Everyone in the village was ready to flee, but because of the old man's desperate persuasion, they all stayed.
"The elder of the Imagawa family said that he wanted to give food to our village." The old man assured the people around him. In the past few days, there were always people sending food that was barely enough for the whole village for half a day to keep everyone alive.
The village has not had enough to eat since last autumn. Less than half of the people in the village used to live in the castle town of Narumi Castle. They fled after the Oda and Imagawa families started fighting over Narumi Castle.
After leaving there, we came to Danxia Village. This made the land in Danxia Village, which was not very much, even tighter, but the enthusiastic villagers still gave up some of their fields to these refugees for farming.
Last autumn, the Oda family launched an army during the autumn harvest and recruited a large number of people from here to serve as auxiliary soldiers for the Oda army. However, not a single bit of the captured food was distributed to these temporary ashigaru. When these strong men returned
After returning to the village, they discovered that the farmland they had cultivated so hard was hit by a locust plague because they were not harvested on time, and the harvest for the year was wiped out. The village had to rely on the few grains left in previous years and the little grain harvested by women and children.
The villagers who originally only ate two meals were forced to change their meals to one meal a day. During the winter, many elderly and children in the village starved to death and froze to death.
When spring comes next year, even though the strong men in the village don't have enough to eat, they plan to work hard on spring plowing and strive for a good harvest this year. However, before they can finish sowing, the samurai Ashigaru of the Oda family rush into the village.
, snatched away all the remaining grain, and no matter how hard the village chief begged, it was of no avail. Several farmers who refused to pay grain had their families killed and their houses burned down.
The whole village fell into despair. They could not even secure the seeds for spring plowing. The whole village, young and old, went out to dig wild vegetables in the fields and dug up the roots of the wild vegetable trees around the village. It was difficult to make ends meet. Every day there were
Children and the elderly starved to death. The remaining people were all emaciated.
However, in the past few days, the farmers who fled the famine have returned to the village. They said that a kind-hearted adult would use military rations to relieve them - to relieve the people of hostile countries.
Although more than a dozen cavalrymen delivered several bags of grain every day, the honest farmers were accustomed to the samurai's dominance and cold-bloodedness, and few really believed that the kind-hearted man would really come. Even so,
They also pinned all their hopes on the illusory relief, and the whole village, young and old, waited eagerly at the entrance of the village.
In the early morning of February 11, a commotion suddenly broke out among the villagers gathered at the entrance of the village. Immediately afterwards, a dozen young men in their prime excitedly rushed into the village chief's home.
"Village chief, someone is here! Someone is here from Sanhe!" The young men cried with joy, "I saw it! I saw it! The motorcade with the red leaf flag, you can see many bags of food on it from a distance!
"
The elderly village chief, regardless of his old bones, rushed to the entrance of the village with the young men. At this time, the Yuqiu family's ox convoy had already arrived. The leader was a heroic young man, who was speaking with a slightly excited voice.
With red eyes, he looked at the farmers with sympathy. Behind him was a half-year-old child, holding upright a painted maple leaf flag. Behind them, every member of the team had a flag with red leaves printed on it.
The flag was on the ground, and the bullock cart was filled with bulging bags of grain.
The hungry villagers swarmed up and surrounded the convoy, eager to pull the food off the car immediately, as if the food would fly away after a short time.
"Don't be anxious, don't rush!" The ashigaru in the convoy tried hard to maintain order.
"Folks, don't worry, there is definitely enough food!" Yu Qiuping stood on a bullock cart and shouted, "Each household will report the number of people, the adults will receive a large bag of food, and the children will receive a small bag, it will be enough! Don't worry.
!" Yu Qiuping pressed his hand and signaled the villagers not to rob, "The food here is all for you, and any excess will be placed with your village chief later!"
"Thank you, my great benefactor!" "Thank you, samurai!" The farmers then realized that the person in front of them was also a samurai, and they stopped grabbing food and knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
"Everyone, get up, hurry up and get the food!" Yu Qiuping said with a smile, "Everyone, go to the five places to line up!" Yu Qiuping pointed to the positions of his five ashigaru generals, "The ashigaru people there will help you.
If you move the unmovable food back to your home, tell them directly if you have any requests, you’re welcome!”
"The little man has five people in his family, including two children." The old man who was met by Yu Qiuping when he was escaping from famine a few days ago went to line up at Fukushima Yasunari's place, and he was the first in line.
"Okay, three big bags and two small bags!" Fukushima Yasunari shouted, and several ashigaru immediately brought the food from the carriage, "Old man, do you want us to help you send it back?"
"No, no, I don't dare to bother you military masters!" The old man nodded and said, but it was difficult for five people who were already skinny and hungry to carry these five bags of food.
"Mizu Atomic Sutra, Ziping, you guys help them move back." Upon seeing this, Fukushima Yasunari nuzzled at the ashigaru next to him. The ashigaru immediately greeted him enthusiastically and helped the old man move it.
I took the bag and followed the old man's family towards the village.
"If you have any requests, just ask!" Fukushima Yasunari said to the farmers queuing up, "We two hundred brothers also lived in poverty before. We all have to help each other when we are in trouble!"
"My lord is right!" the surrounding Ashigaru responded loudly.
"Grandma, are you sick?" Nakahide Omaezaki asked as he looked at the middle-aged woman in front of him who kept coughing.
"It's okay, my lord samurai," the woman couldn't help but cough a few more times.
"Kobayakawa Yachinisuke, go help grandma get some herbs and send them back together." Omaezaki Nakahide said to the ashigaru beside him, then turned to face grandma, "grandma, you have to take care of yourself." He said as he said
He looked at grandma's son and daughter-in-law with a smirk, "I'm still waiting for you to have your grandson!"
The faces of the young couple in the group turned red, and the family was grateful and went home with the ashigaru who helped carry it.
…
It was almost noon, and the relief distribution was basically completed. Every household received food. The excess food was also sent to the village chief’s home. Yu Qiuping wrote a note and gave it to the man named Xue Shan.
The faithful messenger took them back and asked Naoe Tadayei who stayed behind to release 10 more prisoners. Then, he took the convoy and prepared to leave.
However, before the convoy could turn around, the people in the village rushed out and surrounded Tokiwabei's ashigaru. They all found the ashigaru who had just helped them carry it, and they all expressed their gratitude.
The old man talked for a long time, and suddenly saw Yu Qiuping, who was sitting on the back of the bullock cart, smiling. He suddenly bowed to Yu Qiuping and said in the most sincere tone: "Thank you for saving my life! You may live a long life.
a peaceful life."
Although this sound was soft, several farmers around him hurriedly knelt down in the direction of Yu Qiuping: "My lord, you will live a long life and have a safe life."
The wave of kneeling spread quickly throughout the crowd, and in the blink of an eye, more than 200 people in the village knelt down. Yu Qiuping suddenly found that he had become the center of kneeling, whether he was an old man who had been accustomed to the facts, or a strong-blooded man.
The young man, who was still a child who was still inexperienced in the world, all worshiped himself devoutly.
"My lord, you will live a long life and have a peaceful life."
Yu Qiuping hurriedly jumped off the bullock cart to express his gratitude, but the gratitude of hundreds of people made his voice seem so small. Yu Qiuping ordered the ashigaru of Tokiwabei to step forward to help the people, but only after they helped this one, that one knelt down again
After rain, nothing can stop these people who have spent their lives digging in the dirt to express their sincere thanks to Yu Qiuping.
The same warriors, the same aloof people, but the common people can distinguish between good and evil.
The samurai of the Oda family did not care about their livelihood at all. They arrogantly robbed the people of their property and used fists and kicks at every turn. They did not care about the lives of ordinary people at all, and drove the whole village to a dead end.
The adults of this family are amiable and kind-hearted, and even use their own military rations to provide relief to people in places they have never met. The samurai Ashigaru of this family have no airs at all. They are like good brothers and sincerely help everyone.
.
"Everyone, stop kneeling! Get up!" Yu Qiuping shouted with tears in his eyes, "You shouldn't thank me, it's me who should apologize to you!"
As soon as Yu Qiuping said this, the whole place fell silent, and each farmer looked at Yu Qiuping doubtfully.
"You are all honest people. You have just worked and farmed and supported your family all your life. You should have enjoyed a happy life." Yu Qiuping sighed and said apologetically, "It is us warriors who conquer each other for our own selfish interests.
You innocent people were involved in the war, causing you to be displaced, hungry and cold." With tears in his eyes, Yu Qiuping bowed vigorously: "I want to say sorry to you! I will definitely try my best to alleviate your pain. I, Yu Qiuping, do what I say.
arrive!"
When Yu Qiuping bowed, the people who had stood up knelt down again with tears in their eyes, and their voices of gratitude became even stronger.
"This Lord Maeda," Yu Qiuping pulled aside the dazed Maeda Toshiie who was also moved, "he is a close confidant of Lord Oda Kame, and he is here to give the villagers a guarantee!"
"Uh... um!" Maeda Toshiie was stunned for a moment. Seeing countless eyes looking at him, he was suddenly speechless. In the simple and sincere eyes of the people, he really couldn't make a casual promise like Oda Nobunaga said. In the future,
Break the contract again.
He puffed up his chest and promised with utmost sincerity: "On behalf of Mr. Oda Kame, I would like to assure the villagers that the robbery of food will never happen again like before! I am willing to guarantee it with my life!"
After the matter came to an end, Yu Qiuping was really ready to leave. However, the people in the village followed him reluctantly, insisting that Yu Qiuping leave his name.
"Every household in the village will set up a monument to pray for your immortality. At least you must know your name." The village chief grabbed the reins of Yu Qiuping's horse and prevented Yu Qiuping from leaving.
"Okay then." Yu Qiuping smiled slightly and pointed to his horse seal and Tokiwa Bei's flag, "Seeing these red leaves represents my Yu Qiu family. My name is Yu Qiuping, you can call me Yu
Autumn red leaves.”
"Sir, may I ask those three words...which ones are they?" the village chief asked again.
"If it rains, autumn will bring peace," Yu Qiuping whispered. "With abundant rainfall in a year, the harvest of the year will be guaranteed during the autumn harvest. I hope you will be safe this year."
After that, he rode away. Behind him, there was an overwhelming voice of gratitude from the people. Although Tokiwabei's ashigaru gave away the military rations they had gone through so much trouble to transport and gave up the prisoners they fought so hard to capture, they
Their morale was as high as ever at this moment.
Amano Jingtoku was behind him, looking at Yu Qiuping's back, feeling an indescribable throb in his heart.
"Benevolent people love others, and people love them forever." Amano Keide sighed softly, "I didn't make a wrong choice that day, and I really didn't choose the wrong person."