Chapter 249 The imperial martial arts performance begins! Aoto vs. the Shogunate Imperial Guards【
6000】
Turning back time a little bit -
In the first year of Wanyan (1860), August 28, morning——
Edo, Edo Castle, Black Academy——
Cicada——! Cicada——! Cicada——!
The distant wind brought the chirping of cicadas that came and went.
Wearing the most solemn but unflattering formal attire of a samurai: Aoshinobu, sitting boredly on the side of Edo Castle's Black Academy.
My waist and legs, which were aching from sitting, felt like numbness constantly flowing through them.
In order to reduce the burden on his waist and legs, Qingden had to bend his back slightly and put his whole body's weight on his right leg to give his left leg a temporary rest.
When his right leg is almost overwhelmed, he will shift his body's center of gravity to his left leg, and switch to his right leg to rest... Qingdeng just keeps alternating his center of gravity on his legs.
——It’s so boring to death...
Qingdeng raised his head in boredom and looked at the scenery outside the window and the room he was currently in. It was so spacious that any words he said could be echoed.
——Why hasn’t the general come here yet... How long do you have to wait for me?
Since the end of the fireworks display, Qingdeng has been preparing for today's "visit to the city".
The stipulated time for the interview is 10 o'clock in the morning on August 28th... But from entering Edo Castle to meeting the general, there are a lot of complicated procedures to go through.
So, "get dressed and go out at 9 o'clock, and meet Tokugawa Iemo on time at 10 o'clock"... This kind of thing will never happen.
In order not to be late, today, when it was still dark, Qingnobo, with the help of his old servant of the Tachibana family, Kyuubei, put on a formal attire embroidered with the Tachibana family's crest: the gentian leaf.
Kubei cried excitedly while helping Aoto get dressed.
You can't blame Kubei for being sentimental.
The family title was promoted from "imperial family" to "banner", and was also summoned by the general - in the view of the martial arts family in this era, this was a great honor.
While Jiubei was weeping, he said to Qingden with excitement: "Young Master, if I see your current achievements, I will be very proud!"
The old protagonist—Aoden’s father: Tachibana Takayuki.
The person who came to pick up Qingdeng came very early.
Just when the sky had just begun to show a hint of morning color, several young warriors wearing exquisite ceremonial attire appeared outside the gate of the trial defense hall, carrying a rather gorgeous sedan.
In order to show his respect for Aoto and his expectation for today's meeting, Tokugawa Iemoge specially gave an explicit order: to use a sedan to take Aoto Tachibana into the city!
The general sent a sedan chair to take his ministers into the city... This is not a particularly unusual thing, so there is no need to make a fuss.
Under the watch of Kyuubei and other relatives and friends, Aomori got into this gorgeous sedan and officially set off for Edo Castle.
By the way--one of the people who came to see Qingden off was the General Secretary.
It was really hard for Souji, who was always a sleepyhead, to get up before it was even bright.
But Souji still withstood the heavy mental attacks from "Sleepy Man", straightened his body, and crawled out of bed with zombie-like cold movements.
When he, Kubei, and others stood outside the gate of the Imperial Guard Hall to watch Seito leave, Souji slumped his head, shoulders, and waist as if his entire upper body had no bones.
A pair of beautiful eyes were half-closed the whole time, their eyelids were constantly fighting, and their little head was shaking bit by bit due to sleepiness...
Even though Souji's look of being sleepy and ready to collapse at any moment was a bit funny... But Aoto was very moved when he saw it.
It was because of him that the Souji stood so energetically under the calm sky - thinking of this, Qingden's cheeks burst into laughter unconsciously.
…
Since the founding of the Edo shogunate, it has been stipulated that the 1st, 15th, and 28th of each month are the general days for climbing the castle.
Officials of a certain level and above are required to wear formal attire on these three days and go to Edo Castle to see the general and say hello to him.
For example, Aoto's superior and senior, Hideyuki Arima, was able to touch the threshold of participating in this activity.
On the 1st, 15th, and 28th of each month, Arima has to go to the city with the rest of his colleagues.
Due to his family background and lack of official rank, Ayoto had never even entered Edo Castle before, let alone even approached it.
From not even being qualified to get close to being summoned by the general... For those who are in the "ditch" but longing for the "moonlight", this is undoubtedly another story that can make them a hundred times more energetic and excited. Inspirational story.
After riding a sedan through a certain gate of Edo Castle, Ayoto immediately opened the sedan window and looked at the scene outside the sedan with the mentality of appreciating places of interest and historical sites.
Regarding the scenery of Edo Castle, Ayoto's first impression was - it is truly a "military castle" that deserves its reputation...
Edo Castle is not so much a "grand palace"... it may be more accurate to call it an "iron-walled military fortress"!
According to statistics, Edo Castle has one large castle tower, 21 towers (watchtowers), 28 Tamon (longhouses in the castle), 99 castle gates, and numerous imperial palaces and warehouses.
Outside Edo Castle is a wide moat.
After crossing the moat, there is an amazingly large outline.
Passing through the outer perimeter, and further inside is the core area of Edo Castle: the inner perimeter.
There is a small moat between the inner and outer walls: the inner wall serves as a barrier.
Such a fortress... is simply a nightmare for the attacker!
Edo Castle is located in the center of Edo.
Therefore, if you want to attack Edo Castle, you must first use a fierce street battle to capture the vast Edo city, which can accommodate a million people.
After completely controlling the Edo city and town...the real nightmare came.
After painstaking efforts to capture the city of Edo, they were surprised to find that they had to break through another moat that diverted water from the Kanda River and other large rivers before they could truly launch an attack on Edo Castle.
After finally filling up the moat with soil, we finally rushed into Edo Castle, but we were surprised to find that there was still an outer wall that needed to be breached.
Once they broke through the outer perimeter, there was still a moat... that is, the inner wall was waiting for them.
And there is an inner wall behind the Uchibori... There are Sannomaru, Ninomaru, and Honmaru in the inner wall...
Whether it is the outer or inner outline, the architectural layout is large and complex, almost like a maze, and it is possible to get lost even with a map.
Without the use of firearms, a new dimensionality-reducing strike weapon, and only using cold weapons... without an army of tens of thousands and sufficient supplies, it is simply impossible to defeat a military fortress of this level.
The inner outline of Edo Castle is designed in the shape of a "の" character. It is mainly composed of the Honmaru, Ninomaru, Sannomaru, Nishinomaru, Fukigami Court and Momiji Mountain. According to the Uzumaki-style design, the layout is cleverly arranged on the right.
Vortex rotates.
Momiji Mountain - As the name suggests, it is a beautiful place where the mountains are covered with red leaves in autumn. Its function is somewhat similar to the "Imperial Garden" where the general and his family members went to relax.
Toshogu Shrine, dedicated to the first shogun of the Edo shogunate: Tokugawa Ieyasu, was built on Momiji Mountain. The purpose was to allow Tokugawa Ieyasu to quietly watch over the entire Edo shogunate and the entire river on the towering Momiji Mountain.
household.
Fukiage Imperial Garden - with a total area of 130,000 tsubo (429,000 square meters), it was originally owned by Owari, Kii, and Mito, the three feudal lords who were collectively known as the "Three Imperial Households" and had the closest relationship with the Edo shogunate.
Land for upper house furnishing.
However, after encountering the Meiretsu Fire (1657) that burned two-thirds of Edo to scorched earth two hundred years ago, Fukiage Otei was reorganized into a fire eradication area. There were also teahouses, flowerbeds, horse farms, and iron bars.
The artillery range was used as a courtyard. The general would handle government affairs or watch sumo wrestling matches here.
Nishinomaru - the imperial palace (the former general who conquered the barbarians or the father of the general), where the general's children live.
Sannomaru - has no special function, mainly used to protect the defense zone of Ninomaru and Honmaru.
Ninomaru - the former shogun's main room, side room and the residence of his biological mother.
The so-called "X no Maru" is a special architectural term in ancient Japan.
Castles in ancient Japan were generally composed of multiple layers. They were called X-no-maru from the outermost layer inwards, with Honmaru being the core main city.
The castle tower, which is used to view the enemy's situation, command troops, and is also one of the symbols of governing power, is often built in Honmaru.
The Honmaru in the inner outline of Edo Castle consists of two parts: the "Tenshukaku" and the "Honmaru Palace".
From the appearance, the castle tower of Edo Castle has 5 floors. If the underground floor is included, there are 6 floors in total. Unfortunately, this magnificent castle tower has already been destroyed in the Meiretsu fire.
Honmaru Palace is Edo Castle... no, it is the core of the entire Edo shogunate! It is not only the political center of the Edo shogunate, but also the residence and office of the current shogun.
Honmaru Palace is divided into 3 areas.
The first area is "Ooku" located on the north side of Honmaru Palace, which is the shogun's harem. The shogun's main room, side rooms and the place where his children live.
Of course, the general's biological mother and adoptive mother are also eligible to live in Da'ao.
For example, the now famous Tianzhang Courtyard is located in Daao.
It is strictly forbidden for any male except generals to enter Da'ao. If you want to keep cats, dogs and other pets in Da'ao, you can only keep females.
There were no eunuchs in ancient Japan, so the people who were responsible for serving the general's family in Da'ou were all women.
The second area is "Zhong'ao", which is the residence and official residence of the general. It is convenient for the general to conduct government affairs here. The location is between "Biao" and "Da'ao".
Finally, there is the "Omote" located on the south side of Honmaru Palace, which is the front hall. It is the place where the general meets with ministers and holds various ceremonies.
"Table" has such an important position. In order to clarify its functions, it is naturally divided into different areas.
On the east side there are rooms for the main bureaucrats of the shogunate headed by Lao Naka, while on the west side there are the Ohiro Room, White Shoin and Black Shoin, which are used to hold major activities.
New Year's homage to the shogun, the shogun's announcement of government decrees, the publication of samurai's laws and other official activities of the shogunate will all be held in Ohiro Room.
The area of Ohiro Room is as high as 500 floors (1155 square meters), which is divided into upper section, middle section, lower section, second section, third section, and fourth section. When the shogun announces a decree, performances will be held on the Noh stage on the south side of Ohiro Room.
The White Academy is mainly used to hold ceremonies. Compared with the Black Academy, the biggest difference between them is that the latter is often used to hold daily activities, while the former and the Daguang Room are usually used to hold formal ceremonies.
Baishuyuan is divided into upper section, lower section, between Dijian, Liange and other blocks. The total area is 150 square meters (495 square meters).
The New Year's ceremony to meet the shogun; the reception of emissaries and envoys from the imperial court; the shogun's announcement of orders; the daimyo of the superior vassals such as the Gosanke, Aizu clan, and Hikone clan to visit the shogun; and the general's appreciation of martial arts performances were all held in this room.
As for the last Black Academy, it is a place that is often used to hold more ordinary daily activities. Monthly royal ceremonies, ceremonies for inheriting a daimyo, being granted a daimyo, and official interviews are all held here.
Ainoto, who was not a feudal daimyo but an ordinary official, was currently waiting for the arrival of Tokugawa Iemo in the Black Academy.
From the time he sat down in the Black Academy until now... Qingdeng has been waiting here for nearly half an hour.
He was let go for no reason... and no one came to explain the reason to Qingdeng.
In such an extremely serious place, Qingdeng would naturally not be allowed to walk around, and no one would come to chat with Qingdeng.
Therefore, Qingdeng could only remain in a kneeling position and continued to wait in agony.
Just when Qingdeng was so bored that he was about to count the number of cicadas chirping outside the window, the sound of "pah, pah, pah, pah" was heard from outside the room.
Upon hearing this, Qingdeng became energetic and quickly straightened his waist and sat up straight.
Kara——
The paper sliding door on the left side in front was slowly pushed open.
A young man dressed with a nickname and walked slowly into the Black Academy along the paper sliding door that was pushed open.
Qingdeng, who had long been familiar with all the etiquette of meeting the general through his recent studies, quickly bowed forward and saluted.
Pashu... Pashu... Pashu... Pashu...
Because he lowered his head, Qingden couldn't see the scene in front of him, and could only hear the sound of people's feet stepping on the soft tatami one after another.
After a moment, Qingdeng heard the light sound of sitting down.
Immediately afterwards, a gentle young male voice sounded:
"Keep your head up."
Qingdeng followed the etiquette rules and said "yes" loudly, then slowly raised his head and waist.
As his gaze climbed higher and higher...two young figures, a man and a woman, came into Qingdeng's eyes in no particular order.
I saw a young man about 14 years old, kneeling in a very straight posture on the main seat of the room directly in front of Qingdeng.
His black hair, which had not been shaved off, gave Qingden an immediate sense of familiarity.
The facial features are quite delicate.
There is a hint of childishness unique to a young man between his straight eyebrows.
The weather is so hot, but I still wear a lot of serious formal clothes like hakama, cloth socks, and haori.
The left and right lapels of the haori are embroidered with a symmetrical set of Tokugawa family crest: three-leaf sunflower.
After Qingdeng glanced at the young man briefly, he raised his eyes, looked over the young man's shoulders, and began to look at a young woman wearing a cyan blouse who was sitting upright behind the young man.
This woman's black hair was specially shortened.
Her lustrous hair was tied back into a small ponytail that only reached the nape of her neck.
Even if no one came to explain to Qingdeng, Qingdeng could tell who the man and the woman were from their seats and clothes.
——Are these two the current shogun of the Edo shogunate, Tokugawa Iemo, and the Odaisho Tenjoin?
Qingden blinked his eyes several times in astonishment - he was surprised by two things.
The first thing: He can actually see Tianzhangyuan.
Although Qingnobo had long heard that Tianzhangin would often accompany Tokugawa Iemo in various public places.
Therefore, it is not that unusual to meet Tenzouin in an occasion where Tokugawa Iemo appears.
However, when he actually met this widow whose name he had admired for so long, Qingdeng couldn't help being surprised.
The second thing: The appearance of Tianzhang Yuan... is quite different from what Qingteng expected...
Tokugawa Iemo's appearance is basically consistent with the image Aoshinobo has heard before - he is very young, has a delicate face, and his hair is not shaved into Tsukiyo.
But Tianzhang Courtyard...
——This... is the famous Tenzouin Highness, who is said to be comparable to Miss Sanako in beauty?
——It’s a complete fraud! How can this dignified appearance look like it can compete with Miss Sanako on the same stage?
Thinking back to a few days ago, Arima said to Aonto with a nose and eyes: I have always heard that His Highness Tenzouin has an appearance that is as good as a fish or a wild goose. It is said that in all Edo, the only one who can compare with His Highness Tenzouin in terms of beauty is the Little Chiba Sword Hall.
Chiba Sanako.
The results of it……?
At this moment, what Qingdeng saw in Tianzhangyuan's eyes was... just an ordinary-looking young woman.
Her facial features can only be considered delicate, far from being called a "beauty", let alone compared to a peerless beauty of Sanako's level.
The only thing that can be called an advantage from head to toe is that the skin is very white and tender.
At this point, Qingdeng couldn't help but secretly thought:
——It seems that the so-called "His Royal Highness Tianzhangyuan is a great beauty" is just a rumor fabricated by a boring person who has unrealistic fantasies about this young widow... Through false rumors, the three of them became a tiger...
…
Thinking of this, Qingdeng inadvertently sighed in his heart - for some reason, Qingdeng felt a little disappointed...
Describing Aonto's inner thoughts in such detail, it seems that Aoto has been observing Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin for a long time. In fact, everything is at the click of a finger.
"Tachibana-kun!"
Aoshitogata raised his head and heard Tokugawa Iemo slightly leaning forward and saying excitedly:
"I've wanted to see you for a long time! Haha, now I finally get my wish!"
As soon as Tokugawa Iemo opened his mouth, Aomori couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly in surprise.
He originally thought that a person of Tokugawa Iemo's level must be literate in his speech.
Unexpectedly...this young man's speaking style is quite friendly to the people.
He neither used any obscure grammar nor spoke any profound vocabulary.
Even an illiterate person who cannot read a single Chinese character can easily understand what Tokugawa Iemo is talking about.
"Sorry, I just made you wait here for so long. An urgent matter suddenly came up that needed to be dealt with immediately, so it was delayed for some time. Please forgive me."
Not only was his speech style very close to the people, but his personality was also very close to the people... At this moment, Tokugawa Iemo was bowing his head to Aoshinobu with a look of shame on his face for being late.
Tokugawa Iemo is surprisingly talkative.
After he briefly greeted Qingdeng and said hello, he gradually started chatting.
From when he first heard the name "Ju Qingdeng" to how he remembers Qingdeng's name.
Compared to Tokugawa Iemo's enthusiasm, Tenzouin appeared a little cold - she stared straight into the void in front of her the whole time.
Let alone joining in the conversation, she didn't even look at Qingdeng.
Due to Tokugawa Iemo's eloquent speaking frequency and the restriction of his status, Aoden had to say a full 10 sentences before Tokugawa Iemo had the chance to reply to one sentence.
But I have to say - Tokugawa Iemo's cordial and enthusiastic attitude makes people feel like a spring breeze.
Qingdeng's body and mind, which were slightly tensed because he had first arrived in a strange place and met strange people, gradually relaxed unconsciously.
But, at this moment, Tokugawa Iemo suddenly changed the subject——
"Ji Jun, I have always heard that you have extremely strong swordsmanship."
"Two months ago, when you were rushing to rescue the Western settlement that was invaded by the anti-barbarian group, you rushed back and forth among the enemy groups like Changshan Zhao Zilong. It was like entering an uninhabited land! You were invincible in every direction!"
"To be honest, after I first heard about your great achievements of 'fighting against the barbarians alone', I was fascinated!"
"I really want to see your sword skills with my own eyes, so I would like to ask you to compete with the generals of the "Third Division". What do you think?"
Qingdeng was suddenly startled.
"Sanban Group" - This is the collective name for the three standing armies of the shogunate: the Daban Group, the Academy Group, and the Xiaoxuan Group.
These three troops are all composed of Hatamoto and his descendants.
Oban Group - 12 groups in total. Responsible for guarding Edo Castle, Kyoto Nijo Castle, Osaka Castle, etc.
Among them, 2 groups are in the Nijo Castle camp, and 2 groups are in the Osaka camp, which alternate every year. The remaining 8 groups are stationed in the camp and at Edo Castle Ninomaru. During the war, they serve as the vanguard of the entire army.
Sub-surname group - a total of 8 groups. The so-called "sub-surname" are samurai who serve the lord personally and handle various matters. The main task of this group is to stay in Edo Castle and are responsible for protecting the general whether in peacetime or in war.
The Shoin Division - 10 groups in total. Like the Xiao-surnamed Division during the war, they serve as bodyguards beside the general. In peacetime, they are on standby among the tigers in Edo Castle to protect the general at any time.
Because he was on standby between Hakushoin and Hongye Mountain at first, he was called Shoinban.
Each group of the "Third Division" has 1 division leader, 1 division leader (the large division has 4 people), and 50 banshis. There are also lower-level samurai with the titles of "Yu Li" and "Tong Xin" who are responsible for doing chores. 30 people.
From a functional point of view, the "Three Divisions" are the imperial guards directly subordinate to the shogun and responsible for protecting the shogun and Edo.
Only the banner disciples with excellent family character and abilities are eligible to be selected into the "Third Division".
Theoretically speaking, the "Third Division", which has extremely strict selection criteria for its members, is the strongest army of the Edo shogunate.
Tokugawa Iemo actually asked him to compete with the generals of the "Third Division" on the spot... This was really something Aonto didn't expect.
Although Tokugawa Iemo asked Aonto very politely, "I don't know what you think"...but did Aoto have room to refuse?
Tokugawa Iemo was extremely cordial, but he should never forget that the young man in front of him was the supreme ruler of the Edo shogunate and Aoshino's most qualified boss...
"Yes..." Qingdeng bowed with a complicated expression, "Then... I will show my disgrace!"
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The heroine who has always been loved by many people: the eldest sister of Tianzhangyuan, finally officially met Qingdeng! Spread flowers~~(Baoguai.jpg)
In order to celebrate the official debut of the big sister of Tianzhangyuan, please vote for this book (Leopard Head Cries.jpg)
Today's chapter was very painful for the author to write...
Although it is possible to find out where the shoguns of the Edo period would meet with their ministers, it is impossible to find out what the shoguns would say to their ministers after summoning them... (Zi Bao Zi Abandonment.jpg)
