There used to be a piece of wasteland under Kasugayama Castle, where children from the nearby castle town used to love to play. Since the Kira family built a new town three years ago, the area has been surrounded by a wooden fence and transformed into a large church that serves as a garrison and military training. The field, the tall arrow sculls and the small castle all indicate that this is a military facility, and all group training that cannot be accommodated in the small training ground on Kasuga Mountain can be done here.
Yamaoka Tokinaga straightened his back and observed Kiragi who was standing on the edge of the teaching field with the corner of his eye. He tried his best to behave like a qualified horseback general. Today was the day to review the training results of the horseback warriors. Since accepting the responsibility of training the horse warriors three years ago, Yamaoka has spent all his time here except for the days when he went out to fight.
After three years of rigorous selection, 300 young people with outstanding riding skills and some talent in archery were selected from nearly 8,000 young people of the appropriate age in Echigo. In the past two years, the young people have eaten the best food. Food, the best equipment, and a nearby hot spring circled for them to bathe and relax. The medical team led by Moruma Konaose will come here every half month to give the teenagers a physical examination. For the poor children, this is a wonderful life like a dream.
Of course, how much effort you get in return depends on how much effort you put in. In the first month, the training time increased from four hours a day to six hours a day, from weight-bearing running to wrestling training, to riding and arching training, every day. The schedules are so full that the teenagers can no longer remember how long it has been since they went home.
A group of twenty young knights lined up and galloped on the trail. Each of them held a bow and drew an arrow, aiming at the target thirty-six meters away. The bowstring vibrated. One after another, some people completed a round of shooting. .On this fifty-meter-long trail, each young knight must complete three prescribed riding and shooting movements.
Only difficult special training can reflect the professional quality of a samurai. Some teenagers calmly and calmly complete horseback shooting again and again. Each action corresponds to a different rhythm. After shooting three arrows, they have not finished the whole journey, while some teenagers have already shot two arrows. After running more than half of the distance, I hurriedly bent my bow and fired randomly, but couldn't even find the target. In the end, I could only retreat to the corner in despair.
It took fifteen groups a quarter of an hour to complete a round of mounted archery. Looking at the distant target, which was densely packed with arrows, Kira Yoshiki applauded the outstanding performance of the young knights: "Well done! It took two years of practice." This level is very good! Back then, Zenjiro might not be at their level, right?"
"Uh... Mr. Master! Don't mention the past, okay?" Yamaoka Tokio wiped the cold sweat from his head in embarrassment.
In just a few years, Yamaoka Tokinaga's image has changed a lot. He has grown a majestic mustache on his lips, and his messy samurai uniform has been neatly tidied up, making him a lot taller than the slovenly appearance he had a few years ago. , Kira Yoshito didn't care about his image, and walked out of the shooting range with a few followers to continue the following inspection.
With the continuous influx of refugees from all walks of life in Echigo, the population increased by 200,000 in more than three years. Today, Echigo is a large country with a population of 500,000, with more land and human resources than Hokuriku, and the entire Kanto only has Musashi Country can rival it.
Although the population continues to increase, the number of pre-armed people receiving armed training has not increased much. The reason is the population shortage caused by excessive land development in Echigo. Kira and Nagao alone are facing a labor shortage of hundreds of thousands.
The contradiction is that a large amount of land has been developed but there is not enough manpower to plant it. We can only spread grass seeds and simply fertilize and harvest the grass. This is a huge waste of land resources.
In order to solve the contradiction of labor shortage, the originally planned preparatory armed training system had to come to a standstill. The surplus labor force in rural areas and towns was organized to accept the unified dispatch of followers and formed several teams to work in the fields.
This is just a temporary measure that can solve a temporary emergency but cannot solve the fundamental problem of labor shortage. Town residents have also complained about this unkind tax system. Even if they can get a certain amount of grain income after autumn, they are not satisfied.
At first, most of these townspeople did not want to be farmers anymore, so they came to the castle towns, port towns, and gate towns to make a living. Now that life is so good, who is willing to leave the business in the town and go to the countryside to do menial work.
So at the beginning of last year, members of the Kira family began to prepare for related issues, how to solve the adverse effects of labor shortages and the inability to meet agricultural production. After more than a year of discussions and several revisions of drafts, a new decree on the annexation of new villages was finally formed.
It is not yet known whether the rotational cropping method can achieve the desired effect. Currently, it is only being tried out in the Sekikawa area, and the degree of promotion will be determined depending on the effect.
The teaching ground is divided into several blocks. The outermost earthen fence and archery oars are guarded around the clock. The interior is divided into a shooting range, a battlefield, a training ground, a house, a soup house, a pharmacy, a canteen and other facilities. It covers an area of ​​ten machibu.
, because of the ownership issue of this land, Yamamoto Tokiyuki and Honjo Mino argued for several days, and it took a lot of effort to get it over.
The terrain here is excellent. It happens to be on a gentle high slope between the foothills of Kasugayama. The land is completely flat. To the west is Kasugayama, which is also one of the many intersections outside Otemon. To the east and north are the castle towns with lower terrain.
Surrounded by the mountains, there is a natural cliff with a height difference of seven or eight meters to the south. Not far below the cliff is a farmland, and further away is a village with smoke curling up from cooking stoves.
Yamamoto Tokiyuki trained a new army at the training ground. There were only 2,000 people. From basic formation training to fighting, wrestling, weight-bearing running and other methods, they all referred to the training methods left by the Nanman instructors. They had only trained for two years.
The new army currently has good quality, and the concept of ordering and prohibiting as well as loyalty to the Kira family has been thoroughly implemented.
"It should be said that the martial culture of Echigo Country is very good, and the talents of these children are also very good. After another year of training, they can develop combat effectiveness. I am going to find some opportunities for them to experience some battles and see the light of blood..." Toki Yamamoto
Sachi dragged his lame leg and tried to keep up with Kira Yoshitoki, and Mogami did not forget to explain his training philosophy.
As an unruly and maverick warrior with rich experience in wandering around various countries, it is not surprising that he has absorbed and summarized the different ideas of the Southern Barbarians. Now, at his age, he is no longer able to support the heavy burden of government affairs, so he took the initiative last year.
It is proposed to withdraw from the political circle and focus on cultivating qualified warriors and military research.
Kira Yoshitoki also found that his steps were too fast. He quickly stopped and waited for his teacher to catch up. Looking at the old Yamamoto Tokiyuki, and then looking at the young faces on the training ground, Kira Yoshitoki couldn't help but sigh with emotion:
"In the blink of an eye, my master's hair has turned to frost, and my family has gradually grown up from a mere three-foot-tall child. Time is so cruel!"
Recalling that Yamamoto Tokiyuki spent five years to create 800 elite soldiers, and now he has organized 2,000 outstanding soldiers in just two years, it can only be said that the times are progressing, and the Kira family is getting stronger and stronger. But time has not spared no one.
Kansuke Yamamoto, who couldn't help it, was old after all.
"Old minister, I feel like I'm really old! I've been getting shorter and shorter sleep lately, and my back and legs are sore on cloudy and rainy days. The old injuries on my back are particularly serious, man! The older I get, the more useless I become.
" Yamamoto Tokiyuki smiled wryly at himself,
In the blink of an eye, Yamamoto Tokiyuki was already fifty-six years old. This age was considered a standard old man during the Warring States Period. However, he had no children and no support. In the past year, he even moved out of his solitary apartment and came to the university to train new students.
At the evaluation meeting, he spoke less and less, like an old man in his twilight years. Most of the discussions were spent in naps.
"I heard that the master is writing military memorials. I wonder how the writing is? Can I read the master's masterpiece in advance?"
Speaking of military records, Tokiyuki Yamamoto made no secret of the pride in his eyes: "It can't be called military records. It's just a collection of notes taken by veterans over the years. From the 10th year of Eisho (1513),
The Imagawa family personally launched the invasion of Toe and began to record, writing down all the experiences of the ministers in Mikawa, Toe, and Suruga when they were young. The veteran minister in the sixth year of Dayei wandered around various countries, and when he returned to Mikawa, he wandered to Toe. The Suruga section has been
It has been sorted out and is currently being sorted back to the part where Sanhe became an official until now. It will probably take one to two years to complete."
Kira Yoshitoki also understood his teacher's thoughts. Writing books was always a matter for educated people. Yamamoto Tokiyuki just didn't believe in this. When he was at Kira's house, he often practiced calligraphy with the copybooks of eminent monks.
The accumulated practice over time allowed him to write impressive regular scripts.
The Kira family has never advocated the use of kana writing. In the words Kira Yoshi often talks about, kana people are useless if they don’t understand Han students. As for the master’s attitude towards cultural reform, Hosokawa, as a cultural person,
Fujitaka, Namioka Tōfō and others could only smile bitterly.
"Kojiki" records: "However, in ancient times, the words and meanings were not simple, and it was difficult to use words to formulate sentences and sentences. Since the words of the commentators did not catch the heart, so now, I use phonetic training in one sentence."
Since the formation of kana in the mid-Nara period, and through the systematic influence of the "Man'yoshu", the history of kana for more than 800 years has formed a strong inertia. Even illiterate farmers can write an application letter using kana without guessing.
It is too difficult to ask the lords to pay taxes in disaster years and let them learn the complex Chinese character system.
"Do you want to start recording from the time of the Imagawa clan, the great hero of Suruga? That is really an incredible period of history! Speaking of it, there were so many heroes in the past few decades. I wonder what it will be like in this generation of my family." The two of them said slowly.
Slowly walk to the side of the training ground and watch the young recruits demonstrate various complex tactical changes.
Yamamoto Tokiyuki pinched his messy beard and said with a smile on his face: "The master of the hall is the Duke of Military Guards, and he is the leader of the palace. He was a first-rate hero at that time. Why should I envy the glory and honor of those who have passed away? Now I am the power of a country."
Supplemented by the support of the two counties of Omi, it will exceed the sum of the three countries of the current Kawa family, and the family business will be prosperous in the future."
"It's just a momentary sigh!" Kira Yoshishi glanced at him and was surprised to find a few familiar figures in the dense queue: "Huh? Isn't that Nagao Sadaharu? Watanabe Moritsuna is also there,
Isn’t he just in Yuan Dynasty?”
"The master of the hall is talking about these two boys! Since Kankuro saw the new army in exercise last year, he has been hanging around Lao Chen's place every now and then. He insisted on coming in and wouldn't leave. Lao Chen was so pestered that he agreed...
Gengoro was personally delivered by his father on the second day of his Yuan Dynasty, and he specifically asked the old minister to exercise more control. He is really a smart man!"
In the Kira family, no more than two palms can see the importance of this new army. Apart from several important ministers who participated in formulating the plan and the main executive officers, there are only a few top-ranked reserve generals.
It can be seen that high-intensity endurance, fighting strength training, the best supply of supplies, and an all-round training and treatment system are clearly aimed at cultivating elite ideas.
A young boy of 16 or 17 years old. The youngest one is Watanabe Moritsuna, who is only fourteen years old. It’s scary to think about such potential. It’s no wonder that Watanabe Takazuna rushed to see the child off without knowing it.
How many more people will come to send their children off in the next year or so?
Compared with Saijo Bei ten years ago, these children are much taller. There are almost no short people under 1.6 meters. It is still unclear how powerful the new army will be in training for three years, but one thing is certain.
, there is absolutely no problem if Saijo Bei is stronger than he was back then.
"How is the physical fitness of these boys? Are their strength and stamina up to standard?" He used the new word "standard" to measure whether the new army's physical fitness is "up to standard." This assessment must first start with this new army.
The new army that marched with an armed force was unqualified. There were two examples of monkeys returning. The first consideration for the new army during Kiragi's reign was whether the strength and physical strength were up to standard.
"There is no problem. The current standard is that a one-mile cross-country run with a weight of five kilograms can be completed within a moment to pass. In the spring training half a month ago, all members achieved the passing goal. In the next step, this standard will be further improved.
improve."
One mile is equal to approximately four kilometers. If you wait for fifteen minutes, you can run four kilometers in twenty-two and a half minutes with a weight of five kilograms. It is absolutely an amazing level in this era. The physical fitness of the younger generation in Echigo has improved significantly.
Under the circumstances, it is not too unusual that the best can achieve this result. After all, it is the level of one among dozens of people.
"I can also run this result. If it's not enough, I have to continue to increase the weight and the distance can also be increased appropriately."
When the two were talking, today's training was basically over. Kira Yoshi looked up at the sun, which seemed to be only three o'clock in the afternoon, and asked: "Ending training so early? Didn't I hear that the training you arranged is very intense? Today
It’s only been three hours of training, right?”
"There are some special reasons today, and it's because of the new Cuju style advocated by the owner..." Yamamoto Tokiyuki looked at him with a smile without saying a word.
At this time, more than 2,000 people each held a ball made of leather and ran to the newly opened court to play. The twenty or so boys who grabbed the court first screamed with excitement, and the remaining groups were not discouraged.
Quickly run to a nearby open space and set up a formation to play. This game requires very little venue requirements and can be played in the streets and alleys. As long as two bamboo poles or stones are placed as goals, it doesn't matter if the sideline is offside.
Kira Yoshishi shamelessly pretended not to notice: "Just play Cuju, it's an elegant thing anyway!"
"Cuju is a refined thing, it's true. The new style of Cuju seems a bit far from a refined thing." Tokiyuki Yamamoto saw many samurai stopping at the entrance of the training ground to watch. Judging by their dress, you could tell they were samurai from the Nagao family. Every afternoon
Three o'clock kick-off has become a new entertainment activity. For ancient times that lacked entertainment, this game is indeed very attractive.
In Kasugayama Castle Town, two young men from Ueno were sitting listlessly in a bar in a daze. Their investigations in the past few days had yielded no results. Several people in the house disappeared the next day. The two asked about the nearby neighbors.
I didn't get any meaningful information.
Unwilling to fail, Nagano was determined to risk his life and sneak into the house. However, nothing of value was found. Those people seemed to have evaporated from the world and could no longer be seen. The two of them thought of telling the news to the Kira family.
, as a result, I went to Kasugayama Castle to talk about this early this morning, but the guarding samurai drove me back as a liar. If it weren't for an acquaintance on duty who happened to be a guarantor, the two of them would have been beaten several times.
"Those bastards don't believe us! If something serious happens, you deserve to be unlucky...Okay! Don't stare at me with your wrong eyes, it's scary!" Nobuzada Kobata looked depressed and annoyed, and the dignified Young Master of Ueno Kunimine Castle
To be continued...