December 1489, three years in Changxiang, Katsuyama Pavilion in Southern Ezo.

In December, the Tsugaru Strait still showed no signs of freezing. Large tracts of birch forests are spread across the mountains on the northern shore of the strait, and the mountains are covered with light snow. And in the valley between the mountains, a long river flows quietly to the west and merges into the vast sea.

The valleys between the mountains are narrow and flat, and the continuous forests are empty here. On the thin snow, there is a village with a friendly style and two Japanese-style castles in the mountains, usually called "castle". Of course, in this barren and cold Ezo land, the two small towns have no castle guards, and their shapes are very low, so they can also be called "houses".

The north wind blows microwaves, and the water near the sea is clear. Two Guan ships with deep draft slowly docked towards the port on the shore. The size of the port is very small, it is a natural fishing port, guarded by only four samurai. Their main job is not to guard the port, but to collect fish as a tribute from the small fishing boats that go out to sea.

The four warriors were startled to see the arrival of the two Guan ships. They recognized the small flag on the Xiaguan ship, and they relaxed a little when they saw the familiar leader at the bow.

"Eh? Head of the Kono group, why did the rice house ship come so early this year? And two ships are closed?"

"I don't know. Zhu Saburo, get on your horse and report to the hall quickly. There is someone from Miwu. Depending on the situation, there may be something important."

"Hi!"

The four said a few words, and one of them immediately rode on the only pony and reported to the Shengshan Pavilion a few miles away. The remaining three men came to the port with their sabers in their arms and directed the boatmen to assist in berthing.

Soon, the two closed boats came to the shore, and two people, one old and one young, got off the boat. Both of them were wearing thick kapok long clothes and cotton caps covering their ears. They didn't have swords, and they were obviously merchants.

The group leader Kono Kenichi squinted his eyes and looked carefully. The old businessman was about forty or fifty years old, with a vicissitudes of life and gentle eyes. He didn't look like a merchant, but a monk. He didn't recognize the origin of this person, but when he saw the small silk sleeves exposed in the other's dark blue cotton jacket, he bowed slightly.

As for the young businessman, everyone recognizes him, he is called Matsushita Xiang Erlang, he is the one who comes to the rice house every year to trade with the restaurant, and he can also be called the shopkeeper.

When the ship was docked, the boatmen were busy, and the rice bags on the ship began to be unloaded. Matsushita Shoujiro stepped forward, smiled and took out a small paper bag, and stuffed it in the hand of the group leader Kono Kenichi.

"Leader Kono, I'm sorry!"

The group leader Kono Kenichi was orderly, directing the boatman to carry. He took the paper bag, weighed it slightly, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Ha! It should be. With these two shipments of food, the museum will be richer this year for the New Year."

Afterwards, the group leader Kono Kenichi waited, and then glanced at the elderly businessman next to him, but saw that Matsushita Shoujiro had no intention of introducing him. He bowed again, and asked with a smile.

"Why did the grain ship come so early this year? Is there anything important?"

Hearing this, Matsushita Xiangjiro bowed, smiled politely, but still didn't answer. As soon as the group leader Kono Ken saw this, he understood in his heart. He didn't ask any more questions, but stepped aside and shared the money with the warriors.

"Snowfields, forests, mountains and mountains. And a long river coming, the reflection is clear."

Soon, the surroundings became quiet. The old businessman looked at it leisurely, watching the clear river merge into the light blue sea, and admired softly.

"The stillness of the water can reflect the heaven and the earth, and the quietness of the mind can communicate with ghosts and gods. The scenery by the Tianye River, seeing you again after more than ten years, is indeed the same as reassuring!"

Hearing this, Matsushita Xiang Erlang bowed his waist and responded with a smile.

"Indeed! There are so many rivers in the world named after Amano, but this one is the real 'Northern Field'."

The old businessman nodded, and his eyes extended to the east along the Amano River. On both sides of the river, under the thin white snow, a little bit of grayish yellow is exposed, which is the rice stubble left after the rice harvest. Little stubbles of rice stretched all the way to the depths of the valley, and around the rice fields, there were huts of Kazuto farmers.

Matsushita Shoujiro next to him paid attention to the eyes of the other party, and said with a timely smile.

"The head of the house, the rice in Ezo, compared with Kyoto, does not have a quiet taste, but it is unforgettable!"

"Well, rice from Ezo."

The old businessman recalled the meeting, with a smile on his face, and responded lightly.

"Where there are rice fields, there is Heren land. It's a pity that in this vast land of Ezo, only the circle of South Island can grow rice."

The two chatted for a while, and then they saw two horses running from afar in the mountain "house". The old businessman looked at the mountain pavilion and said with a smile.

"I haven't seen you for so many years, but the scale of the Shang Guo Pavilion is getting bigger and bigger!"

Hearing this, Matsushita Xiangjiro lowered his head and reminded carefully.

"Yes! Headmaster, the Shangguo Pavilion has been building more and more buildings, and it is now the largest of the twelve pavilions. And it also has a new name, called Shengshan Pavilion"

"Huh? Shengshan Pavilion?"

"That's right! This is more than ten years ago. The guardians of Shangguo and the trustees, in order to commemorate the victory in the battle of Hushemayin, specially chose this name."

"oh!"

The old businessman understood. He smiled again, glanced at Xiang Erlang next to him, and nodded.

Soon, the two riders in the Shengshan Pavilion rushed forward. The leading middle-aged samurai wore a black feather jacket with a warm leather lining inside. He wears a dark long hakama on his legs, and a samurai sword is stuck in his waist.

Looking carefully at the front of his long hakama, there are five neat creases, which represent the moral code of a warrior, the five ethics and five constants, that is, monarch and minister, father and son, husband and wife, brother, friend, and benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. . On the back of the long hakama, there are also two creases, which are heaven and earth, yin and yang, and loyalty and filial piety.

The old businessman saw the other person's face at first sight, and then looked at the other person's clothes at the second glance. A smile appeared on his face when he saw the neat creases. The middle-aged warrior reined in his horse after a dozen steps, dismounted and came on foot. Seeing the old businessman, he was surprised at first, and then his face showed joy.

"Master Morino Kiyoshi, why did you come in person?!"

"Ha! Guangguang, I haven't seen you for more than ten years. You are as calm as a mountain, and you are a warrior as strong as a ghost!"

"Ha ha!"

Hearing this, the middle-aged warrior laughed out loud, quite happy. Well, in Kazuto's tradition, "oni samurai" is undoubtedly a commendatory compliment~lightnovelpub.net~ The elderly businessman Kiyoshi Morino stepped forward with a smile, and had a warm chat with the middle-aged samurai Oyezaki Mitsuhiro for a while.

The two have known each other for more than 20 years. Mitsuhiro Oyezaki had met his father from the west bank of Lake Biwa when he was a child. However, in the boring Ezo, meeting a person from Kyoto and talking about the scenery of the Kinki area is an extremely rare pleasure.

After chatting for a while, Oysteraki Mitsuhiro looked at Morino Kiyoshi and asked the same question.

"Master Morino Kiyoshi, do you have something important to come here in person?"

"There is something important."

Kiyoshi Morino nodded, looked around, and Mitsuhiro Osakizaki let the samurai disperse. Then, Kiyoshi Morino said something in a low voice with a serious expression, and Mitsuhiro Oyazaki's face changed drastically!

"It's a major event in Kyoto, and it's a matter of Shangyang"

(end of this chapter)

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :