"Don't be afraid, as long as you answer my questions honestly, I will let you leave safely!" Ashikaga Ikki didn't care much about this bandit leader. He stayed mainly to inquire about the recent situation in Kyoto. As for the other party's

Life or death is a matter of his words.

"Yes... Sir... Please ask me, I will answer truthfully!" Although this young man is a bandit, in fact he just leads a group of hungry people who are about to starve to death for food, and he doesn't do much at ordinary times.

He had killed people, and now he fell into the hands of a murderous person like Ashikaga Ikki. Naturally, he was frightened to death. How could he dare to hide it?

Seeing the other party's appearance, Ashikaga Ikki smiled with satisfaction, and then he spoke again: "Very good, what is your name, what did you do before, why did you rob on the road, and the weapon in your hand is...

Where did it come from?"

Japan has been at war for many years, and all domestic materials are in short supply, especially metal weapons. Many daimyo soldiers can only sharpen bamboo as weapons, and only samurai are qualified to use metal swords.

That's why it's called a samurai sword. The young man in front of him is obviously not a samurai, but he is holding a metal weapon. Although it is very broken, it can still be used. This seems very abnormal.

"Sir, my name is Saburo Ishibashi..."

"Hey, you actually have a surname, and you are also an Ishibashi?" Before Ishibashi Saburo could say anything, he was immediately interrupted by Ashikaga Ikki, with a bit of surprise on his face.

Ordinary Japanese in this era only have first names but no surnames. Generally, only nobles, samurai, big businessmen or people with prestige in villages and towns can have their own surnames. Ashikaga Ikki thought that the other party was an ordinary person, but he did not expect that he turned out to be a person with a surname.

person with one's own surname

The surname Ishibashi seems simple, but it actually comes from the famous Seiwa Genji in Japanese history. And coincidentally, their Ashikaga clan also comes from the Seiwa Genji, and both of their surnames come from the Minamoto Yoshi clan, so they are related by blood.

Surnames that are closely related.

Although this young man named Ishibashi Saburo is not courageous, he is very good at observing people's words. When he saw Ashikaga Ikki's surprised expression when he heard his last name, he immediately guessed that the other party should be very interested in his last name.

, maybe this can save his life.

Thinking of this, Saburo Ishibashi immediately opened his mouth and explained: "Sir, my surname is indeed Ishibashi, and according to my father, our Ishibashi clan is originally a branch of the Minamoto Yoshi clan, and the Minamoto Yoshi clan

It belongs to the Minamoto clan and is a bloodline branched from His Majesty the Emperor. It is a pity that our Ishibashi clan has declined long ago and is not as prominent as other branches of the Minamoto no Yoshi clan!"

Hearing Saburo Ishibashi talk about the decline of the Ishibashi clan, Ashikaga Ikki couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy. Their Ashikaga clan was also descended from the Minamotoshi clan. Although it was considered prominent for a while, it is still in decline. The dignified shogunate

The general became someone else's puppet, and even his freedom was restricted.

Perhaps because of the same origin and the decline of the family, Ashikaga Ikki's attitude toward Ishibashi Saburo became much better. Now he asked about the other person's life experience and the origin of the weapons. Ishibashi Saburo also discovered Ashikaga Ikki

The change in Fai's attitude made him feel a lot more relaxed, and at the same time he answered Ashikaga Ikki's questions honestly.

It turns out that although Saburo Ishibashi came from a good family, the Ishibashi family had declined hundreds of years ago. In addition to retaining the surname Ishibashi, the family did not leave them with a prominent identity until Saburo Ishibashi's grandfather

At that time, their family was doing business in Kyoto to make a living. Although they didn't make much money, their life was quite prosperous.

It's a pity that this wealthy life did not last long. Decades ago, the eighth shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, was addicted to wine and sex, which caused the power of the shogunate to fall into the hands of several guardian daimyo. In the end, due to power disputes, he again

Coupled with the conflict over the issue of the shogun's successor, a war finally broke out between several guardian daimyo. This was the famous "Onin Rebellion" in Japanese history.

The main battlefield of the Onin Rebellion was in Kyoto. The entire city of Kyoto was destroyed in the war. Saburo Ishibashi's grandfather and grandmother died in that war. His father luckily escaped, but the entire family business was destroyed.

Even several of his brothers and sisters starved to death after the war. By the time he was born, his father could only do a small business to make ends meet, and the whole family was starving.

Speaking of which, Ishibashi Saburo was really unlucky. His father finally brought him up and married him a wife. However, not long after he got married, Ashikaga Yoshisai, Ashikaga Ikki's cousin, led someone to kill him.

Come back, the result is Beijing

There was chaos again, and many civilians died in the war. This time, Saburo Ishibashi's parents could not escape. Their home was attacked by a group of rebels, and their parents were killed. Saburo Ishibashi's wife was also killed.

He was kidnapped and now he does not know whether he is alive or dead.

When talking about the tragedy in his family, Ishibashi Saburo burst into tears. Ashikaga Ikki couldn't help but sigh when he heard this. Kyoto was originally the most prosperous city in Japan, but since the Onin Rebellion, the entire city was destroyed and countless people died.

, although it was later rebuilt, it went through several wars. The experience of Saburo Ishibashi's family is only a microcosm of the people of Kyoto. How many people in Kyoto have the same experience as Saburo Ishibashi?

After Ishibashi Saburo finally held back his sadness, he then talked about his experiences in the past few years. Because his home was burned down and his parents and wife were gone, it can be said that he had nothing. However, he was later forcibly recruited into the current general.

The army of Ashikaga Yoshisai went to war with the army of the previous general Ashikaga Yosumi, but before going to the battlefield, he

, had no military training at all, let alone how to fight, so in the first war, he lay on the battlefield and pretended to be dead. Unexpectedly, he escaped with his life. From then on, he fled the army and went to Kyoto.

There was a bandit nearby. As for the weapons in his hands and the bamboo armor on his body, he found them from the pile of dead bodies on the battlefield.

After listening to Ishibashi Saburo's tragic life experience, Ashikaga Ikki sighed again. Ishibashi Saburo's family was originally considered a wealthy family in Kyoto, but the Onin Rebellion and subsequent wars completely destroyed his family.

It can be seen that the whole of Kyoto may not be as prosperous as before. Even if I can help my cousin rebuild the majesty of the shogunate in the future, I am afraid that I will not be able to restore the vitality of Kyoto in a short time.

"Ishibashi-kun, I deeply sympathize with your experience, but war is always ruthless. All we can do is try our best to survive. The war will end one day!" Ashikaga Ikki said with rare emotion,

He opened his mouth and comforted Ishibashi Saburo.

"Thank you for your understanding, sir!" Ishibashi Saburo couldn't help but feel a little moved when he heard Ashikaga Ikki's comforting words. However, when he raised his head and saw the unfinished dinner in front of Ashikaga Ikki, his eyes couldn't help but show a bit of longing.

But he quickly lowered his head, fearing to offend Ashikaga Ikki.

Ashikaga Ikki is also a person with very keen senses. Now he is very satisfied with Ishibashi Saburo's answer and has decided to let him go. When he saw the other person's eyes that were eager for food, he smiled and stood up.

, walked to Saburo Ishibashi and untied the rope for him, then brought his unfinished meal to him and said: "Ishibashi-kun must be hungry. This is my own meal. If you don't mind it, even if

Use some!”

"No...I don't mind it!" Saburo Ishibashi heard that Ashikaga Ikki invited him to eat, and he immediately raised his head with surprise. Moreover, he didn't know what refusal meant, so he reached out and grabbed the food and stuffed it into his mouth. These meals were very important to him.

It is very common for Ashikaga Ikki, but for Ishibashi Saburo, it is a supreme delicacy.

Although Ishibashi Saburo is the bandit leader, Kyoto is no longer as prosperous as before, and there are far fewer pedestrians and caravans coming and going. Moreover, they dare not attack some large caravans, so they usually cannot grab anything at all, so they

The bandit didn't have enough to eat at all. He usually only ate one meal a day, but today he still hadn't had a drop of water since he got up. Now he was almost going crazy with hunger.

Ashikaga Ikki watched Saburo Ishibashi wolfing down the food, even licking the plate clean, and then he asked about the current situation in Kyoto. Saburo Ishibashi was originally from Kyoto, and he was near Kyoto.

To be a bandit, you should have some knowledge of the situation in the city.

Sure enough, Saburo Ishibashi put down his plate at this time, and then told him what he knew about Kyoto. Kyoto is divided into two parts, the north and the south. The south is called upper Kyoto, where the emperor and nobles live, and the northern part is called lower Kyoto.

It is the main industrial and commercial area in Kyoto, and it is also where ordinary people live. Upper Kyoto and Lower Kyoto have their own city walls, and only a small road can connect them. This also reflects Japan's strict hierarchical system.

Saburo Ishibashi used to live in Xiajing. After becoming a bandit, he would occasionally return to Kyoto to deal with the robbed goods, so he was very familiar with Kyoto. However, what he knew best was the situation in Xiajing. As for the aristocratic residential area

He had only heard about the people who went to the capital through rumors on the streets. As for the battle between the shogun and the guardian daimyo, it was even less likely that he knew about it.

Ashikaga Ikki originally just wanted to inquire about the situation and changes in Kyoto over the years. After all, he has not been back for decades. Although he had informed his cousin Ashikaga Yoshisai when he came, he also arranged for him to be picked up in the city.

people, but now there are more situations in Kyoto, which is always good and not bad.

After Ishibashi Saburo told all he knew about the situation in Kyoto, he saw Ashikaga Ikki looking thoughtful, and he did not dare to disturb him. He knelt there and did not dare to move. Finally, he saw Ashikaga Ikki's long hair coming out.
Chapter completed!