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Three Rivers Butterfly Chapter 450 The Fateful Meeting

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    Although there is still a heavy snowfall since the beginning of spring, this can no longer stop the general trend of warmer weather. As the sun slowly moves northward, it enters the spring season, and as the snow gradually melts, the roads leading to Echigo are  The traffic arteries have been restored to smooth flow, and the number of business trips is many times more dense than in previous years. This change represents the world's high recognition of the prosperity and development of Echigo.  Since the Kira family won two consecutive victories last year, the number of travelers visiting Echigo has increased. Also, more businessmen have seen the strength of Echigo and are determined to open trade routes there. The Kira family has expanded very rapidly in recent years.  , strong military strength ensured the stability of the territory, so much so that the bandits entrenched in the mountains and forests of Shinano and Ueno disappeared for a time.  The Kira family was the first samurai family to abolish customs duties and private toll taxes in various places. As long as they enter the territory of the Kira family, whether it is Shinano Ueno or Echichu Echigo, there will never be a situation where cards are set up to collect exorbitant taxes for various reasons, just like on the sea.  Just as trading merchants like to dock at Naojiangjin Port, business travelers traveling in the Kanto Continent are also more willing to enter the Kira Territory to do business. Even if the competition is fierce and the price is lower, it doesn't matter. After deducting the cost, it is still more profitable than entering other territories to do business.  The prosperity of Echigo drove the economic development along several trade routes in Shinano and Ueno. Through excellent planning, Tadaka Ina and Mitsui Todaka, the executive officers of the two countries, tried to locate villages as close to Echigo Street as possible to benefit the people in the area as much as possible.  At the same time, the lodging houses under the jurisdiction of Biwaya also opened all over the streets of the five countries, ensuring that there would be a large village and supporting lodging facilities every ten kilometers.  Perfect security mechanism, elimination of excessive taxes and humanized business design.  It was ensured that the Kira family's business district would already leave the various samurai families in Kanto behind at the starting line. After all, not every daimyo could make such drastic changes.  The lack of excellent internal affairs talents, the lack of supporting and perfect implementation systems, and the lack of money for the most important daimyo are the thresholds that cannot be bypassed.  This is a game that only rich people can afford to play. Only the Hojo family in Kanto can try to do it. But even the Hojo family, with Hojo Ujiyasu and a large number of elites who follow it, cannot make such a major internal decision in a short time.  Adjustment, just like Echigo's new grains, all kinds of magic can be planted on the land of Kanto and Koshin, and they will become low-yield and low-quality crops.  , Every government decree always has the problem of acclimatization. The mature government decrees in Sakamoto Town cannot be copied and implemented in Echigo, because the climate changes, cultural customs, and geographical environments of Kinai and Echigo are completely different.  Naoetsu is positioned as the largest port in the Eastern Kingdom with developed textile, printing and dyeing and other handicraft industries. Unlike Sakamoto Town, which has the headquarters of Zeniya and Biwaya, Naoetsu is positioned to catch up with Sakai Town and Kyonomachi.  A caravan of dozens of people located at the foot of Kodoko Mountain in the upper reaches of Sekikawa was slowly traveling along Sekikawa. This caravan was completely different from ordinary caravans because the team was all composed of young men and everyone was carrying a sword.  Each one of them was riding a horse and marching with great dignity. It was obvious that this was a samurai group that entered Echigo from outside.  There were only ten carriages in the entire team that were considered heavily loaded, and these horse-riding warriors were closely guarded around the carriages.  There were a lot of boats coming and going on the Sekikawa River. From time to time, you could meet business travelers passing by on the river bank. Both the passing travelers and the nearby boatmen were not impressed by this kind of caravan with samurai gathering together. There were countless samurai carriages going to and from Echigo. The Kira family  No one is ever prohibited from entering or exiting.  With Echigo's powerful force, there is no need to worry about safety issues.  Walking at the front of the caravan was a tall and burly warrior on horseback. This man was about 20 years old and had a towering hairpin. Arrows were hung on the front and back of the saddle, a heavy vine bow was hung on his waist, and a tachi ribsashi hung on his body.  A bunch of colorful necklaces, holding a straw stick in the corner of his mouth like a cynical admirer.  He was good-looking and a head taller than ordinary people, and he looked quite majestic when riding his mount.  The name of the young samurai is Maeda Toshiie.  He is a samurai from the Owari Oda family. He has been trained by Oda Nobunaga's Kuramae Horse since he was a child. Even though the culture of the Owari Kingdom is no longer popular in Owari Kingdom, we can still find the legacy of the past that was abundant in him.  Mark of.  The business travelers looking around said boredly: "Is this Echigo? It doesn't look much different from Owari!" "There is still a difference! That isit's so cold! Sneeze!" Ikeda Hengxing's  His companion seemed to be sick along the way, his nose was dripping and he looked like he was in pain. Several companions behind him made fun of him, which made Tsuneki Ikeda complain: "Can you blame me? I didn't expect that it snowed heavily just as I walked to Chongshinano.  It took us almost half a month to trek all the way from Fukashi Castle to Sekikawa. It took us a lot of effort to get to Echigo before the snow melted completely. If I had known better, we would have stayed in Fukashi Castle Town for a few more days, and we would not have come out again until the snow had completely melted.  I'm sick sneeze!" Maeda Toshiie grinned, patted him on the shoulder and said: "It's not easy to get outHe got so sick after a long trip. He will be laughed at by the samurai when he returns home. Katsusaburo still needs to work on his physique!  You'd better go to the carriage and rest for a while. It's enough for me to have one person here!  " "This is what you said!  I'll go back and rest for a while, I just can't stand it anymore!  When you come to Kasugayama Castle, I Hengxing will treat you to a drink!  "Ikeda Hengxing picked up a handkerchief and wiped his nose, then waved to a few leading samurai and hurriedly returned to the carriage to rest. Those few people didn't seem to mind that he was lazy at all, they just talked and laughed and passed.  The caravan gradually moved northward, and within half a day, they arrived at the intersection of the Yashiro River and the Sekikawa River. Here, the caravan was going to take a boat across the Sekikawa River to go downstream. At this time, a young man with a body as skinny as a monkey emerged from the carriage.  The samurai shouted to the leading knight on horseback: "His Royal Highness, come here!  " Maeda Toshiie was stunned for a moment, turned to the man and said, "Aren't you sick, Tokichiro?  Why don't you go back and rest? What do you have to say?  " Kinoshita Hideyoshi said with some embarrassment: "My Hideyoshi's illness has improved a lot!  I'm really sorry to make His Highness Toshiya worried. I just wanted to ask His Highness how far it is to Kasugayama Castle. We wasted too much time along the way and ran out of food.  As the guide and follower of this mission, I, Hideyoshi, should be fully prepared as soon as possible.  " Sasaki Narimasa got out of another carriage. He complained half-seriously: "Hey!  It¡¯s so irresponsible that Tokichiro fell ill as soon as he arrived at Fukashi Castle!  And it is obvious that someone who only knows the road from Owari to Shinano, and has never been to Northern Shinano, is too incompetent to follow it!  I was so embarrassed that I had to raise money to hire a guide from Shinano before arriving at Echigo. Should Tokichiro bear this money?  ¡± ¡° Neizangsuke Dian¡¯s words must be serious!  Tokichiro is just a small businessman. Is it too much to ask him to bear the cost of the guide?  "Maeda Toshiie couldn't stand it when he saw Kinoshita Hideyoshi's face full of shame. Kinoshita Hideyoshi nervously explained: "That's because I have only been to Minami Shinano, and when I was wandering around Kai, I quietly followed Takeda Daisen's army.  When I came to Nakashinano, I originally planned to go to Echigo to see the scenery of the northern country, but because Kawanakajima was fighting a war, I hurried back and caused trouble for everyone!  I, Hideyoshi, am very sorry!  "But that's it" Niwa Nagahide walked out of the last carriage. He said with a smile: "Uchizosukeden should also be more considerate of Hideyoshiden's difficulties!"  After all, none of my important ministers in Owari have been to Echigo. In the past, my lord's correspondence was sent through the royal merchants. If it is not so urgent as my lord's urging, we can also try to follow the caravan to Kyoto and then to Tokyo.  He Port, take a boat to Echigo Naoetsu, but that will waste more time.  " Ikeda Hengxing also came out and said: "That's right. Kinai also fought in a Luochang battle last year.  I heard that the repairman Miyoshi led an army of 60,000 to attack Kyoto. After fighting for a whole summer, he still failed to defeat Rokkaku Keishouden and Nakajo Dewa Morden. It would be very dangerous to go to Kyoto at this time!  " "So you don't have to worry too much, Tokichiro. Uchizosukeden doesn't mean to embarrass you. Doing your duty and working hard to repay the lord is more useful than a thousand words. Work hard!  "Niwa Nagahide's gentle words of comfort quickly took effect. Kinoshita Hideyoshi gave up the tangle just now and took Maeda Toshiie to ask questions. The caravan stayed at the ferry for half an hour to cross Sekikawa, and after traveling for another hour, they gradually realized  The population is getting denser and denser, and the Shinbori River near Sekikawa is particularly crowded. Large villages with thousands of people living there appear together. What's even more rare is that each village is exceptionally clean and tidy, with no trace of potholes on the smooth roads.  There is no sight of sewage flowing across the street all year round. The farmers' clothes are similar to the standards of the citizens of Qingzhou Castle. Seeing this scene, Maeda Toshiie became energetic and couldn't help but sigh when he saw the hard-working farmers dotting the endless land.  : ¡°Is this Echigo¡¯s strength?  The countryside is built like a town and the farmers live like town residents. How do they do it?  " No one answered his question, and nearby villagers were accustomed to such questioning or pensive expressions. Since the outbreak of the Echigo Ishigao in the early years of Hongji, every new traveler would ask similar questions, and everyone in the world is exploring the Kira family.  What method was used to do all this quietly? Many people were attracted by the foggy Echigo. Kinoshita Hideyoshi stared at the farmers coming and going in the fields with bright eyes. As a poor farmer in the Owari countryside.  The child climbed up from humble positions step by step. He knew better than anyone else that the life of the peasants was the measure of whether a country was prosperous or not. In his opinion, the lives of warriors all over the world were similar. It was only the peasants everywhere who had poverty and poverty.  It is said that the farmers in the Hojo clan in Kanto are the happiest. The four citizens and six citizens can make the farmers get two more.In terms of food production, only farmers in Kinai could rival them, but he never believed that farmers in Kanto could live like town residents. Looking closely, the huts in the village seemed completely different from the traditional thatched houses, but what was the difference?  Not sure.  At the same time, in another carriage, Niwa Nagahide was also deep in thought, secretly saying: "This is the economic strength of Echigo! I don't see the strong and dynamic countryside from the faces of the villagers.  Numbness and pain, but with a rare expression of happiness and contentment. Shouldn't this expression only appear on the faces of warriors? Why do they feel happy? " In the evening, the dusk is getting darker, and a group of dozens of riders are standing there.  The caravan slowly arrived outside Naoetsu in the lower reaches of Sekikawa. They were once again shocked by the huge urban agglomeration. From the riverside to the farthest point as far as the eye could see, they were all towns and cities. At first glance, Naoejin looked like  The towns are full of strange things and come in different sizes, but the feeling is not that they are chaotic, but rather that they have a sense of order that people are accustomed to.  Kinoshita Hideyoshi's whole body trembled with excitement, and he said with surprise and excitement: "There are at least hundreds of towns and cities, right? No! There should be more than a thousand, Naoetsu Town is centered on the port town, and there must be even larger towns and towns in the port.  This group is dozens of times larger than Qingzhou Castle!" The samurai in Owari were immersed in the shock of the sudden appearance of the city group. Ikeda Hengxing suddenly shouted: "Look! That's a group of horses!  Team! Is the one in red the red dragon cavalry?¡±  Holding a large blood-colored gun was eye-catching. Maeda Toshiie almost subconsciously took out the big gun. The next moment he remembered that the long-handled weapons were placed on the carriage, and he slapped the saddle on the saddle angrily. He was so annoyed that he died.  At this moment, the hundreds of red dragon cavalry were accelerating and changing their direction of travel with the force of the wind and the remaining clouds. The formation of hundreds of horse warriors was as neat as a school of fish in the water. There was no trace of the slightest movement in the rapid changes of direction from left to right.  What a mistake, the shockingly powerful execution created a scene that was so beautiful that Toshiie Maeda's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets when he saw it, and the Owari samurai couldn't even say a word.  The distance of hundreds of people in a wave of assault passed in the blink of an eye. The next moment they heard a whistle, the red dragon cavalry slowed down and dispersed. Then they relaxed and laughed and marched towards Kasugayama Castle at the western end of Naoetsu Town, and that  The cavalry general leading the army seemed to notice the caravan who was always standing still. He took off his hood and gave them a friendly smile, then rode his horse slowly past them.  Maeda Toshiie saw the appearance of this young general and cried out in surprise: "Keitaro! Why are you here No! You are not Keitaro! Keitaro is not so tall and strong, you are" "You just now  What's your name? Keitaro?" Takigawa Tokiyoshi suddenly reined in his horse and stared at Maeda Toshiie's expression. Then he glanced at the group of dozens of elite horseback warriors and asked patiently: "Listen to your accent.  Not the Eastern Samurai, where are you from Tokaido? What¡¯s your name? And what¡¯s the name of Keitaro you just called?¡± (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian.  Monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation. 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