now packed with travelers, who speak in various dialects and chat about the rumors they've heard. Some boast about their past bravery to gain others' admiration. Others become emotional when recalling their lord's defeat, his honorable death by seppuku, and their own hardships as ronin, suddenly shedding a few tears of heroic sorrow.

  More of the rōnin sat silently at the table, dejectedly holding their sake flasks, drinking in small sips with a plate of dried radish. At that time, Japan was extremely lacking in material goods, and sake brewed from rice was quite expensive in Japan. As unemployed people, these rōnin naturally did not dare to learn from Wu Song's example and drink three bowls in one gulp.

  They occasionally raised their heads to gaze out of the window at the distant castle's keep, yearning for a warrior's life, then let out a long sigh.

  In the center, several rōnin, drunk with wine, jumped up and danced in a somewhat similar yet somewhat different manner, their postures extremely comical and laughable, occasionally causing everyone to burst out laughing.

  Just as the atmosphere in the inn was becoming increasingly tense, the curtain at the entrance was pulled open and two ronin walked in, immediately drawing the attention of most people inside.

  The tall ronin had a sturdy build, in this Japan of the Warring States where most people were only around 1.5 meters tall, he was undoubtedly taller than others by at least a head. Next was his samurai sword, which compared to other ronins' swords, appeared wider and thicker. Although this man had a full beard and a rough appearance, it could be seen that his actual age was quite young.

  Another ronin looked much weaker and this person's lips were pale, with a very dejected look.

  "Bring two bowls of hot rice porridge."

  The ronin with a large sword at his side spoke up to the traveling boss in a somewhat hoarse voice.

  The traveling boss knew at once that the two vagrants in front of him were a humble and timid pair, but when he saw them carrying such a large samurai sword, he didn't say much either, just nodded and went to do as they asked.

  "Shōmō, thank you for taking care of me on our journey. The Sugano family no longer exists, what's the point of me living alone?" said the rōnin with a disheartened tone.

  The ronin carrying a large sword shook his head and said, "Your respected father is still alive, so don't lose heart. The actions of the Imagawa clan this time have already made them lose the hearts of the people. Matsudaira Motoyasu in Mikawa has already become independent, and the Imagawa family can do nothing about it. I think with Matsudaira Motoyasu as the first example, there will certainly be a second and third."

  The old boss immediately brought up two bowls of rice porridge, although there were only a few grains of rice, but the two still gulped down in big mouthfuls.

  A bowl of rice gruel won't solve the problem of hunger, and with a disheartened look, the ronin said in a low voice: "Shoumou, thank you for taking care of me on our journey so far. Now that we've run out of money, and since this is the territory of the Takeda clan which has an alliance with the Imagawa clan, there might be Imagawa spies lurking around. I must leave quickly for Saikōji in Mikawa Province, perhaps I can find Father there. Let's part ways here."

  That ronin carrying a large wakizashi said with a shrug, "Anyway, I have nowhere to go, so I'll accompany you on a trip to Western Sanhe. Let's take a look at the three Langs of the Songping family and see if they have the rumored courage. If it's true, then I, Daisho Island, will surrender to him."

  Two people were talking, and the traveling curtain was opened again. If the previous ronin who carried a thick and large wakizashi could be called sturdy, then the person in front of him was even more astonishing. However, he was not a ronin, as he wore a fine black small red silk armor with two long and short swords inserted at his waist, exuding an extraordinary air, with the demeanor of a high-ranking samurai.

  As soon as he entered the door, his eyes scanned the crowd from left to right, and the ronin who was carrying a large sword suddenly felt a chill in his heart, unconsciously pressing his hand on the hilt of his sword. His years of battlefield killing instincts told him that this warrior was absolutely a very formidable opponent.

  The two ronin exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with vigilance, and both fell silent.

  Five or six ashigaru foot soldiers carrying long spears followed the samurai into the lodging, where the ronin were all astonished and wondered if something had happened. Some of them secretly guarded against it, putting their hands on the hilts of their swords.

  This tall and sturdy warrior was Li Xiao. His purpose for coming to live here this time was to recruit some ronin to join the Takeda army.

  It seems there's no one formidable in this traveling residence, Li Xiao thought to himself after sizing them up.

  At this time, the traveling boss hurriedly ran forward. He could recognize the warrior in front of him. Last time in his store, a big fight broke out and one person beat several ronin, it was him. This time, don't let anything happen again.

  "Sir, what brings you to our humble shop? We have some of the finest clear liquor here that we'd be happy to serve you."

  Li Xiao nodded, having clear wine to drink was of course the best, but what was most important at the moment was not this. Li Xiao spoke loudly: "The city master has just issued a recruitment order." After finishing, he gestured to a nearby foot soldier to unfold and display a letter-like verdict.

  But no one has yet gone to distinguish the true and false of the judgment, almost all the rōnin in the inn rushed to Li Xiao's face.

  "Adults, use me. I will use the iron cannon."

  "This noble sir, I once served as a foot soldier general in the household of Izumo no Okuni."

  "Sir, I once took three heads in a battle, and here is the certificate of appreciation awarded to me by our lord as proof."

  ……

  He used the iron cannon, and with a light touch, took three heads, and there was a letter of gratitude as proof. Hmm, not bad, not bad, it seems that these people can barely be used. Li Xiao thought to himself. Then he looked at this group of vagrants with expressions like they were starving, and Li Xiao felt a few pangs of gratitude towards Takeda Shingen for letting him serve as a samurai in the Takeda household, otherwise his fate would probably have been similar to theirs.

  "Slow down, one by one, there will be bread, oh no, there will be rice, everyone has an equal chance, right?" Facing this group of enthusiastic vagrants, Li Xiao felt a bit like a superstar from the future, surrounded by countless fans at a concert.

  I don't know about the situation with Sanada Masayuki, but Li Xiao sent Sanada Masayuki to recruit peasant soldiers village by village. Compared to recruiting ronin, the method of recruiting peasant soldiers was similar - carrying carts of rice to various villages and telling them that being a soldier meant having rice to eat, which led many people to be willing to serve the Takeda family.

  When the clerk was recording the names, specific circumstances and past experiences of the ronin one by one, Li Xiao saw that in a corner of the inn, there were two ronin sitting there, who seemed to have no interest in the recruitment work on this side.

  －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

  Thank you for the evaluation votes from the sleepy caterpillar and the rewards from jees4*5 book friends.