"I think he made the right decision!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "If I guessed correctly, something should have happened to Asuka Jing. If he hadn't left at that time, he probably wouldn't have been able to leave!"
"Asuka Kyo? Do you have any arrangements over there?"
"Well, I sent Shoujun Oishi to secretly sneak into Asuka Kyo. A few days ago, he sent someone to deliver a letter, saying that he had contacted many people and that he would raise troops soon!"
"No day?" Saitama snorted coldly: "The battle has been fought, the overall situation has been decided, and there is no news of raising troops. These old guys must want to sit back and watch the success or failure, and then place their bets!"
"That's not surprising!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Those who stay in Feiniaojing have a lot of capital. If they make a wrong bet, they will lose it all. When the overall situation is clear, they can then place bets. Although they cannot They will earn twice as much, but they have a lot of capital and will earn no less. In this case, why take such a big risk?"
"Place a bet? Hahaha! Saburo, you called this battle for the throne a bet!" Saitama laughed twice and his expression became serious: "But your analogy is quite good. This is indeed a bet. Brother Zhongda, Dahairen, and I all put our lives on the line, and those guys bet on us. Saburo, what do you think we should do with these guys who take advantage of the situation after returning to Asukakyo? If we just let them sit back and enjoy the gains, I Somewhat unwilling!"
"Which person in Asuka Capital do you hate the most and everyone knows it?"
"What do I hate the most? Do you want everyone to know?" Saitama thought for a moment: "It should be Master Abe. His family is related to my brother by marriage to a prince, but when my brother was killed, he stood by Katsuragi. On the other hand, even if he is not a murderer, he is still an accomplice! When I return to Asuka Kyo this time, I want the clan to destroy him!"
"Then give him a promotion!"
"Promotion?" Saitama was stunned: "Are you trying to calm people's hearts?"
"Not bad!" Saitama's agility made Wang Wenzuo nod with satisfaction: "After you return to Asuka Jing, these guys will definitely reward you for your merits, and you can't come up with so many rewards now, so why not reward this one first? People, please calm people’s hearts, and we can deal with the rest after Ping Ping destroys Brother Zhong!”
"That's fine, I'm planning to promote you to the right minister, so I'll promote him to the inner minister! That's an advantage for this old guy!" Saitama sneered and smiled at Wang Wenzuo: "The next level up from the right minister is the left minister, and then he is Taizheng. Minister, Saburo, you have to work hard!"
"Working hard to get promoted?" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "Anyway, after I calm down Brother Zhongda, I will resign from the official position. It doesn't matter if I get promoted or not!"
"Oh!" Saitama looked a little sad when he heard this: "It seems that you don't want to do what I mentioned to you last time?"
"This is not something I am willing or unwilling to do, but it is too taboo!" Wang Wenzuo said with a bitter smile: "Not to mention being a minister of Taizheng, but also a minister of internal affairs, I will probably be impeached by the censor of Chang'an. When the time comes, You still have to apologize to the emperor!"
"I understand!" Saitama nodded: "Don't worry, I will also write to the emperor when the time comes and explain the situation here one by one!"
"Then it's hard work!"
Saitama rolled her eyes at Wang Wenzuo: "Then when will we return to Asuka Kyo?"
"There's no rush! Brother Zhongda has lost this battle. He definitely won't dare to stay in the capital for a long time. The most important thing right now is to clean up the mess here!"
"Endgame? What endgame?"
"Yes, first of all, both the Shitennoji Temple and the Tomb of Emperor Ongami were greatly damaged by the war. As a king, shouldn't you offer sacrifices to compensate? Secondly, after the war is won, those who were killed and injured on our side should be rewarded and buried generously. ; How should you deal with the enemy's corpses and prisoners? These are what you should consider now! After all, these people with bows and arrows are the ones you can rely on in the future!"
"You're right!" Saitama nodded: "I will definitely take care of these!"
"Very well, then I leave everything to you!"
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Igillenbod tightened the straps on the saddle, and the horse neighed softly. "Good boy, don't be afraid!"
He soothed it softly. cold
The wind whispered in the stables, like the cold death air attacking head-on, but Igillenbod paid no attention to it. He tied the bow pouch and Hulu tightly, his fingers were stiff and clumsy, which were traces of the war that had just ended. He could no longer remember how many times he opened the bow and loosened his fingers to witness the shot fired at close range. The big arrow penetrated the target's head, and he fell to the sky. The corpse was like a straw bale, trampled by the horse. Thousands of people dropped their weapons and fled in despair, but most of them ended up as corpses. Growing up in the Eastern Kingdom, he was adept at horse archery, but it was the first time he discovered that mounted archers on the battlefield were so terrifying.
"Everything is ready, Saumasuke, when will we set off!" His subordinates called Ijirenbod using his past official title.
"Zomasuke?" Yijirenbod couldn't help but feel a little dazed when he heard this familiar title. He was the adjutant of Zuomaliao before he went to the Tang Dynasty, so everyone called him Zuomashu, just because he was the ambassador to the Tang Dynasty. After Tang Dynasty, fewer and fewer people called him that, and I had even forgotten it.
"Is there anything else?"
"No!" Ijirenbod came to his senses. He mounted his horse, held the reins tightly, turned his horse around, and faced the dark night. The bright moon was rising in the east, as bright as jade: "Let's go! We must arrive at Asuka Kyo before noon tomorrow!" "
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The moon climbed over the distant Kasagi Mountains and hung in the night sky. The road by Lake Nara was very smooth. The soldiers marched with their heads down and quickened their pace. Everyone knew that speed meant life at the moment. Only by rushing to the pass of the Kasagi Mountains before the people in Asuka Kyo knew the outcome of the battle could they survive. hope.
Brother Zhong was sitting on the horse, and the hood of his cloak covered most of his face, making it impossible to peek into his expression. He stopped his horse and looked back, only to see a long road, covered in darkness with heads. However, he bet that the length of the team must be much shorter than when he left the battlefield. Those who were left behind during the rapid march were more worried about the future. Desperate and looking for a way out. When he thought of this, he felt depressed. When the ship sank, people would leave the ship. When I escape to Omi, there will probably be even fewer people left, right?
"Your Majesty, let the soldiers rest for a while!" the deputy general whispered. He glanced at Brother Zhong: "Half an hour is enough, and the remaining time is enough!"
Brother Zhong didn’t speak. The deputy general wanted to pry into Brother Zhong’s expression, but his hood blocked his sight. Just as his heart was getting weaker and weaker, he heard Brother Zhong’s answer: “Since you’re resting, then rest more. A moment, is one hour enough?"
"That's enough, that's enough!" The lieutenant general was overjoyed. He didn't expect that the Zhongda Brother would agree to his suggestion so easily. Everyone knew that it would be dangerous for the defeated army to delay for one more minute on the road.
"Choose fifty people and follow me to a place, now!"
After a few minutes, everything was ready. Brother Naka tightened his grip on the horse's belly and galloped along the road, followed closely by his entourage. On both sides of the road ahead, swaying lights shone through the woods. That was the Yamato Shrine. He galloped past and heard a bark of dogs and a neigh from the stables. Other than that, the shrine was silent. There were a few glimmers of firelight peeking through the closed windows or leaking between the wooden planks of the house, but only a few.
It wasn't until he left the shrine far behind that Brother Zhongda slowed down his horse again. He and his mount were already covered in sweat. After walking for another two or three miles, he jumped off the horse, walked to the water pool on the roadside, and picked up the bone-chilling water. Tan Shui wiped his face until he completely woke up.
"Your Majesty, where should we go now?" the attendant asked.
"Ishigami Shrine!" Brother Naka didn't hide his destination: "It's not far from here, we'll be there soon!"
He got on his horse and walked for more than a mile. The road became narrow and could only allow two horses to walk side by side. He got off his horse. The frightened screams of animals came from the distant woods. Brother Zhong immediately looked up, and the mare also hummed uneasily. Is there an ambush? He pulled out his saber and looked around cautiously, but there was only the sound of an owl flapping its wings.
Brother Zhongda breathed out a sigh of relief and led the horse for a meal. The sweat on his body had already dried and the road in front of him became more and more familiar. He asked his followers to wait outside the forest and walked into the place alone. In the forest, I found the old oak tree,
Standing in front of the stone statue, he was silent for a while, then took off the knife from his waist and put it back to the place where the divine knife was originally enshrined.
"I have tried my best, but it seems that I still haven't received your protection! Or is it that you have protected me, but you are still no match for that Tang man?" Brother Zhong smiled and said: "Now I will put the Budu Soul Control Sword back to the distance. , leave it to Saitama, after all, she is also your descendant!"
The night wind blew through the woods, making a soft sound. Brother Zhong seemed to hear something. He laughed: "No, no, I will not commit suicide. I will continue to fight and use all my strength until the last moment! It's just that! I don’t want your sword to be associated with me!”
After saying these words, he stayed in front of the statue for a while before leaving. After walking out of the woods, he said to his followers: "Okay, let's go back!"
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This day is a special day for the conspirators of Asuka Kyo. Just as Morijun Oishi and Sakagabe Iwata were trying their best to convince the last person to agree to the time of the uprising, the servant brought a shocking news - the army of Saitama and Naka-dama had just arrived at Emperor Ongami's Mausoleum yesterday morning. A decisive battle was held nearby, and the winner was decided around noon. Saitama was certain of victory, and Naka-dama's army no longer existed, and he was running away.
"Here, where did this news come from? Is it true or false?" Bansho asked in surprise.
"It was said by the messenger sent by Saitama's side to report the victory!" the servant replied: "The leader was Ijiren Hokuto Zomasuke. He hung the notice announcing the victory on the gate of Yamada Temple. There were already many people watching. Already!"
The conspirators looked at each other in confusion. Igilian Bod and the others were all familiar with each other. If this person acted as the messenger, there would be no doubt about the authenticity of the news.
"I have been busy for seven or eight days, but in the end it is someone else who is getting married!" someone whispered.
"It wasn't that some people were hesitant and put off everything, but now they're putting off good things!"
"Yes, originally we were all heroes, but now we are nothing!"
"If we start an uprising now, it should still count, right?"
"Forget it, the battle is over and Katsuragi has escaped. Why are we starting an uprising? Would you admit it if it were you?"
"Yes! It's like hunting. You don't shoot an arrow, but in the end you have to divide the prey. Is there such a truth in the world?"
"Katsugi is not dead yet. Let's quickly gather the troops to pursue Katsuragi. Is it still too late?"
"It's too late, the fight was all over at noon yesterday, and you're just chasing me now. Katsuragi has probably reached the pass of Mount Kasagi by now, and you can only eat a few mouthfuls of horse shit. It's still cold!"
"Why do you say such ugly things? It's not me who lasted!"
"You're not the last one, you're almost done. I've said it a long time ago. This kind of big thing shouldn't involve so many people. In the end, some people agree and some don't agree. How can it be done? It's better to have six or seven people. Others can see When we arrive, we will naturally follow you!”
"Bah! You're so loud now. Why didn't I hear you say that before? If you had gone your way, Katsuragi might have had your head chopped off and hung on a tree to feed the crows!"
Everyone in the hall held their own opinions and argued endlessly. Shou Jun Oishi and Ban Kao looked at each other with a wry smile and were speechless. To be honest, they did not expect that Qiyu and Wang Wenzuo would win so quickly and so beautifully. Brother Zhongda led tens of thousands of troops into Asuka Kyo, with flags fluttering and the procession stretching for more than ten miles. At that time, Qiyu only brought two or three soldiers with him. Thousands of people fled Kyoto in a hurry, as if it was just yesterday. Who would have thought that Saitama would one day turn around? Even though Saitama later blocked the waterway in Nambazu and defeated Katsuragi's army with a fire attack and night attack, no one thought that she could defeat Katsuragi head-on. After all, the gap in strength between the two sides was too big. This is why although everyone was angry at the Omi people brought by Katsuragi, they were hesitant when deciding to start an uprising. To put it bluntly, it is one thing to hide behind your back and scold your mother, but it is another thing to go to the battlefield and fight to the death. .
"Everyone, everyone!" Bansho stood up, opened his arms and pressed down, and the quarrel gradually subsided. After all, in the eyes of these people, Mori Jun Oishi and Bansho could be said to be their last hope. .
"The situation is now like this, and there is no point in arguing about the past!" Sakawabe Iwataru said with a smile: "But I must do something now to prove my loyalty to His Majesty! Otherwise, we will be misunderstood. If so, it will be bad!"
"Yep!"
"Yes, but what should I do?"
"Yes, Sakakaibe, please give me an explanation!"
"Quiet!" Sakagabe Iwata raised his right hand: "Shoujun Oishi is your Majesty's favorite general and is deeply trusted, so why not let him speak!"
Shoujun Dashi stood up and smiled at everyone: "The first thing we have to do is to send people to greet His Majesty and return the capital, don't you think so?"
