Swallow Back

Including a stocky workhorse, two or three sets of changing clothes, one long and one short two-handled knives, hand-painted maps, fire tools, soft gold and silver, and special dry food.

According to Zuo Zuo Chengzheng, Liu Yun does not need any deliberate disguise, as long as he maintains his daily words and deeds, he is like a wandering mercenary who makes a living by force and will not cause too much suspicion.

In addition, there are three precious magic weapons.

One is the "body protection jade" that can resist curses and sorcery, just like the "body on behalf of the wood", the difference is that it can be used three times.

One is the "phantom face pill" that changes the appearance of people in three months after taking it.

One is a "Fire Escape Talisman", which is said to be torn off to summon a "true fire" that burns away all evil spirits.

There are some Buddhist symbols printed on the cloth bags and wooden boxes that hold these magical treasures. It can be speculated that most of them were taken back from the last attack on Mount Hiei Enryakuji Temple.

Therefore, Liu Yun also used it unceremoniously.

After explaining this, Zuo Zuo Chengzheng asked Liu Yun again if he had any other arrangements.

Liu Yun thought about it, the only thing that needs to be arranged is the woman at home.

Iori is easy to think wildly, and may not be good at keeping secrets. It is best not to tell her the truth, but to tell her with the superficial reason of "closing the door".

So Liu Yun wrote a handwritten letter.

In the letter, Iori said that although for some inexplicable reason, he was forced to close his door in Hengshan City for three months, but he was not punished by any other punishment. There is no need to worry about life safety, knowledge and deeds will not be deprived, and everything can be assured. , you can return home after the expiration date.

As for matters within the confines, you can still follow the previous arrangements.Hayami Kiyobei ​​manages the administration, Eguchi helps Zaemon to patrol the security, Xinghe Shishu masters the financial account books, Suifeng junior brother assists with chores, Qingtianfang and Kurotianfang guard the mansion, you can rest easy.

Entrusting Zuo Zuo Chengzheng to send this handwritten letter back, Liu Yun had nothing else to say.

As long as you pack your luggage and find a quiet time at night, you can set off.

Chapter 73 Meeting Part-time Pirates on the Road

After leaving the letter, Liu Yun set off alone.

After swallowing the "Magic Yan Dan", his appearance changed a bit.

The eyebrows are a little more straight, the eyes are a little bigger, the nose is a little higher, the mouth is a little more convex, the face is a little narrower, the skin is a little whiter... All in all, I have taken a step towards the cream niche.

Although it has not changed much, it is completely paradoxical and completely different.

Even if Senior Uncle Xinghe, Junior Brother Suifeng, and even Mrs. Iori came to recognize him, they would only think that they were people who looked alike, and would never think they were the true master.

The effect will last for about three months, and then the effect of the drug will gradually expire, and the appearance will return to the original without any sequelae.Of course, even if there is, Liu Yun, who has the "healing power", is not very worried.

What's even more powerful is that the changes to the appearance of this thing are purely physiological, and there is no sign of using secret techniques to disguise it.

How wonderful!

Hieisan Enryakuji Temple had such good stuff but didn't know how to use it. It was seized by the Oda family in vain, and it was really rotten.

……

The public statement to the public is that although Sasaki Liuyun, a native of Omi, has outstanding martial arts and has made many meritorious deeds, he is rebellious and has no respect for his superiors, which annoyed the bad-tempered Oda Nobunaga, and was sentenced to be locked up in Hengshan Castle, facing the wall. After three months of thinking, reflect on what you have done, and hone your temper.

For the Oda family, who had a lot of soldiers and generals, this was not a big event worth mentioning.

At most, it was just a discussion among the hundreds of samurai around Hengshan Castle.

In fact, Liu Yun packed up his bags and led a sturdy little workhorse.Going out the door all night, all the way to the north, towards the site of the Echigo Uesugi family.

As Zuozuo Chengzheng said, he has strong traces of sword and blood on his body. Without much disguise, he looks like a wandering mercenary who makes a living by force.

After leaving Hengshan Castle and walking along the shore of Lake Biwa for about three hours, they walked out of the control area of ​​the Oda family. On the way, they could see the last site where the Asai family was still alive, which was Kotani Castle.

A famous couple during the Warring States Period in Japan, Nagamasa Asai and Oda City, lived there.

Otani Castle is now a very poor isolated stronghold, and the four small towns within five kilometers around it have all been occupied by the Oda family, forming a siege.

According to the information that Liu Yun knew, most of the Asai family's foreign-like retainers had been gradually turned against by Kinoshita Tokichiro, Takenaka Shigeji and others, and now there are only a few dozen last loyal retainers, plus about [-] troops— -In fact, it is fortunate that there are not many people, otherwise their food reserves may not last too long.

The reason why they have not been destroyed is not because of how strong Kotani Castle is, nor because of Nagamasa Asai's strength, but because there are too many enemies in the Oda family, and the front line is too broad, and it is impossible to draw enough troops to fight. long-term siege.

When the time can be spent, the demise of the Asai family is a certainty.

Unless they can hold out until Takeda Shingen comes over... But can Takeda Shingen really come over?

It may be because of fear of being affected by the war, although there are spacious and smooth roads near Xiaogu City, there are basically no caravans passing through.As Liu Yun walked all the way, he hardly bumped into anyone who was traveling with him.Occasionally I see one or two, mostly wandering mercenaries dressed like me.

After a few hours after leaving Kotani Castle, they arrived at the Asakura family's site, the gateway to the Echizen Kingdom, Tsuruga Port Town.

The distance from Yokoyama Castle to Tsuruga Town is about [-] to [-] kilometers, and the average caravan will plan a two-day itinerary.However, Liu Yun's body is unusual, and the little pack horse he leads is also very sturdy, and can maintain uninterrupted marching for five hours, which is enough for one day.

It can be seen that this used to be a very prosperous commercial center, with a surrounding trench as a partition, several streets and thousands of shops of different sizes were laid inside.

However, now, possibly because of the war between the Oda family and the Asakura family, more than half of the shops are idle, the streets are not crowded, and even some burned and smashed buildings have not been repaired. Showing economic decadence, trade sluggish weather.

It is said that an army of more than 3000 members of the Asakura family was stationed nearby to protect the safety of the place.At each entrance and exit of Tsuruga Town, there are indeed many soldiers standing guard.

However, this does not imply strict management.

When Liu Yun led the little packhorse in, the lazy guards did not conduct any search or interrogation on him, but arrogantly stretched out his hand and forcibly demanded fifteen copper coins for the entrance fee.I don't know if it's the order from above, or if the bottom is full of personal pockets and messing around.

It is said that although this Tsuruga Town is a little down, it is an important commercial town. The camels are bigger than horses, and the flow of people is still relatively high. It is not uncommon for merchants and ronin to travel south and north, and many unfamiliar faces come in and out.

Liu Yun observed it for a while, and found that if anyone entered, the guards asked each person for five cents.Those who lead livestock, whether cattle or horses, will be charged an additional ten cents per horse, and those who have vehicles will be charged an additional thirty cents per vehicle, regardless of whether they have towed goods or not.

It is estimated that the daily income should be quite a lot, and there should be some [-] or [-] times.Guess it shouldn't be a mere guard's own opinion, at least it must be instructed by a senior samurai.

However, for Liu Yun, it was a good deal to spend fifteen cents to avoid the trouble of being searched and questioned.

At sunset, he easily entered Tsuruga Town, and after a short stroll, he found a good accommodation here to stay.

A room of fifty cents per night is undoubtedly a high-end consumption.The room is fully furnished, well decorated, and the waiter has a good attitude. The unsatisfactory thing is that there is a faint musty smell.

The proprietress in the store kept bowing and explained that the sun has not been out for more than ten days, and it is impossible to dry it, please forgive me.

Of course it doesn't help.The money has been given, and you still expect it to be refunded?

Then I bought a [-]-cent "luxury meal", that is, white rice, seafood, fresh vegetables, and enough seasonings and sauces.

In order to avoid extraneous branches, Liu Yun entered the room early to rest.Without sleepiness for a while, he was alone in the room studying the refined iron gun worth three hundred ounces.Combined with the lectures I have heard before, it is easy to understand the basic operation methods, but I am not very proficient.

In fact, he knew very well that the iron guns of this era were not satisfactory in terms of accuracy and lethality. If they really fought, it might not be as good as picking up a stone and throwing it.Of course, this may not be because the iron gun is too weak, but because the self in this life is too strong...

However, Liu Yun still likes this refined iron cannon very much.

The brown wooden stock, the black and hard chamber, the yellowed copper trigger, the rope soaked in flame...

You can't really say how beautiful all this is, but the combination is very exciting.

It's a gun after all!

As long as it's a boy, who doesn't like to play with guns?

Just fell asleep playing with the gun.

……

Waking up the next day, Liu Yun entrusted the owner of the lodge to introduce a small passenger boat to Echigo Naoetsu Port Town.

The journey from Tsuruga to Naoejin takes six to eight days by land, and a long stretch is a dangerous area of ​​political chaos.The waterway only takes two days, with a one-night stop at Wajima in the middle.

Therefore, as long as there is no choice, most people will go by water.

What I was looking for was a small boat seven or eight meters long, with a load capacity of forty shi (about 6 tons), and only two boatmen managed it.Liuyun paid 240 Wen to rent it.

Originally, only 120 liters were needed, but the boatman said that the pack horses would leave dirt marks, so it would cost twice as much.Liu Yun didn't want to worry about these trivial matters, so he waved a small silver grain worth 250 Wen, and didn't even bother to ask for change.

Then got on the boat.

The waters along the coast of the Hokuriku are calm and shimmering, making it very suitable for navigation. Even people who do not understand water at all have no danger of seasickness.

It's just that the weather is a little cold.

The boatman was operating outside, wrapped in several thick layers of sackcloth, and shivered a little.

Liu Yun is not afraid of the cold. He is lying in the cabin and enjoying the sea and sky outside through the window, which is a kind of enjoyment.

From time to time, I can see merchant ships and cargo ships of different sizes passing by, and it seems that the maritime trade is relatively developed.

With the power of wind and water, the boat can travel two or three hundred kilometers a day.Before sunset, we arrived at Wajima Port Town.Rest overnight in Wajima Port Town, and then set off. When applying for the next day, you will be able to arrive at Naoetsu in Echigo.

Unexpectedly, just after noon, just before reaching the destination, the two boatmen suddenly stopped the boat two hundred paces from the shore, walked in together with a smile, bowed to Liu Yun, and said: "Guest officer It's almost here, shouldn't you settle the rest of the ship's money?"

Liu Yun frowned upon hearing this.

The price was clearly marked before boarding the boat, and it was clearly stated that it was 240 Wen, and I even gave an extra tip of [-] Wen. Where did the rest of the boat money come from?

Taking a closer look, although the two boatmen were all smiles and respectful, their eyes flashed again and again, revealing a bit of sternness.

Chapter 74 Meeting Part-time Pirates on the Road

Liu Yun immediately understood that these two boatmen were trying to extort money!

It is reminiscent of the two ancient foods, "hob noodles" and "wonton" in "Water Margin".

It is not only to make money, but also to kill.In contrast, if you only have money today, you don't seem to be thinking about killing people. Maybe the moral standard is slightly higher?

The two boatmen, one with a beard and black face at the stern, was older and seemed to be in charge of the house, and the other with a yellow face and no beard at the bow was younger and was probably an accomplice.

Seeing that the other party didn't directly grab it, Liu Yun didn't rush to draw the knife, but calmly asked: "Is there any remaining ship money that has not been settled?"

The middle-aged boatman with a big beard and a black face smiled and said, "Before boarding the boat, you gave me a small piece of silver. I weighed it carefully, and it was two and a half coins, worth 250 Wen. This is just a deposit, but it hasn't been paid yet." What about the final payment!"

Liu Yun shook his head and said, "That's strange. At that time, it was said that chartering a boat cost 120 Wen per day, and it cost 240 Wen for two days. With the pack horses in the way, it was only [-] Wen if doubled."

Hearing this, the middle-aged boatman with a beard and dark face shook his head repeatedly: "No! You must have remembered it wrong, right? At that time, it was said that chartering a boat cost 240 renminbi per day, and 480 renminbi for two days. The pack horses take up too much space, if you double the extra, it will be... um... nine hundred... 960 texts!"

Liu Yun nodded expressionlessly: "I see, I heard it wrong!"

The middle-aged boatman with a big beard and black face nodded seriously: "Yes, yes, the total boat fare is 960 Wen, and you only gave a deposit of 250 Wen, leaving seven hundred...uh... seven hundred..."

The yellow-faced, beardless young boatman couldn't help but interject: "710 papers!"

The middle-aged boatman with a beard and black face was a little annoyed, and glared at him: "I can't count? Want you to teach me?"

Then he turned around to Liu Yun with a smile and said, "That's right, there is still a balance of 710 Wen. How do you pay, guest officer? Is it silver or copper coins?"

Liu Yun didn't care: "Say it earlier! It's only seven hundred words."

The middle-aged boatman with a big beard and black face rolled his eyes again when he saw Liu Yun's indifferent attitude, bowed again, and continued with a smile, "Actually, I haven't finished talking just now. Think about it, sir. , we will send you to Echigo Naoetsu on this trip, but we may not be able to meet guests who happen to go to Tsuruga in Naoetsu, and we may have to go back empty-handed! Isn't that equivalent to two more days of delay? So, in addition to the 960 Wen for the boat, do you have to pay 960 Wen for the return trip?"

Liu Yun's expression remained unchanged, and he nodded slowly: "It makes sense."

The middle-aged boatman with a big beard and black face suddenly laughed like a flower, and said quickly: "960 Wen, plus 960 Wen, that's... that's..." He couldn't figure it out after thinking for a long time, and turned his head and stared at Huang Huang angrily. The young boatman with a beardless face said: "You bastard, don't you know how to do the math?"

The yellow-faced and beardless young boatman immediately became unwilling and yelled aggrieved: "You didn't let me just now..." But before he finished speaking, he was forced by his companion's fierce eyes, shrank his neck, and replied sullenly in a low voice: "960 Text, plus 960 texts, is 920 texts."