I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

[Note]: Japan's "strategic strategist" and our "strategic strategist" do not mean the same thing.

Japan's "art of war" can be understood as "the law of weapons".

So Japanese "strategists" are similar to our "martial artists".

Japan's "Military Strategy", "Military Science", and "Great Art of War" are equivalent to my country's "Art of War".

Although the term "art of war" was only popular in the Warring States period and the early Edo period, in fact, until the middle and late Edo period, many people still used "art of war" to refer to those who played with weapons people.

Because the term "art of war" is mentioned in this chapter, I would like to popularize it with you in advance so that you don't understand it.

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Ninja knife - as the name suggests, it is a special knife for ninjas.

It is generally believed by the general public that the length of the ninja sword is between that of the sword and the wakizashi. It is usually a straight blade, and its quality is worse than that of the samurai katana. Instead, it focuses on stabbing.

This view is actually wrong.

The truth is: different people use different ninja swords.

Ninjas will transform their ninja swords according to their own needs and according to the tactics they are good at.

For example: Some people who are good at both sickle lock and swordsmanship will attach a sickle to the bottom of the hilt of the ninja sword, and connect a sickle to the other end of the sickle lock.

Those who are good at "props warfare" will carry out major modifications on the handle of the knife, such as hollowing out the handle of the knife, and putting small props or wound medicine into the handle.

Some people's ninja swords are basically the same as the katana swords used by samurai, and they are precious swords with hardness, toughness and sharpness.

Shuntaro falls into this category.

Shuntaro, who is good at using dual swords, has 2 ninja swords.

Both of his two ninja swords are straight blades, and the length is shorter than ordinary swords. The blade length of the two swords is only about 55cm.

Although there are only two uninscribed swords that don't even have sword inscriptions, their quality is not inferior to those of Izumi Shou Kanesada and Choso Nekotoru.

In order to facilitate his actions in the dark, the blades of Shuntaro's two sabers were painted black like charcoal with special ink.

Unlike the samurai who basically hang their sabers around their waists, Shuntaro has his two ninja swords slanted behind his back.

The hilts of the two ninja swords protruded from Shuntaro's right shoulder, pointing obliquely at the sky.

Because the length is between the sword and the wakizashi, even if it is carried behind the back, Shuntaro can easily pull out his two sabers with the length of his arms.

After learning that a rare and interesting guest came to the door, Shuntaro accelerated the speed of wiping his body.

After quickly wiping off the sweat on his body, changing his clothes, and carrying his two sabers on his back, Shuntaro and Shintaro walked side by side, and rushed to the mansion where the Balrog lived with swift steps.

Ji Taro went to Yoshiwara to have fun tonight as usual.

Therefore, among the Four Heavenly Kings, the only ones who can go to meet these guests are Shuntaro and Shintaro.

Shuntaro's exclusive practice area is a little far from the mansion where Balrog lives.

Even if the two are not slow, it will take some time to reach their destination.

In order to pass this boring time on the road, Shuntaro casually asked Shintaro beside him:

"Shintaro, how is your mission to catch the traitor who fled in Edo?"

Not long ago, another traitor appeared in their Shiranui.

Although "betrayal of ninja" can be regarded as a common thing in Shiranui, the ninja who defected this time is not ordinary. The ninja who defected this time is a jounin.

No matter how you say it, the high-end ninja is also their high-end combat power in Shiranui. The defection of the high ninja is far more serious than the defection of the middle ninja, the low ninja, and the dirt.

Once a top ninja betrayed Shiranui, Shiranui's pursuit of this traitorous ninja would often be higher than that of other defected middle and lower ninjas.

After unremitting pursuit of this defected jonin, he finally found out reliable information a while ago: he was lurking in Edo.

After getting this reliable information, the Balrog sent Shintaro a few days ago to lead a group of ninjas to pursue the traitor in Edo.

And Balrog is also very interesting. At the moment when Shiranui's combat power has declined greatly, Balrog still sent Shintaro 2 top ninjas, 8 middle ninjas, and 14 low ninjas as helpers.

"It's nothing." Whether it was Shintaro's expression or his tone of voice, there was no emotion at all, "It's just tracking in a regular manner."

"Do you need my help?" Shuntaro teased.

"unnecessary."

Shintaro still cherishes words like gold, and looks like he doesn't want to say a word to Shuntaro.

And Shuntaro has long been used to Shintaro's indifferent attitude, so he doesn't care.

Except for Balrog, Shintaro is quite indifferent to everyone.

It is the type who can communicate with you with 1 word, but will never use 2 words to communicate with you.

Compared with this kind of boring gourd who doesn't talk much, Shuntaro still prefers the kind of person with a bright personality, so the relationship between Shuntaro and Shintaro is also very ordinary, and can only be regarded as a nodding acquaintance.

If it weren't for being bored on the road, Shuntaro would not take the initiative to find topics to chat with Shintaro.

The relationship between Shintaro and Shintaro is mediocre, and another reason is that Shintaro thinks Shintaro is weird.

I have never seen Shintaro have a deep friendship with anyone, and I don't know if he said more than 20 sentences in a day, making it impossible to guess what he is thinking.

This feeling of "I don't know what this person is thinking" makes Shuntaro feel very uncomfortable, so this is one of the important reasons why Shuntaro doesn't interact with Shintaro very much.

After chatting with Shintaro for a few words, Balrog's mansion finally appeared within the sight range of the two.

After briskly walking the last short distance, and entering the Balrog's mansion, the two of them walked towards the room dedicated to receiving guests with ease.

The Balrog has a habit of receiving foreign visitors in the mansion he lives in.

Therefore, in the mansion of the Balrog, there is a spacious room specially used to entertain guests.

Wow...

Shuntaro and Shintaro walked to the door of the guest room one after the other, and slowly opened the door.

The light in the room is not bright, there are only 2 candles for lighting.

Shuntaro has long been tired of looking at the various decorations in this room, so after opening the door, Shuntaro's sight and attention were directly fixed on the large group of people kneeling on the tatami in the room body.

Shuntaro counted, and there were a total of 27 people in this big ticket.

The No. 27 people were all wearing ordinary kimonos and didn't carry any weapons on their bodies. They looked like a group of ordinary Limin people.

This large group of people in the dark occupied nearly 80% of the space in this fairly spacious room.

What is striking is that among the 27 people, there are only 3 elderly people, and the other 24 people are all young people who are only in their teens or twenties, and the oldest is less than 30 years old.

These three elderly people are all gray-haired, and they should be in their 50s and 60s. They should be of the same generation as the Balrog in Shiranui.

The dark complexions of the three people indicated that their faces had been associated with the outdoor sunlight for a long time, and their sharp and energetic eyes did not match their long-grey beards and hair.

The arms of these three old guys instantly caught the sight of Shuntaro, who is a samurai.

Although they were all wearing loose kimonos, some forearm muscles were still exposed outside the clothes.

They were without exception—the forearms were extremely thick.

It's not just them, the 24 young people behind the three of them are like this, their arms and fingers are the arms and fingers of those who practice the art of war.

——They should be Iga's ninjas...

Shuntaro said this secretly in his heart.

In addition to these 27 people, there are 2 ninjas from Shiranui sitting in the corner of the room.

These two people must be responsible for taking care of these guests before the arrival of Balrog and Shuntaro.

Seeing Shuntaro and Shintaro coming, the two ninjas immediately bowed to salute them.

After Shuntaro and Shintaro opened the door and entered the room, the Iga ninjas headed by the three old guys also focused their attention on the two.

"It's our first meeting." Shintaro saluted the guests first and reported to the house, "I'm Shintaro from Shiranui."

After Shintaro's voice fell, Shuntaro immediately followed up:

"I'm Shuntaro."

As soon as Shuntaro finished speaking, a low exclamation sounded among the Iga ninjas.

The Iga ninjas—especially the three old guys turned their eyes on Shuntaro with a little curiosity.

"Are you Shuntaro..." said one of the three old guys, "I have known you for a long time. The famous Shuntaro is much younger than I thought."

"I don't dare to be famous or something." Shuntaro smiled.

Shuntaro and Shintaro sat in front of the Iga ninjas, sitting opposite the Iga ninjas.

After sitting down, Shuntaro looked at the Iga ninjas in front of him with interested eyes.

This was the first time Shuntaro saw Iga's companions.

Because as far as Shuntaro knows—Iga no Sato was destroyed by civil strife 40 years ago.

Iga-no-sato used to be a place of incomparable beauty.

In the Warring States Period two hundred years ago, in order to maintain development and strengthen themselves, all major ninjas would basically choose a master family to take refuge in.

Fuma no Sato took refuge in the Kanto daimyo Hojo family.

In the early stage, Koga no Sato invested in the Rokkaku, Tsutsui, and Hosokawa families in the Kinki area, and later surrendered to the overlord Oda Nobunaga.

And the master they turned to at that time in Shiranui was the "man of the world" Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Shuntaro has learned a little history of their Shiranui.

They didn't know that Huoli was rootless at the beginning, and they didn't take refuge in anyone, so they developed extremely slowly, and even almost died out several times.

It wasn't until Oda Nobunaga was betrayed by Akechi Mitsuhide and died, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi received most of Oda Nobunaga's political legacy, that Shiranui decided to put the treasure on Toyotomi Hideyoshi and took refuge in Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

With the support of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, they finally ushered in the first rapid development period in Shiranui.

Different ninjas rely on different masters.

But only Iga no Sato really bet on the right treasure.

In Iga no Sato during the Warring States Period, the object of refuge was Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The ninjas of Iga made great contributions to the establishment of Tokugawa Ieyasu's hegemony.

In order to thank Iga no Sato, Tokugawa Ieyasu, after defeating Toyotomi's family, stealing the fruits of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's victory, unifying Japan, and creating the Edo Shogunate, established Iga no Sato as their royal use of the Edo Shogunate ninja.

The Iga ninjas who bet on the right treasure have been prosperous until 40 years ago-they perished due to civil strife.

Shuntaro was not even born when Iga no Sato was destroyed by civil strife 40 years ago.

Shuntaro never thought that he could still see live Iga ninjas in his lifetime, so he couldn't restrain his curiosity, and kept looking at the group of Iga ninjas in front of him.

Different ninjas have different acting and fighting styles.

For example: During the Warring States Period, Koga Village, which was as famous as Iga Village, paid great attention to group actions.

Other ninjas are divided into three levels: upper ninja, middle ninja, and lower ninja.

They are special in Shiranui, and there is a level of "ghou" below the ninja.

In Koka no Sato, there is no Jōnin class, only Chunin and Genin.

The chunin in Koka no Sato are similar to commanders, and they are responsible for commanding the genin whose functions are similar to soldiers.

The ninjas of Koga are not good at fighting and assassination, they are good at infiltrating and intelligence gathering.

So - most of the ninjas in Koga do not know any martial arts.

Because if you practice martial arts, especially the art of war such as swordsmanship and spear art, the forearms and fingers of your hands will become thicker, and there will be a layer of calluses on the palms that only those who practice art of war will have.

In this way, it is easy for knowledgeable people to see that you are not an ordinary person, so you cannot pretend to be a monk, a merchant, etc. to sneak into the enemy country to spy on intelligence.

Iga's style is completely different from Koka's.

Iga pays attention to personal combat ability and is a complete "fighting school".

This point is very similar to their Shiranui.

They Shiranui, like Iga, pay attention to personal combat ability, and they are ninjas of the "fighting school".

Therefore, in the Warring States Period two hundred years ago, countless bloody conflicts erupted between Shiranui and Iga, who were both "fighters" and took refuge in different lords.

Now after looking at Iga's ninja carefully, Shuntaro found that these rumors were not wrong.

These Iga ninjas indeed looked quite capable of fighting.

"Mr. Shintaro, Mr. Shintaro." One of the three old guys asked, "When will Lord Balrog come?"

"Sir, please stay calm." Shintaro responded in a polite tone, "Lord Balrog will be here soon."

Shintaro's mouth seemed to be opened, and as soon as he finished speaking, footsteps came from far and near outside the room.

Wow.

The door was pulled open.

The person who opened the door was the Balrog.

Balrog briefly glanced at everyone in the room, then walked slowly towards Shuntaro and Shintaro, and then sat down cross-legged.

Even without the need for others to explain, the three old guys could recognize from the expressions of Shuntaro and the others, as well as the appearance of the Balrog they had heard before, that this person was the current supreme ruler of Shiranui.

The three old guys led the young people behind them to salute the Balrog in unison.

"I've heard of you for a long time. Lord Balrog. I'm Iga's Hannosuke."

"I am Iga's Sennosuke."

"I'm Iga's Shinnosuke."

These three old guys reported their names in turn.

The Balrog nodded lightly, and then said in an angry voice:

"I am the 17th Balrog in Shiranui."

After reporting to the house, the Balrog lightly swept his eyes around the Iga ninjas in front of him.

A few chuckles followed.

"I didn't expect that I would be able to meet the ninja of Iga again before I died."

"I've heard before that some of Iga's remnants are still alive."

"It's really thanks to you remnants who found us here."

"After all, we are colleagues." Hannosuke said blankly, "It is much easier for a ninja to find a ninja than for ordinary people to find a ninja."

"Although we didn't find it easy, it took us two full months to finally find the location of your new base in Shiranui."

"Two months... I don't hesitate to spend such a long time looking for it. It seems that I have something very important to tell us."

"We do have something very important to tell you." The person who spoke was still Hannosuke, "Master Yanmo, can you please turn off others?"

Regarding the request made by Hannosuke, Balrog pouted his lips at the two ninjas who had been kneeling in the corner of the room and were responsible for serving the guests just now without any hesitation.

The two ninjas who understood Balrog's meaning immediately got up and left the room.

Hannosuke: "Sir Balrog, and Mr. Shuntaro and Mr. Shintaro."

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"There's no need for the two of them." Balrog waved his hand, "The two of them are the Four Heavenly Kings in our Shiranui, and they are also my confidantes. It doesn't matter if they are here."

Seeing what Balrog said, Hannosuke and the others couldn't force it.

"Speaking of which, we Shiranui and Iga no Sato are enemies."

The Balrog grinned, revealing a sneer.

"Two hundred years ago, the lord we served was Toyotomi, and the lord you served was Tokugawa."

"For this reason, when the world was uncertain two hundred years ago, we had many conflicts."

"When Toyotomi Hideyoshi was still alive and the Toyotomi family began to devour the world, our Shiranui started a full-scale struggle with your Iga village."

"I never imagined that Shiranui-sato and Iga-no-sato, who were once enemies, would still be able to talk face to face and calmly now that the Sengoku period has ended two hundred years ago."

"It's really embarrassing."

Hearing Balrog's words, Hannosuke smiled slightly:

"Shiranui and Iga no Sato are enemies—these are old things from two hundred years ago."

"Toyotomi is long gone."

"We Iga no longer serve Tokugawa either."

"How about turning over these old things and not mentioning them?"

Balrog laughed a few times.

"I didn't intend to pursue those foolish accounts from two hundred years ago. It's been so long, and I don't know how to pursue them. Okay, let me hear how hard you, the remnants of Iga, spent so much effort to find them. , so why."

"Lord Balrog."

Hannosuke straightened some of his clothes.

"What we're asking for is fairly simple."

"We hope Shiranui can help us."

"Help us find Kinoshita Genichi's whereabouts in Edo!"

As soon as Genichi Kinoshita spit out the name from Hannosuke, the Balrog frowned and stared.

As for Shuntaro on the side, he raised his eyebrows involuntarily after hearing the name Kinoshita Genichi.

Kinoshita Genichi is a name that Shuntaro often hears.

As far as he knew, this Kinoshita Genichi seemed to be a great swordsman who had honed his swordsmanship to the pinnacle of perfection.

At the same time, it is also one of their enemies in Shiranui.

The left eye of their leader Balrog was blinded by Genichi Kinoshita.

Ten years ago, it was also because of Genichi Kinoshita's intervention that they failed to wipe out Fuma no Sato completely in Shiranui, and suffered the shame of the base area being invaded for nothing.

"...What are you looking for Kinoshita Genichi for?" Balrog said in a deep voice, "Do you also have grudges against Kinoshita Genichi?"

"It's not just a grudge!" The person who spoke this time was no longer Hannosuke, but Zennosuke, "If it wasn't for Genichi Kinoshita, 40 years ago, our Iga village wouldn't have collapsed so quickly !"

After all, Hannosuke clenched his fists, his eyes were red, and the hatred that flashed in his pupils was so intense that it was frightening.

"...The demise of your Iga village was not due to civil strife?" Shuntaro, who had been silent since just now, said at this time, "Could it be that it was not because of civil strife, but because of that Kinoshita Genichi Did someone tear down your Iga village?"

"No, it's not." Zenosuke said in a deep voice, "The reason why our Iga village perished 40 years ago... the main reason is very complicated."

"Among these many reasons - Kinoshita Genichi's intervention is one of the most important reasons."

"We will never forgive Genichi Kinoshita!" This time, it was Shinnosuke who spoke, "Only after the demise of Iga no Sato! The three of us have kept our names incognito for 40 years, cultivated hard, and accumulated strength!"

"All this is just for revenge on Genichi Kinoshita!"

The Balrog glanced at the 24 young men behind the three old guys: "Is this one of the powers you have accumulated to avenge the Balrog?"

"That's right!" Hannosuke said loudly, "These children are all new Iga ninjas trained by the three of us after Iga no Sato died. They are all dead warriors! Strength and courage!"

"...Since you said just now that you intend to let us help you find Kinoshita Genichi in Edo..." Balrog then said in a deep voice, "Could it be that you have obtained reliable information that Kinoshita Genichi is in Edo now? ?”

"No. We are just guessing that Genichi Kinoshita may be in Edo now." Hannosuke said, "Lord Balrog, as far as I know, you seem to have some connections with Genichi Kinoshita."

"Then you should also know how Kinoshita Genichi is a guy who likes to find trouble for nothing and how much he likes to learn from others."

Hearing Hannosuke's words, Balrog's lips tightened, and he was noncommittal to Hannosuke's words just now.

And Hannosuke went on to say:

"Before he merged with thousands of families and created the damn selfless two swords style, he traveled around and competed with masters from all walks of life."

"After he created the damned Wushou Two Swords Style, he became even more lawless. In just a few years, he played in countless dojos, and Genichi Kinoshita's reputation as a 'fighting madman' can be found by just asking around. "

"As long as there is an opportunity to fight with people, Kinoshita Genichi will definitely go up and join in the fun."

"Even if you can't participate in the battle, you will definitely go to observe and observe."

"Lord Balrog, for such a guy who loves to compete with others, how would he feel after learning that Edo is now holding a 'Imperial Trial Match', a large-scale trial match where many experts from different schools will compete?"

"...I understand what you mean." The Balrog smiled a few times, "You think that Kinoshita Genichi will be attracted to Edo by the 'Gozen Trial', right?"

"That's right." Hannosuke nodded vigorously.

"Then you may be disappointed." Balrog said, "I don't know if you know that the essay test for the 'Imperial Trial' has already been announced."

"There is no Kinoshita Genichi's name on it, and Kinoshita Genichi did not participate in the 'Imperial Trial'."

"At the same time, as far as I know - there are no gray-haired old men participating in the 'Imperial Trial' this time, and the oldest one is only in his fifties."

"Lord Balrog." What Balrog said just now did not shake Hannosuke's face and expression, "I just said that even if Kinoshita Genichi didn't participate in the battle, he would definitely go to observe Observe."

"Even if he didn't participate in the 'Imperial Trial', it is very likely that he will come forward to observe it in the subsequent 'Imperial Trial'."

"In short - as long as there is even the slightest possibility of 'Genichi Kinoshita is in Edo', we will not let it go!"

"...I understand." Balrog sneered, "I never thought that Kinoshita Genichi not only had hatred against us Shiranui, but also your Iga village."

"Sir Yanmo." The stern expression on Hannosuke's face eased a little, "We have also heard about the entanglement between you Shiranui and Kinoshita Genichi before."

"So for us, this is a cooperation that is beneficial to both parties."

"Let's work together to find Genichi Kinoshita in Edo, and then..."

Before Hannosuke finished speaking, Balrog interrupted:

"Master Hannosuke, as you said, we have a grudge against Genichi Kinoshita."

"We'd be happy to assist you, too."

"but--"

The Balrog stretched his tone.

"We are not in a hurry for things like 'killing Kinoshita Genichi'."

"So if we want us to help you in Shiranui, it is far from enough to rely on such a fluffy sentence as 'we all have a grudge against Kinoshita Genichi'."

After saying this, the Balrog stopped abruptly and did not continue talking.

But that's enough.

What Balrog said just now has explained many things to Hannosuke and the others.

After being stunned for a while, Hannosuke said with a wry smile:

"As expected of a ninja, I can't get your help without paying a price."

"You give money, we give people." Balrog said lightly, "This is a rule that has been established for hundreds of years. You are the ninjas of Iga, so you should understand this set of rules. We ninjas never do things for nothing."

Assistant Hanzhi straightened his upper body clothes: "I understand. After all, we are also ninjas. Before I came to you Shiranui, I already guessed that it is impossible to get your assistance without paying any price."

"We've been preparing for it for a long time."

"Master Yanmo, as long as you are willing to help us find Kinoshita Genichi in Edo, we are willing to pay you: 200 taels. We will pay a deposit of 100 taels first."

As soon as the number 200 was spit out from Hannosuke's mouth, Shuntaro couldn't help but let out a low exclamation.

After hearing the words "200 taels of gold", the Balrog couldn't help showing his astonishment, and said:

"You Iga remnants are quite rich after all."

"In order to avenge Kinoshita Genichi, we have been saving funds for the past 40 years." Hannosuke said indifferently, "It's just some not very 'clean' money. I hope you don't mind, Lord Balrog."

"I'm a person who doesn't care about money. I don't care if I don't do it cleanly. As long as it's money." Balrog grinned, "Since you can give me a reward, it's easy to talk about."

Hannosuke: "Then we've made a deal like this?"

"Of course!" Balrog raised his hand and touched the scar on his left eye, "Let us Shiranui and you Iga Zhili cooperate well..."

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