When Cao Cao heard someone calling him, he was startled at first, and then showed an expression of incredible ecstasy. He turned around and saw a familiar figure struggling to get out of a flesh hole on the left front of the giant whale's head.
"Brother Shi Qian!"
Cao Cao's eyes suddenly turned red, he strode forward, stretched out his hand to pull Shi Qian out, hugged him tightly, patted his back, and said happily: "Brother, I thought you were dead!"
Shi Qian's martial arts skills were mediocre and he was born as a thief. Other heroes might look down upon him because of this, but Lao Cao was a meritocratic person who never paid attention to his origins. He knew that Shi Qian was loyal and courageous, and it was rare for him to do so. His agility is extraordinary, and since he has been with him, he has handled all dispatches appropriately. He is actually one of the brothers whom Lao Cao values the most.
It was precisely because of this that Lao Cao was so angry when he saw him fall into the water.
With such a cunning heart as Lao Cao, he was willing to jump out of the side of the ship and risk his life to stab the giant whale. Of course, the whale happened to expose its eyes at that time. The opportunity was fleeting. If you miss it, let it hit again, I'm afraid it will be full of damage. Pan Luosuo, but he still had the desire to avenge Shi Qian.
Therefore, seeing that he was fine at this moment made me really happy from the bottom of my heart.
When Shi Qian saw his brother's true feelings revealed, he was also very excited and cried: "How can I be so virtuous, my little brother? How dare you worry about my brother so much... Also, how come my brother was also brought by the giant whale?"
Lao Cao laughed and said: "At that time, the beast knocked his head unconscious, and his eyes happened to be exposed. I flew up and stabbed him. The whale was frightened and brought me here. How come you are also on it?"
After hearing this, Shi Qian was stunned and murmured: "If you put it this way, the lives of all the brothers can only be saved if the brothers risk their lives to fight for it."
After that, he wiped away his tears and recounted his own experience: But at that time, after he fell from the mast, he did several somersaults in the air, inserted a short blade into the whale's body, and hung on it, hoping to find an opportunity to return to the ship. Unexpectedly, the whale suddenly abandoned the boat and swam into the deep sea. Shi Qian persisted for a long time and gradually became weak.
You must know that when Lao Cao stabbed the whale, he used Jie Zhen's boring fork, and it also pierced the soft flesh of the eyeball, so it penetrated deeply. The handle of the fork was long and he could hold it tightly, so it could support it. Shi Qian only had one dagger handle. The depth of penetration was limited, and the handle was so small that it only accommodated one hand. How could it be sustained for a long time?
He held it alternately with both hands, and his body was swayed by the strong waves, just like the gourd baby after his grandfather was captured by the goblin. He could fall at any time. When he was anxious, he suddenly saw a meat hole in the front of the whale's big head. A few jets of water spurted out, and Shi Qian was overjoyed. He jumped desperately, fit in and hid in it.
Cao Cao was filled with admiration after hearing this. In fact, neither of them knew that only one of the giant whale's two nostrils could breathe. The other nostril was not ventilated, but was connected to the lungs and was shaped like an air box. Therefore, when diving, They dive deeper and deeper than other species of whales.
Shi Qian's leap happened to block its ventilation hole, making it difficult for the giant whale to breathe, so it kept swimming on the surface of the sea. Otherwise, it only had to dive to the bottom of the sea and it would be a hundred "Wu Mengde" , "flea on the drum", also drowned in one attack.
After Shi Qian finished talking about his experience, the girl named Tamamozamae laughed and said, "What do you think, Your Excellency? The slave family said that your brother will be fine."
Seeing her bright eyes, Cao Cao seemed to be sincerely happy for him. He couldn't help but smile and nodded: "A girl can see far. My brother will be fine even if he falls into the sea. The other brothers will be safe if they have ships to rely on." It’s safer! Come, let me introduce you to you——”
At that moment, Shi Qian was introduced to everyone. Ichiro Banbe saw that although Shi Qian was thin, he was slightly taller than Cao Cao, and he was a rare big man. He couldn't help but said with great joy: "We are so lucky! We have two adults. Help me. When I get to Kyoto, my master will be very grateful."
Ichiro Banbe was very anxious to leave and was about to leave immediately. Cao Cao looked at the sky, shook his head and said: "The Art of War says, don't go into the forest at night. There are enemies chasing after you, so we should be careful at all times. Now that the sky is dark, It’s late, let’s spend the night on this beach and think about it later.”
Fortunately, Ichiro Sakabe was also willing to listen to the advice, thought for a while, and agreed: "Your Majesty is right, you are worthy of being an envoy from the Kingdom of Heaven! Then please sit down and leave the rest to me."
At that moment, he ordered the few remaining subordinates to bury the corpses of their companions first, and throw all the corpses of the enemy into the sea. Then he ordered them to collect firewood, raise a bonfire, bake their soaked clothes, and then throw the whale into the sea. After selecting the meat, cut it and roast it on the fire for everyone to eat.
By the time the moon was high in the sky, the whale meat had been roasted, and everyone had a hearty meal. Tamamo apologized in front of him and went back to his sedan chair to rest. The others were sitting around the bonfire. Fortunately, it was already June. Although sleeping in the open air, it is not cold.
Cao Cao talked with Ichiro Banbe and learned that this place was in the Echizen Kingdom area of Fuso Island. Banbe and his party wanted to go southwest, to Kyoto, to see Tamamo Mae reunited with his biological father, and then his biological father Nakagawa Nagami Fujiwara, Dedicate it to the current emperor as his concubine.
Cao Cao wondered: "How come she doesn't take her father's surname?"
Sakabe smiled bitterly and said in a low voice: "This matter is a long story, and it can be regarded as a secret of the Fujiwara family. However, you are foreigners, and you have great righteousness to help us, so it doesn't hurt to talk about it..."
According to Ichiro Sakabe, it turns out that the Fujiwara clan has been intermarrying with the royal family for generations. For hundreds of years, all the queens have left their families, and Fuso has held prominent positions such as regent, guanbai, minister of government, left and right ministers, etc., all of them are Fujiwara clan. One clan dominates, and they are the top dignitaries of Fusang Kingdom.
However, although this kind of family is invincible from the outside, it can't help but create internal rifts. It is not uncommon for family members to compete for power. Although they are all from the Fujiwara family, they often fight to the death.
The real name of Tamamozae was actually Fujiwara Tokiko. It is said that when he was born, a strange fragrance filled the room and luan danced in the sky. A monk divined for him and said that he was the concubine's destiny. His father Fujiwara Nagami heard this and was delighted. Not victorious.
Unexpectedly, only a few days after the news came out, Fujiwara Tokuko, also known as Tamamo Mae, suddenly disappeared. His father sent people to search around, and finally found his daughter sucking the milk of a white fox in a fox den.
According to Fujiwara Nagami's speculation, someone in the clan did not want his daughter to become a queen, so he sent someone to steal it and throw it in the wild to feed the fox. Unexpectedly, the fox gave birth not long ago, but the little fox did not survive, and the maternal instinct broke out. However, instead of harming Tamamo Mae, he adopted her.
Not long after Fujiwara Nagami recovered her daughter, another rumor gradually spread in the world, saying that this daughter was the reincarnation of the Chinese fox demon Su Daji, who would confuse the king and overthrow Fusang in the future. Fujiwara Nagami originally scoffed at this, but unexpectedly the rumors spread more and more widely, and even the famous onmyoji Abe Yasuchika came to kill him, saying that he would strangle the great demon in his infancy.
Fujiwara Nagami's strength was limited, and after barely dealing with several waves of enemies, he knew that he was no match for him, so he secretly sent his loyal retainer Ichiro Sakabe to be his daughter's adoptive father. He took the child and left Kyoto incognito, and when his daughter grew up, he Come back to recognize your ancestors and return to your clan.
Ichiro Sakabe took his wife and Tamamae into hiding in the mountains and named her Zaonome.
Zaonome is intelligent by nature and has read many books since she was a child. She dislikes the word "Moonome" for being ordinary, so she named her Tamamo-mae.
Now more than ten years have passed, in front of Tamamo, that is, when Fujiwara Tokuko is fifteen years old, Ichiro Sakabe complies with the agreement and escorts her to Kyoto to recognize her ancestor. Unexpectedly, the news leaked out somehow, and they were hunted down hard along the way. In a panic, they fled here. If the giant whale hadn't washed up on the shore and scared off the pursuers, they would have met with misfortune.
Ichiro Sakabe sighed and said, this is the area around Echizen Country on Fuso Island. We have to travel two hundred miles southwest to reach the capital of Heian-kyo, and we don't know how many hardships we will encounter along the way.
At that time, the night was dark, the bonfires were lit and extinguished, the sound of waves came rhythmically from the darkness, and the forest leaves rustled like waves in the night wind. Ichiro Sakabe talked about the past and worries about the future in a low voice. A low sob came, its sound sad and sad.
Shi Qian felt his blood rising and said loudly: "That's all. It's okay to fight for power. It would be shameful to use a baby as a raft! If it hits my 'drum flea' hand, I will give it up with one strike of my sword." He settled the matter!"
Ichiro Sakabe said with emotion: "As expected of a great man from this great country! If I can send the girl to her father, I am willing to use my life to repay my great kindness."
Shi Qian waved his hand and said, "I see that you are also a loyal and loyal man. Don't you know that when a man sees injustice on the road, he will draw his sword to help? Do I still expect you to wait for repayment?"
Cao Cao, however, remained calm. He pondered for a moment and then said, "Does the current ruler of the Fusang Kingdom have a queen? If so, whose daughter is she? If not, whose daughter is expected to become her?"
Ichiro Sakabe said quickly: "The current ruler of the country is His Majesty the Emperor Toba, and the Queen is the Queen. Her original name is Akiko Fujiwara. She is the daughter of Lord Nagato Fujiwara Kimomi. She will give birth to a son this year, but it is said..."
He gritted his teeth and finally whispered: "It is said that the emperor intends to abolish the queen."
Cao Cao wondered: "You are so good, why do you want to abolish the queen?"
Ichiro Sakabe showed a mysterious expression, and his voice was almost inaudible: "Some people say that the prince born in Toixianmen Institute was, was born to His Majesty the Emperor Shirakawa..."
Cao Cao became more and more puzzled: "What the hell is this bastard, Emperor Shirakawa? Is the Emperor greater than the Emperor?"
Ichiro Sakabe smiled bitterly and said: "His Majesty Shirakawa is the grandfather of His Majesty Emperor Toba..."
Cao Cao and Shi Qian looked at each other and thought it was extremely ridiculous: "You mean, your king, uh, His Majesty the Emperor of Fuso Kingdom, his wife is pregnant with someone else's child, and this other person is not an outsider, but the Emperor's grandfather?"
Ichiro Sakabe nodded slowly.
Lao Cao couldn't help laughing: This country is really interesting. Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty fell in love with his daughter-in-law and took it away anyway, but this Fusang country is particularly interesting. Grandpa fell in love with his grandson-in-law and gave birth to a son for his grandson?
After laughing for a while, he asked curiously: "Does the Dharma Emperor mean the Supreme Emperor?"
After all, Ichiro Sakabe was just a samurai and didn't know much about the political system. He couldn't explain clearly even after stammering for a long time. Apparently he himself was confused. But Tamamozen said softly: "If the emperor abdicates, he will be the emperor, which means the emperor. If he becomes a monk, he will be the emperor. The emperor is busy with rituals and has no time to manage politics, so he often abdicates and becomes the emperor. Only then can we control the government."
After hearing this, Cao Cao shook his head and said with a smile: "So, the person who controls the country now is the emperor?"
Tamamo-mae answered: "It has been more than ten years since the death of Emperor Kugawa. Currently, all the power of the country is in the hands of Emperor Shirakawa. The current queen has been raised by Emperor Shirakawa since she was a child. She is two years older than Emperor Toba. She got married two years ago. When she got married, , the empress was sixteen years old, and the emperor was fourteen. They gave birth to a son a month ago, and it is said that the emperor privately called him 'uncle and son'."
Cao Cao laughed loudly, uncle and son, what do you mean? You were supposed to be my uncle, but you became my son! It seems that Emperor Toba has a lot of resentment in his heart. No wonder Tamamo Mae's biological father knew that the emperor had a queen and wanted to send her to the palace.
The strange Shi Qian shouted: "What kind of bird king is this? He goes too far to bully others! He even bullies his own grandson like this."
Ichiro Sakabe sighed: "When Emperor Shirakawa was the emperor in the past, it rained continuously for a year, which made him dissatisfied. He had the rainwater filled in basins and thrown into the prison, which was called 'Prisoner Heaven'. We can know his temperament."
"Prisoner?" Cao Cao was amazed when he heard this: "It's a small country, but the boss's arrogance is really ridiculous..."
He was about to say: It seems that the people who are embarrassing you are the people of the King's line. Before the words were spoken, someone just heard someone shouting: "Hmph! How dare you insult the nobles of our country when you set foot on the soil of our country! The arrogant Tang people will die!"
Three short black shadows climbed onto the whale's body at some point, and now they swooped down, shooting out little bits of cold light from where their hands started.
Just as Cao Cao was about to draw his sword, Shi Qian had already risen into the sky and shouted: "Brother, please sit still while I come to take care of these little ones!"
He rushed towards the three people, his hands danced, and the cold light was immediately extinguished, but when he heard Shi Qian smiled and said: "My son, will you let An Qingzi go? Give it back to you!"
With a shake of his hands, he threw back the hidden weapon he received. The three people screamed in unison and were immediately shot to the ground.
Shi Qian somersaulted back far away, still holding a hidden weapon in his hand. He looked at it, handed it to Cao Cao and said, "An Qingzi from Fusang is quite clever in his thinking."
Cao Cao took it and looked at it, only to see that the hidden weapon was in the shape of a cross, flat and flat, with sharp corners. Once thrown out, it would cause death or injury no matter where it touched the limbs.
Ichiro Sakabe jumped up and exclaimed: "Shuriken! Oh, these are scouts! These people are elusive and full of tricks. They are the most difficult to deal with."
As he spoke, he looked at Shi Qian with admiration: "Sir, I didn't expect that you are so tall and yet so agile."
Shi Qian smiled and said: "It's easy to talk, do you think these people are elusive? From my brother's perspective, that's not necessarily the case!"
As he spoke, he took out a slingshot from his belt, stood next to the fire, looked at the big tree not far away, and fired. Every time he shot out, there would be a scream or a muffled groan, and black shadows fell from the tree.
At this time, there was a rustling sound in the forest. Shi Qian's ears twitched and he sneered: "Haha, there are quite a few people here! They were just fighting in the dark in the forest, but they bumped into their ancestors today."
His dagger had already fallen into the sea. Now when he looked around, he saw two knives, one long and one short, on Ichiro Banbe's waist. He easily pulled out the short dagger, which was more than a foot long. He said in his mouth: "Brother, please sit down, little brother, go." Come as you go.”
Immediately, he used Qinggong and rushed into the dense forest like a wisp of light smoke. He could only hear the screams. In less than a stick of incense, Shi Qian came back and handed the short knife back to Ichiro Sakabe, and threw away many strange instruments. Next to the fire, he played with each piece and murmured: "These Fuso people really like to use Qimen weapons!"
Ichiro Sakabe and all his subordinates were stunned: "Have you driven them away?"
Shi Qian shook his head: "No, there were eighteen in total, and they were all killed. Haha, these sneaky killing routines hit me right in the palm of my hand!"
Ichiro Sakabe looked at him in shock for a long time, then said blankly: "I didn't expect there to be such a powerful scout like you in the world!"
Youfenjiao: Shiqian showed his sharpness in the first battle, but Sakabe felt weak. Stop talking about the Japanese ninja cattle, and settle down with the Chinese thieves volume.
Ninjas were called "Shinobun" in the Asuka period, "scouts" in the Nara period, and had many names in the Warring States period. The most popular name was "Ranbo". In the Edo period, they were first called "ninja".
(End of chapter)
