"What else could it be for?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "For Your Majesty, what greater joy can there be than defeating the rebels and returning to the capital?"
"Defeat the rebels and return to the capital?" Saitama's expression became serious: "Naifu, do you think we can still defeat Katsuragi?"
"Of course!" Wang Wenzuo replied without hesitation: "There are five important things in a war: if you can fight, you should fight; if you can't fight, you should defend; if you can't defend, then run. The other two things are surrender and death. Of course I will not surrender or die. I won’t leave, what’s left is nothing but fighting and defending. I have selected the elites a few days ago, and after the training is completed, we can defeat the thieves!”
"You mean the shooting ceremony a few days ago?" Saitama asked.
"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Your Majesty, you don't have to worry about the burning of the boat master. The only advantage that Brother Zhong can get is that he can transport food by water, and nothing else. The boat can't get up during the decisive battle before the battle. It works!"
"That's true!" Saitama nodded: "Then can we win? After all, our army currently only has more than 10,000 people. Katsuragi is afraid that it is three times as many as mine, right?"
"When we were in Baekje, the entire Tang army was no more than 10,000 people!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Onishi Fuxin and Daochen each had tens of thousands of soldiers, and the Japanese soldiers sent by the eldest brother to Baekje also numbered more than 30,000. , who is the winner in the end? If the side with more people wins and the side with fewer people loses, then there is no need to worry. Both sides can bring out their own armies and count them, and that’s it, right?”
"The art of debating in the inner palace is beyond me!" Saitama said with a smile: "Only in the battle formation, you can't do it just by talking!"
"If I had only relied on words, I would have died in Baekje!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Winning or losing is a common thing for military officers. Your Majesty, please be patient and wait for the thieves to be defeated!"
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Asukakyo, Sakagabe Iwako's residence.
"Husband, it's windy outside, could you please put on some more clothes?" the wife asked.
"Oh!" Sakagabe Iwasa responded. In order to participate in the banquet where the new king celebrated his victory tonight, he specially put on a yellow and red silk robe, which looked more festive. Although Yamato is now There was nothing festive about it.
His wife brought the clothes he wanted to add, and Sakawai opened his arms. While dressing him, his wife babbled: "Hey, we fight every day, and we don't know when it will end. Even with the blessings of gods and Buddhas, The capital was set on fire, and no ships carrying food arrived for who knows how many days. There was no food at all in the market, but there were a lot of stolen goods and slaves. Bodies killed by thieves could be seen on the streets every day. Is this what the Buddhist scriptures say is the end of the world?"
"Don't say these words in the future! So as not to cause trouble!" Sakagawa Iwata said solemnly, his wife is a slut, everything is good, but she talks too much, but the current situation is chaotic, and the new king's subordinates are all These are barbarian warriors, and it would be bad if their careless words lead to death.
"Okay, okay, okay, I won't say any more!" The wife pushed Sakagawa's spade in front of the bronze mirror: "Look, how does this fox fur vest match the color of your burqa? At the new king's banquet It’s definitely the most conspicuous!”
Iwana Sakabe stood in front of the bronze mirror, his body trembling slightly. The fox fur on his body was obtained by his beloved eldest son Yumiya Sakabe from his first hunting trip. According to the custom of the Japanese, Yumiya Sakabe dedicated the fox skin to him. He killed his father, and not long after, Sakagami Gyuya sent troops to Baekje and never came back. This fox fur vest was also placed at the bottom of the box by Sakagami Pansho and was never taken out again.
"Where did you find this waistcoat?" Sakawai asked.
"From the bottom of the wooden box at the end of the side room!" The wife didn't notice anything strange about Sakawaibe's shovel: "I only discovered it when I asked the maid to tidy up the room earlier. Such good leather is stuffed in the box, and it doesn't happen often. Take it out to dry, it will become moldy over time!"
Sakagami took out a long breath, yes! Yumiya Sakabe's hunting trip happened five years ago, and his first wife died just after the eldest son went off to war. How could she, a stepmother, know the origin of this fox fur vest that was pressed at the bottom of the box? Maybe the eldest son has been buried in some unknown corner, and the trees at the grave are as tall as a person, right? Thinking of this, Sakagabe Iwata's eyes couldn't help but feel sore, and tears fell down.
「
Eh! "The wife finally noticed something strange about Iwata Sakabe: "What's wrong with you? Why are you crying?"
"It's nothing!" Sakagabe Iwata quickly turned his head and wiped away his tears: "I accidentally got sand in my eyes just now!"
"Then do you want to blow it?"
"No need!" Sakawaibe Iwataku smiled and said, "The sand has come out! It's getting late, I'm leaving!"
"Yes!" The wife nodded. She looked her husband up and down and said, "Okay, let's go! Let the new king see the style of the head of Sakawabe!"
Sakabe walked to the door, kissed his wife, then climbed on his horse and crossed the street surrounded by guards. Ever since Brother Nakadai's army entered Asuka-kyo, the streets of the capital have been very uneasy at night. Well, in fact, it's not very safe during the day. There are often drunken soldiers carrying women they snatched away, and they speak with Omi accents walking through the streets. When they pass the market, no one dares to care about them. Everyone knew that Brother Naka had ascended to the throne with the support of these people. The common people and businessmen compared the chaos under Brother Naka's rule with the food distribution during Saitama's short reign, shaking their heads and sighing.
And there is an even more chilling rumor circulating in the upper class of Kyoto - if Brother Naka cannot defeat Saitama in a short time, then he will let his subordinates loot the entire Asuka Kyo and kill his opponents. , and then led the remaining people over the Kasagi Mountains and moved the capital to Omi. When this is mentioned, no one does not tremble - the royal family, priests, and tribal leaders have been operating in the Nara Basin for hundreds of years, and they have intricate forces. No matter who ascends to the throne, they must satisfy their interests. . And if they are dragged to Omi, not to mention the hardships on the way, they will be potted plants after arriving in Omi country, letting Brother Naka do whatever he wants.
Just as Bansho was thinking hard on his horse, two masked men rushed out from the front of the team, and the accompanying guards quickly drew their swords - this was not something they made a fuss about. But the two uninvited guests did not make any hostile move. The leader raised his hands to show that he had no weapons and said loudly: "Don't worry, we are not thieves. I just want to meet your master, just for a moment!"
The guards yelled angrily. In Japan at that time, it was a very rude behavior for a lowly person to ask for an audience with a noble person like Sakagabe Iwansaku on the street. But the masked guest at the head was not afraid: "Your master is Iwata Sakagabe! I am his old friend, please let me see him!"
Iwata Sakabe heard the voice of the masked man, and he frowned. If it was normal, he would have asked his subordinates to drive him away, but in the end he decided to agree to the other party's request, and he rode up to the two of them. In front of me: "You said you were my old friend, but why did you cover your face so that I wouldn't see you?"
Just as the leader was about to answer, the other masked man, who had been silent all this time, whispered: "Your Excellency, I know that there is a small hole in the right armpit of the fox fur vest you are wearing!"
"You, how do you know?" Sakawabe Pansho swayed on the horse and almost fell off. It turned out that Sakabebe Yuya shot the fox with a bow and arrow, and there was naturally a spot on the fox's skin. In order to prevent others from seeing the arrow hole, my wife put the hole part under the right armpit when making this waistcoat, so that others could not see it. Only the three of them and their family knew about this matter, and no one else knew about it. , At present, Sakagawabe's wife has passed away long ago, and only their father and son are the only ones in the world who know about this. How can Sakagawabe not be surprised by this.
Iwata Sakabe took the initiative to ask, but both of them fell silent. Iwata Sakagabe calmed down and made a decision immediately: "Okay, you two will follow me back home now!"
"Master!" the guard on the side reminded: "What about the King's victory banquet tonight?"
"Go and take a leave of absence for me, just say that I have a cold and can't go out to the banquet!"
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When Bankai returned to the house, he immediately asked the two people to be taken to a side room in the backyard. After asking not to disturb him, he walked to the backyard. After entering the door, he saw that the two people were still covered in black veils, and coughed: "Why haven't you two taken off your veils yet?"
"The people in the capital are so arrogant that they are only afraid of causing trouble!" one person replied.
Bansho nodded and asked the accompanying guardian to
Wei exited the door: "Don't come in unless I call you!"
"Yes, Master!"
After the guards exited the door, Sakagawa asked, "How did you know about my fox fur waistcoat?"
A masked guest took off his veil. Sakagawa opened his eyes wide and exclaimed, "Is it you? Bodhisattva bless you, you didn't die in Baekje. Come, come here quickly, let my father see that you have lost weight." No!"
It turned out that the masked guest was Yumiya Sakagabe. The father and son hugged each other and cried. After a while, Yumiya Sakawabe stopped crying and said to the remaining person: "The rudeness will make you laugh. I originally thought that this child would never come back, and I felt that life had lost its flavor. I often regretted why I didn’t go to Baekje with me. At least the father and son could die together. It is really a great joy to have father and son reunited today. !」
"It doesn't matter. As the saying goes, a child is the treasure of his parents, let alone the eldest son who has been carefully cultivated and inherited the family business! Naturally, he is very happy to find something lost!" The masked guest said with a smile.
"You said he was an old friend of mine, but who is he?" Sakagawabe felt very happy at this time, and his tone became even more humble.
The masked guest took off his veil, revealing a smiling and silent face. It was Shoujun Dashi. Banzhao's face changed slightly: "Shoujun Oishi, is that you?"
Yumiya Sakagabe interjected: "Father, after I was captured by the Tang people, it was thanks to the care of Uncle Oishi. He picked me out of the labor force, gave me food, clothes, and arranged a place to live. If it weren't for him, I really wouldn't be able to live. You know how you got through it!"
"Yumiya, don't talk!" Sakagabe Iwata's tone turned cold, and he looked at the guard Oishi: "I learned from the people who escaped from Baekje that you and Monobe Renxiong were in Shiromura River. Is it true that he defected to the Tang Dynasty and cut off the retreat route of the army, which led to the defeat of our army?"
"Of course not!" Shoujun Oishi smiled.
"Oh? You didn't defect to the Tang Army? Then why are you taking care of my child when everyone is a prisoner?"
"It is true that Mononobe Renkong and I defected to the Tang army!" Oishi Mori said with a smile: "But the situation of the battle was already clear at that time, and the outcome was determined. Our army had been completely defeated, so even if Monobe Renkong and I fought to the death, It can’t change the overall situation!”
"Coward, sophistry!" Sakagawabe said angrily: "You are clearly greedy for life and afraid of death, but you are talking nonsense here!"
"Sakaabe Yumiya was in the army at the time. He experienced that battle personally!" Oishi Mori pointed at Sakagawabe Yumiya and said, "If you don't believe me, you should believe your own son, right? You can ask him at that time What's the situation? Am I quibbling!"
Iwana Sakabe's eyes turned to his son. Yumiya Sakabe nodded with difficulty: "Father, you didn't see the situation at that time. The people of Tang Dynasty did have the power of ghosts and gods, which was beyond the power of human beings. Everyone was We fought hard, but in the end we were defeated. Uncle Oishi was in the rear at that time, and our ships were already on fire on the river. Even if he wanted to go up and fight, he couldn't get through!"
"Okay, even if you can't defeat the Tang people, there's no need to switch sides, right?" Bansho said angrily, "How about saving a few more people and escaping back?"
"Escape back?" Mamoru Oishi said with a smile: "You should know what happened before I went to Baekje, right? If Monobe Renxiong and I just escape like this, what do you think Katsuragi will do with us? Will everything be destroyed?" The blame is all placed on us? Are we executed?"
"This -" Sakagabe Iwata's anger was like a popped balloon. He knew in his heart that Morijun Oishi was right. He and Mononobe and Lian Xiong were all opponents of Naka-dai brother. He himself It was because of Prince Yujian's affair that he was imprisoned and was later kicked out to serve as reinforcements in Baekje. If all the troops were wiped out and only the two of them came back, they would most likely become the scapegoat for the eldest brother.
"Sakawaibu Iwata, in fact, Mononobu Renkuma and I are only opposing Katsuragi, and there is no harm to Yamato country!" Morijun Oishi said: "If we had fought to the end, we would have lost thousands more lives. It doesn’t help the overall situation. But after we took refuge with the Tang people, not only did we save thousands more lives, it was also of great benefit to the country!"
"It's of great benefit?" Sakagami Iwataru snorted coldly: "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I admit that you took care of Yumiya and you were a great favor to me.
, you were indeed in trouble at the time and had no other choice, but you said that defecting would be good for the country. Do you think I am a fool? "
"Listen to me!" Shoujun Oishi said with a smile: "We have been together in Baekje, and we have saved more than one of your sons. I ask you, if you lead the troops to win the battle, how will you treat the enemy? captive?"
"How to treat enemy prisoners? If you can pay the ransom, then exchange it for the ransom. If you can't, then demote them to slaves!"
Free to read.
