"I'm sorry!" Sha Zha Xiangru turned the tip of the knife, smashing the opponent's internal organs, and whispered: "You just reminded me that the dead have the harshest mouths, and I will send your people with you as soon as possible. Don't worry!" At this point, he pulled out his short knife, inserted it into the soil a few times while the blood on the blade was still wet, wiped the blade with the clothes of the deceased, returned it to its sheath, and said to the woman who came in after hearing the sound: "Get rid of this guy's body and leave nothing behind!"
After walking out of the market, a group of Japanese soldiers came towards him. Sha Zha Xiangru hurriedly retreated to the roadside like other Japanese soldiers and knelt in the dirt. He didn't get back on the road until this group of patrol soldiers passed by. He wrapped his cloak tightly and sped up. The footsteps quickly disappeared into the crowd.
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Kawahara Palace.
"Mr. Zhongchen, how is the matter with the ***?" The eldest brother, the prince, asked directly. The past few days on the ship with the Tang envoys put him under great pressure. It seemed that there was something invisible chasing him from behind. As long as he If you delay even a little bit, you will be swallowed up by it.
"We already have some clues!" Nakatomi Kamazu's answer was concise and clear: "It has been confirmed that it was done by a force from the northeast. They came to the Yamato River area recently. After attacking Tang Envoy, this group The person just disappeared, I suspect there is someone behind the scenes!"
"Is there a messenger?" Prince Zhong, the eldest brother, frowned: "Are you sure? Someone wants to sabotage the peace agreement between Tang and our country?"
"Yes, otherwise it would be difficult to explain why this group of people appeared so suddenly and disappeared so suddenly!"
Prince Nakadai nodded: Nakatomi Kamazu's analysis is very convincing. If there is no one hiding behind the scenes to plan everything and deal with the consequences, it is difficult to imagine that such a force would appear so silently, suddenly, and then And disappeared silently.
"When will we find this group?"
"I don't know!" Nakatomi Kamazu shook his head: "According to Weichen's opinion, if there is really a mastermind behind the scenes, these gangsters should be no longer alive by now. After all, the dead have the strictest mouths!"
The prince, the eldest brother, nodded. He had already had 100% trust in Nakatomi Kamazu's ability and loyalty, but the current problem was that he had to find a way to silence the Tang envoy. This was the top priority.
"You are right, but since the Tang Dynasty asked for a result within ten days, we have to give him a result. You should hurry up and do this. Don't delay it!"
"Yes!" Nakatomi Kamatashi responded, and he hesitated: "Your Highness, according to your Majesty, the Tang people just want to save face, and we can just give him some face. As for whether he is the real murderer, it doesn't matter. Right?"
"This won't work!" The prince, the eldest brother, shook his head: "The envoy from the Tang Dynasty is a very difficult guy. If he exposes our deception, there will be endless troubles. It's better to just do whatever it takes to be safe!"
"That's fine! Wei Chen resigned!" Nakatomi Kamazu did not insist and left immediately. It was almost evening at this time, and the lights had not yet been turned on. Darkness enveloped most of the main hall. The prince, the eldest brother, sat behind the desks and looked at the last ray of afterglow remaining in the courtyard, feeling filled with emotion. Why couldn't he hear the hint in Nakatomi Kamazu's words just now?
"I suspect there is someone behind the scenes."
"Are you sure? Someone wants to sabotage the peace agreement between Tang and our country?"
"Yes, otherwise it would be difficult to explain why this group of people appeared so suddenly and disappeared so suddenly!"
Among the various forces in the Japanese state, only one group wanted to sabotage the peace agreement between the Tang and Japanese countries by attacking the ships of the Tang envoys, and that was Fuyu Fengzhang and the Baekje exiles who followed him. The prince, the eldest brother, knows this, and so does Nakatomi Kamazu, and the reason why Nakatomi Kamazu is unwilling to say it directly is very simple - for the Japanese country, Fuyu Fengzhang is already too big to lose.
Due to the appearance of Wang Wenzuo, the Tang army won more completely in the Battle of Baijiangkou in this time and space, completely destroying the Japanese boat division that rescued Zhouliu City. The result was that the prince, the eldest brother of Zhong Dynasty, sent a total of four groups of troops to the peninsula. In addition to those who had gone to Rencun Mountain City in advance, Ampeh Hirafu's army was almost completely destroyed. Including the Baekje exiles who fled across the sea to Kyushu with Fuyu Fengzhang, there were nearly 20,000 people.
For the Japanese country, which lost more than 40,000 people and countless boats, it was a considerable force. Therefore, the prince of Zhongda not only did not punish Fuyu Fengzhang and Anbe Hirafu, but Abe Hirafu became the garrison envoy of Kyushu and built fortifications, and also ordered the division of land in Northern Kyushu to accommodate Baekje exiles. He had two purposes for doing this: 1. To use Ampere Hirafu and Fuyu Fengzhang, the two sons-in-law, to resist the Tang Dynasty's attack on Kyushu Island; 2. To win over these two people and add more people to the future battle for the throne in the capital. A powerful foreign aid.
Therefore, for a smart person like Nakatomi Kamazu, everything is clearly understood. Putting the matter completely on the table will actually force the boss into a dilemma. It is better to just make a little bit. Anyway, this is enough for the eldest brother, the prince. Okay, let the prince make the final decision alone.
As time passed, the last remaining ray of light in the courtyard disappeared, and darkness enveloped the earth again. For some reason, Prince Nakadai suddenly remembered some things he experienced when he was a child. According to Japanese myths and legends, this land belongs to the people of Amaterasu during the day, and after dark it belongs to another group of strange spirits: such as the Amaterasu. Of course, the most terrifying thing is not these weird spirits, but the evil spirits full of resentment passed down from the distant ancient times. Most of them are losers in wars or political struggles, such as Soga Iroka, Soga Ezo and his son, Prince Arima, etc. who were killed by themselves. The resentment left by these evil spirits during their lifetime will ferment over time and become It becomes more and more intense, not only attacking the enemy, but even attacking all living beings indiscriminately. In order to resist the infringement of these resentful spirits, the emperors of the past dynasties maintained many onmyojis. Later, Buddhist monks were introduced from Silla and Baekje. The purpose was mostly to resolve the hostility and eliminate the resentful spirits. Therefore, on the highlands around Asukakyo, there are many There are shrines and temples, the purpose of which is to protect the capital from attacks by evil spirits.
"It is estimated that after the Tang Dynasty envoy returns, there will be a few more resentful spirits in Feiniaojing, but I don't know if I am among them!" Prince Zhong, the eldest brother, said with a bitter smile.
At this time, the prince of the eldest brother heard a strange sound coming from the courtyard. It was crackling, like a woodpecker, and a bit like a horse's hooves tapping stones. The prince of the eldest brother of the middle school was startled, and couldn't help flashing in his mind. Several evil spirits and strange spirits appeared, and he instinctively picked up the large bow quiver on the bow stand behind him. After stringing the arrow, he listened carefully for a moment. When the strange sound sounded again, he immediately unloaded the bow and arrow. , aiming at the imaginary enemy in the darkness, relaxed the bow string, and then a sharp bird song broke the silence of the night.
"This thing should be the legendary ancient spirit!" Prince Zhong, the eldest brother, looked at the bird presented by the maid and couldn't help but shudder. I saw that the appearance of this arrow bird is somewhat similar to that of a wild pheasant, but the feathers on its body are not the common colorful or dull mottled colors of wild pheasants, but a dark blue that is very close to black, and this monster The bird has only one eye, and its beak is curved and sharp like hawks and other carnivorous birds, giving it a creepy and weird look.
"Your Highness, would you like to take care of this bird and keep it!" the maid asked in a low voice: "The feathers and appearance of this bird are so extraordinary. This is the first time this slave has seen it! You can keep it for future generations to admire. !」
"That's all!" The prince, the eldest brother, shook his head instinctively: "This bird makes me look very uncomfortable. Just find a place to bury it! In addition, please invite the Great Onmyoji immediately. I have something to see him!" "
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There is a dead end ahead. There was no way out but the way he came in. He didn't dare to look back, nor did he dare to stay here. By the way, he had to find a hiding place as soon as possible, sleep for one night, and then find a way to leave here tomorrow.
Sha Zha Xiangru inserted the dagger into his belt and began to climb, jumping between the stones, and finally reached the wall. He hooked the stone with both hands and pulled up. The walls were three feet thick, and the windows were like tunnels that sloped upward and outward. Sha Zha Xiangru twisted his body and crawled toward the sky. When his head reached enough height, she looked across the inner city towards the Ampei family mansion in the distance.
"What the hell!" Sha Zha Xiangru spat fiercely: "What are these Japanese people going to do? Are there going to be civil wars tomorrow? Why are there so many archers on the walls of every house? There are fences outside the walls.
Checkpoint? What's opposite the checkpoint? Another army? "
He observed carefully for a long time, and finally had to admit in frustration that if he ran over directly, he would probably be discovered by the soldiers on the periphery. It would be difficult to enter Ampei's house unnoticed, and to complete his mission, he must first The first step is to enter the Ampere House unknown to others. He thought about it for a while and finally decided to spend the night at a widow's house and wait until tomorrow morning to discuss everything.
Sha Zha Xiangru shuttled between buildings and high walls, leaning against the wall as much as possible to avoid being discovered by others, and finally arrived at the market safely. On the way, he saw a dozen heavily armed guards running past him. He hid in the shadows and crouched low to wait for them to pass. Then he stood up, came to the door of his destination, and began to knock on the door rhythmically.
After a while, there were shouts of curses and dog barks coming from the door: "Where did you come from, you wanderer? You are still messing around at this time. Don't think that I am easy to bully because I am a woman. See if I don't let the dog bite you." Your leg!"
"It's me, open the door quickly!"
"Is it your lord?" A hesitant question came from inside the door. Immediately, the movements of the person inside the door became faster, and then the door was opened. Behind the door stood a dumbfounded little woman, with a fierce-looking snake at her feet. big dog.
"What's wrong, don't you invite me in for a drink?" Shazha Xiangru said with a smile, "Also, keep this big dog away, it looks like it's about to charge up and bite you!"
"Yes, yes! Ahu, get out of the way, get out of the way quickly!" The woman woke up from a dream, hurriedly kicked the big dog, then got out of the way, and replied uneasily: "I'm sorry, the villain just didn't Listen clearly, I didn’t expect it to be you, and it’s not peaceful here at night, so I must raise a fiercer dog!”
"I'm going to stay here all night, and I'll leave everything to you!" Shazha Xiangru interrupted the woman's explanation: "I haven't eaten anything from noon to now!"
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Tang Dynasty Hall.
"Ming Gong, to which Japanese chieftain do you intend to hand over your credentials?" Cui Hongdu asked.
"It's not confirmed yet, I just have to act according to the circumstances!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
"That's natural, but if I were to give the certificate of credence to the weakest among the Japanese chieftains, he would have to rely on the Tang Dynasty, which is in line with the policy of supporting the weak and restraining the strong!" After Cui Hongdu expressed his opinion, He looked at Wang Wenzuo expectantly. It was obvious that he had thought about this issue for a long time and thought it was a safe solution before speaking out.
"Haha! It seems that Hongdu thinks it should be given to Princess Qiyu?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
"That's not necessarily true. I'm doing this all for the Tang Dynasty, not for personal reasons. I'll give it to whoever is weak. If the people from Dahai are weaker, then give it to the people from Dahai!"
"Haha!" Wang Wenzuo laughed twice: "It seems that you have used your brain these days, Hongdu, which is good. But have you ever thought about it, if we give our credentials to Princess Saitama, the eldest brother will attack Saitama?" Princess, what should we do?"
"Of course we will send troops to support Princess Saitama, to help the weak and suppress the strong!" Cui Hongdu said.
"Send troops?" Wang Wenzuo shook his head and laughed: "Where are the troops coming from? We now have less than 500 sailors, including all the sailors, which is not enough to fill the teeth of the Japanese. If we mobilize troops from Baekje, even if we don't Taking into account possible accidents such as wind, waves, ships, etc., it will take at least three or four months, and the overall situation will have been decided by then!"
"Then, what do you mean, you cannot use the method of supporting the weak and suppressing the strong?"
"It's not that it can't be used, it's that it can't be used now, at least not directly. The reason why the eldest brother and the prince are respectful to us now and swallow their anger. There are two main reasons: first, the prestige of the Tang Dynasty; second, at least on the surface, we He is here to negotiate peace. He thinks that he can get what he wants through peace talks, so a man can bend and bend, instead of being afraid of hundreds of us. If what we do makes him feel that the Tang Dynasty is trying to kill him, he will definitely not If we are as honest as we are now, in a desperate fight, we don’t know the final outcome, we will definitely be unlucky!”
"What does Mr. Ming mean?"
"It's very simple. No matter what we think in our hearts, we must treat others fairly on the surface. We can even favor someone, but the reason can only be that he is interested in the greater world.
The Tang Dynasty was more submissive and loyal, but this man was weaker and would not pose a threat to the Tang Dynasty after he ascended the throne. At least this must be the case until we have dozens of large ships on hand that can carry five thousand people to land in Japan. Prestige is like a paper tiger. Although a paper tiger cannot bite people to death, it can scare people to death if used well. But if you use the paper tiger to bite people, it will not even scare people to death! "
