Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1549 1521. Meeting

"It seems that as the acting city lord, you are finally busy?" Tsukahara Bokuden teased without malice.

He turned his head back to listen and asked Lan En.

"Do you need to stop temporarily? There is no rush to practice martial arts."

"That's not necessary." Lan En's movements did not stop, and the wooden sword still left a sharp sound of breaking through the air in the air.

And now, he can even speak with a steady breath while performing [Zanshin].

"Everything that should be arranged has been arranged. If this can still go wrong. Ha, I will look up to the senior officials in Lushan City."

After all, being able to make him feel out of control is also an extraordinary ability.

And Tsukahara Bokuden looked down at his current posture, the sturdy old man with an eagle on his shoulder, holding the sword with one hand, and the breath was sharp.

And in the dojo, the lonely atmosphere immersed in the cold morning sun.

"It seems that you want to use me as a foil to calm the situation? Humph"

The old warrior snorted coldly, but did not move.

Tsukahara Bokuden is not only an excellent swordsman, but his own experience and background also make him not far from the Kyoto court.

He even went to Kyoto once and became the swordsmanship instructor of the current shogun.

To say that he does not understand official articles is a joke.

But it is precisely because he understands that he is even more pessimistic about Lan En's current official situation.

The mysterious Yin-Yang master who called himself Abe Haruaki talked about the general situation here when he persuaded him to come to Lushan Castle.

Saito Dosan's [Mino Viper], who was an underdog, left the city urgently, and it seemed that he was going to cause another wave in Mino. No one had ever heard of the acting lord left behind.

No prestige, no foundation, no background.

With nothing, he really expected to control the city with just a mere letter of appointment?

Not to mention that Saito Dosan was not upright and had an unstable foundation in Mino, even if he was the most upright and stable emperor in the whole of Japan!

Can he really appoint and dismiss local daimyo by issuing a letter of appointment?

Although this idea may be a bit disrespectful, if the emperor could really do such a thing, where would the Warring States period come from?

But the reality is that the emperor and the nobles are still starving in the palace.

Even the Ashikaga family, the shogun, has to borrow money frequently to maintain their dignity.

Tsukahara Bokuden complained in his heart.

If it weren't for the great title of "Shogun's Instructor", the Ashikaga family couldn't afford to invite him to teach swordsmanship.

With his skills, if he meets a talented person who suits him, he will teach him even if he pays for it himself. But if he doesn't like it, he will have to deal with it impartially.

While the [Sword Saint] was complaining in his heart, a group of people rushed in from the gate of the dojo.

Their straw sandals rustled on the cobblestones in the courtyard.

Twelve officials in straight robes and standing hats crossed the small bridge over the small pond and crowded under the wooden steps in the front yard of the dojo.

They were shaken, their eyes were dazed, and they couldn't control themselves.

And Fujikichiro, who was still dressed as a traveling merchant, with a bright yellow coat with frayed edges, stood at the front of the group with his head held high.

He had a smile on his face and rubbed his nose with his fingers proudly.

"Hehe!"

And two days ago, after Fujikichiro visited him, Akechi Mitsuyasu turned around and said that he was a "country grass and low-class person", but now sweat oozed from his palms, soaking the bat fan in his hand.

The sweat on his neck made the family crest of [Water-colored Platycodon] on the collar damp.

The group straightened their backs and knelt down on the cobblestones under the wooden steps with serious faces.

Logically speaking, even if Saito Dosan received their joint visit, he had to clean up the most solemn room in the castle tower and set up the most formal reception to be considered polite.

But since yesterday.

When the peddler in front of them, who didn't even have a proper surname, announced his decision to them, "Tomorrow morning, go to the dojo to pay a visit to His Highness, the acting lord of the city."

None of the twelve officials who were responsible for all aspects of the management of Lushan City felt that there was anything wrong.

At that time, no one was still rational and sober to think about what the dojo was arranged like, and where there was a spacious place for a group of people to kneel and pay respect.

And until now, when they came to the dojo, they only dared to kneel at the steps of the dojo, kneeling on the uneven cobblestones, and did not dare to touch the flat wooden steps.

The feeling on the knees was very uncomfortable.

But they could not feel it at all at this time.

The intricate relationship of interests and connections is of course a very useful network of relationships in normal times, a very powerful and hidden shelter.

Even Saito Dosan, who had accumulated power in Mino for many years, could only vaguely glimpse a corner of this network.

It is difficult to see clearly, let alone put pressure on, dismantle, and target.

It can even be said that the officials and nobles in these networks themselves cannot see the whole picture of the network.

Because these are the relationships and connections accumulated by the rich and powerful families for several generations, even since the birth of the family.

Intermarriage and exchange of interests from generation to generation.

This is the way of survival and survival instinct of the entire aristocratic class. Even individuals belonging to this class are so small that they are not worth mentioning.

It is precisely because no one can see this network clearly, even the weaver cannot see it clearly, so it cannot be dealt with.

But since yesterday, these nobles who formed a network of relationships but could not even see the full picture of this network, all felt the ripples on this network!

And the source of the ripples was just holding a piece of paper on the street, looking for the way to talk to each family like an instruction manual, the funny peddler Fujikichiro under the acting city lord? !

The wealthy families have enjoyed the care brought by this hidden and deep network since birth.

Therefore, when the whole net was pulled out and played with by people like playing with the catch on the stall, the fear of these people also penetrated into their bones!

The nobles who first discovered this were so angry that they wanted to kill Fujikichiro who was like shopping and choosing goods, and took the terrifying note in his hand.

But then, he found that the network of relationships that once made him feel like a fish in water was now sending pressure from all directions, making him unable to move.

Subordinates, colleagues, superiors in the government, relatives, friends, and distant relatives in the family. All kinds of relationships that he didn't even realize existed at ordinary times, all pressed down at this time.

So the people who formed the net now became the people waiting to die in the net.

Akechi Mitsuyasu lowered his noble head at this time.

The Akechi family is a branch of the Toki family, and it is an absolutely noble bloodline in Mino.

Later, judging the situation, he switched to the Saito family usurped by Saito Dosan. But this is at least to submit to the equally noble Saito family name.

His adopted son, and also his nephew, Akechi Mitsuhide, is still serving as a general under the command of Saito Dosan.

But now, he didn't even dare to look up and look at the mud-legged peddler!

He could only glance at him carefully with his peripheral vision.

Not to mention the owner of the peddler, the acting lord of the city who was making orderly slashing sounds on the wooden floor of the dojo.

Akechi Mitsunari's hand almost broke the fan bone of the bat fan!

But he knelt on the cobblestones and sat upright, not daring to waver at all.

But then

"Squeak!"

The sharp sound of breaking through the air, which was so sharp that few people could swing a sharp sword, sounded again!

The breathing frequency of [Zanshin] was too precise and tight, and was confused and hidden by the sound of swinging the sword.

But a shrill and thin blood line was thrown out from the dojo directly along the trajectory of the wooden sword.

"Chizha!"

A sparrow that flew into the dojo only had time to make a final cry before it was cut to the ground.

The shrill blood line was thrown on the straight robes of the twelve officials kneeling in a row.

The snow-white hard fabric of the clothes was like a drawing board, reflecting the blood on it.

At the same time, people also sincerely wondered, how could a mere sparrow be stabbed with so much blood?

What was even more incredible was that the sparrow was still alive! It was still twitching on the wooden floor!

This guy is not! How good is the swordsmanship of the acting city lord? !

The sparrowhawk on Tsukahara Bokuden's shoulder, with its sharp eagle eyes, was not attracted by the blood on the ground, but was only vigilantly looking at the wooden sword that had almost drained the blood from a sparrow with just a gust of sword wind.

It had been raised by Tsukahara Bokuden for a long time, so even its feathers were stained with sword energy.

Lan En's sword just now stimulated it to make a "cooing" sound in its throat.

"Lord Akechi Mitsuan?"

And in the sparrowhawk's cry, Lan En's steady voice was not disordered at all.

"I am here! Your Highness, the Acting City Lord!"

Ignoring the bloodstains on his straight robe and the pebbles on the ground, Akechi Mitsuan immediately bowed down.

Although it was a forced act, it was at least calm and composed, worthy of the name of the Akechi family.

"You were cursing Fujikichiro in your heart just now, right?"

Lan En said in a nonchalant, factual tone.

Mitsua Akechi, who bowed down, trembled, and the eleven people beside him clenched their teeth at the same time.

"Ahaha! No, Your Highness." Fujikichiro, who was standing next to them, laughed and said in a heroic voice, "I was born in poverty, so it's normal for someone like Akechi to say something in his heart. Right, Akechi?"

Fujikichiro's voice was as friendly as always.

If you don't know, you might think he and Mitsuyasu Akechi have been friends for many years.

"Of course, I don't want to make a false accusation based on other people's thoughts."

Lan En continued without waiting for Mitsuyasu Akechi to refute.

"But you scolded him three times in the house, right?"

"Yes, yes"

"Then I will fine him one year's salary. Do you have any objection, Master Akechi?"

"I am! I am very grateful!"

"Okay." The steady sound of breaking air in the dojo finally stopped temporarily. A wooden sword was thrown out and rolled to the steps in front of Akechi Mitsuyasu.

"Please be the kaisha for this sparrow, Master Akechi."

Akechi Mitsuyasu buried his head deeply again: "Yes!"