บท 38: Chapter 38: Tokugawa
As Hirakawa Taisho left, the tense atmosphere immediately dissipated.
Oda Hirakura didn't want to stay for a moment longer. He pulled Zhou Ming and got on the carriage, instructing Matsui Kyoushin, who had been waiting here, to drive them away.
"It's still early; why don't we take a stroll in Kyoto?" Zhou Ming suggested.
Oda Hirakura looked at Zhou Ming suspiciously, his eyes full of distrust as if he were saying, "I don't believe you have anything good planned."
"Hey, what kind of look is that? You don't trust Matsui, but you don't trust me either?" Zhou Ming retorted.
"... I trust Matsui very much," Oda Hirakura wanted to say, but in the end he didn't dare say it.
"Then... shall we take a walk?" Matsui Kyoushin asked cautiously.
"Let's go, let's go," Oda Hirakura said irritably.
Matsui Kyoushin shrank his neck and didn't dare to speak anymore. He focused all his attention on driving the carriage.
The sound of horse hooves and the rattling of wheels filled the air as Zhou Ming looked out the window, enjoying the scenery.
Compared to Jinyama Castle, Kyoto had a different kind of beauty.
It was more prosperous, with more people and more developed businesses. Pedestrians and vendors came and went, each with their own accents, slang, and dialects, making it quite lively.
"It seems that the gathering of daimyos in Kyoto has indeed made the city much more lively," Matsui Kyoushin couldn't help but sigh.
"Have you been to Kyoto before, Matsui?" Zhou Ming asked curiously.
"Of course, I have been following the lord for many years and have escorted him to Kyoto many times. Every time was safe and sound, and nothing unexpected happened," Matsui Kyoushin said proudly.
"Stop the nonsense! If something unexpected happens, I won't be here today." Oda Hirakura glared and scolded.
Matsui Kyoushin quickly shut up and continued to focus on driving, practicing his silence.
"Kyoto, the center of the Tosho Island Country. If things go wrong here, the whole country will be in chaos," Zhou Ming thought of the daimyos gathering in Kyoto, including the dying Nohara Momotarou, and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
"Among the daimyos, is there anyone we need to pay special attention to?" Zhou Ming asked.
Oda Hirakura was slightly stunned by Zhou Ming's question and then said, "Yes, the strongest one."
Zhou Ming: "..."
"Who is the strongest one?"
"The one who deserves the most attention!"
Clang!
Zhou Ming drew his sword.
"Just kidding, just kidding." Oda Hirakura repeatedly waved his hands, knowing that Zhou Ming had put away his sword, before he wiped the nonexistent sweat off his forehead with a smile.
"Among the daimyos, there is one who is widely recognized as the strongest, and his name is Tokugawa Hidetada."
"What makes him strong?"
"What makes him strong?"
"In every way. His lands are fertile, rich in resources, populous, with developed commerce, strong financial power, many soldiers and generals..."
"He really is a full-range crushing force."
"And the most important point is his identity... he is the son of the emperor, his own blood."
"What?" Zhou Ming slowly typed a question mark.
"Do you guys in Tosho Island Country have the tradition of marrying into your wife's family? Wait, what's with the status of his father? Can he really marry into a family?"
"What's marrying into a family?" Oda Hirakura asked with a strange expression.
"...Never mind." Zhou Ming shook his head, "You just said he is called Tokugawa Hidetada, why did he change his surname?"
"Because of his mother." Oda Hirakura became serious and said, "This matter is not a secret, neither the shogun nor Tokugawa Hidetada deliberately concealed it. However, we still don't want to mention it, after all, no one knows if it will touch the shogun's sensitive spot."
Zhou Ming urged eagerly, "Just tell me!"
Oda Hirakura: "..."
"When the shogun was young, it was a time of chaos when heroes contended for supremacy. In order to gain more wealth and strength, the shogun married a woman from a prestigious family and indeed gained the support of that great clan, step by step accumulating power, expanding his influence, and ultimately ending the era of chaos and unifying the whole country."
"However, at the time of the emperor's union with the woman of that prestigious family, that family made a request, which was for the emperor's child to inherit the family name."
"This is still marrying into a family!" Zhou Ming exclaimed.
"So that's what marrying into a family means." Oda Hirakura suddenly realized, "Is this the saying in your hometown, Zhou-kun?"
"...Sort of." Zhou Ming casually brushed it off and asked, "What happened next?"
"That's it." Oda Hirakura shrugged.
"What do you mean, that's it?" Zhou Ming stared.
"The Tokugawa family! Which family is the Tokugawa family?" Matsui Kyoushin, who was driving the carriage, couldn't help but speak out, his voice coming in from outside the carriage.
"Do you believe me if I pull your tongue out?" Oda Hirakura opened the curtain and grabbed Matsui Kyoushin's topknot with anger.
"What do you think this place is, Jinyama Castle? This is Kyoto; if you speak recklessly again, you won't even be able to keep your head!"
"Sir, it's my fault," Matsui Kyoushin begged for mercy repeatedly.
Oda Hirakura released Matsui Matsui Kyoushin's braid and kicked him in anger.
"The Lord is unifying the country, but Tokugawa Hidetada had already grown up, and his nickname, 'The Tokugawa Family's Fierce Tiger', has spread throughout the country over these years with his bravery and skill in the Lord's service. He can't change his surname now."
"Moreover, the most crucial issue is that Tokugawa Hidetada himself does not want to change his surname. He even had a big argument with the Lord about it and left in anger."
"After that, the lord gradually distanced himself from his son, until he granted him a fief and expelled him from Kyoto to let him develop freely."
"That fief is located in the Tokugawa family's territory. With the support of a big family, Tokugawa Hidetada's development has been smooth sailing."
"That's it?" Zhou Ming tasted the story and felt it was very bland. It lacked impact!
It lacked the drama of the conflict between the emperor's power and the clans, the story of a prince fighting against his father for his unjustly accused mother, and even the most basic moral drama. If this were written as a novel, it would be a complete failure.
Putting aside all the messy thoughts in his mind, Zhou Ming continued to ask, "Apart from Tokugawa Hidetada, are there any powerful samurai we should pay attention to? Don't forget, this is the world number one samurai conference in the country. Having a great reputation alone isn't enough; we need to look at their actual strength."
"I don't know," Matsui Kyoushin replied.
"I don't know?" Zhou Ming widened his eyes. "As a daimyo, you haven't even established an information network to gather intelligence on other daimyos? You don't even know how to gather information on your opponents in advance?"
"What's an information network? It sounds very powerful. Please tell me more about it, Lord Zhou," Matsui Kyoushin asked innocently.
Zhou Ming was speechless. "You're lucky to still be alive!"
Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped.
"Lord!" Matsui Kyoushin's voice trembled as he spoke from outside.
"What's going on?" Zhou Ming opened the curtain and saw that their path was blocked by another carriage.
When he saw the crest on the other carriage, Oda Hirakura's eyes widened.
"Speak of the devil!"
"That's the Tokugawa family crest!"
At this point, the other carriage slowly lifted its curtain, revealing two people, a middle-aged man and a young man, facing Zhou Ming and Oda Hirakura.
"Oda-san, it's been a long time," the middle-aged man spoke calmly and greeted him.
"Tokugawa Hidetada!"
Oda Hirakura exclaimed in surprise.
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