On the evening of July 22, the ninth year of Tensho (1581), Yu Qiuping, Ikeda Hengxing, and Sawaki Yoshinoshima led their guards, waving their whips like crazy, and rushed towards Nijo Castle. The rapid sound of horse hooves drove away the birds in the forest.
Everyone was startled, and the dust from the horseshoes was almost as big as an army.
It’s not because of anything else, it’s because of the words of the messenger who came just now:
"His Majesty has been assassinated."
·
When Yu Qiuping heard the news, he felt like five thunders were hitting his head, not to mention the native Japanese such as Ikeda Tsuneaki and Sawaki Yoshiyuki. In their eyes, the emperor will always be a sacred existence. He has inherited that noble blood and will be the same forever.
Even if the political () struggle banishes the emperor, no one will have the slightest intention to kill him. Because murdering the emperor can be said to be a crime against the world, he will immediately become an enemy of the court and be attacked by a group of people. Countless times throughout the ages
Among the most powerful ministers, from Fujiwara Michinaga to Taira Kiyomori, to the two generations of shogunates who completely ignored the emperor, few dared to take action against the emperor. Among the hundreds of emperors in history, only three emperors died unexpectedly, except for being carried by their mothers.
Except for Emperor Ankang who threw himself into the sea, the only ones who died were Emperor Ankang and Emperor Sojun. The former was domineering and killed members of the royal family, and was later killed by the son of his enemy in his sleep. This was an act of revenge within the imperial family;
The influence of the Soga clan was suppressed, and the reputation of the Soga clan who committed such evil deeds was tarnished.
However, the two murders of the emperor happened before the Asuka period, and even the authenticity may not be confirmed. After the advent of the civilized era, even the most ferocious people have not dared to embarrass the emperor for thousands of years.
But such an exaggerated thing happened now in front of everyone. In Kinki, controlled by the Oda family, and in the Kyoto Imperial Palace, which was so safe that even flies couldn't fly in, the emperor was assassinated.
When Yu Qiuping gradually came to his senses, he found that he could clearly see the outline of Nijo Castle in the firelight. Not only Nijo Castle, but the entire Kyoto was brightly lit at the moment, and large numbers of Oda family ninjas and soldiers were coming.
A search was carried out.
He turned back to look at Ikeda Hengxing, Sawaki Yoshiyuki and the other three guards. Apparently, they were still like Yu Qiuping just now. Their eyes were dull and their mouths were slightly open, and they kept urging them to sit down.
"First, the Ise Jingu Shrine was attacked and massacred, and the three sacred artifacts, the Eight-foot Mirror, were stolen; then, the leader of the world-famous Aguo Song and Dance Ensemble was killed; then, the leader of the Honganji Temple, the most famous Buddhist temple in the world, was assassinated; and now... it turns out...
Emperor?" Yu Qiuping murmured, not knowing how loud his voice was, but he knew that no one of those who were still stunned behind him would respond to him, "Four assassinations, each one more deadly...after all.
How was it done? How powerful must one be to do such a thing? The Ise Shrine was not well-prepared, and Miss Oriko and Kenjojo were both civilians. They could have escaped being assassinated in the Oda family's territory.
Responsibility... But the Emperor... is the core of the Oda family. It is Kyoto, which is heavily defended and surrounded by countless ninjas... There are elite soldiers and generals inside and outside the Emperor's palace... How is it possible to assassinate the Emperor through all the layers of security?"
"How was it done?" Yu Qiuping became more and more frightened the more he thought about it, and the hand holding the horse's rein began to tremble slightly, "I had doubts a few times before, but this time it is definitely not possible for a gang to commit a crime in Kyoto.
It is impossible for the intelligence network to miss a gang. In other words, the assassin may have committed the crime alone or in a small group of two or three people? But isn't the assassin already dead in Ise Shrine...the ninja in Fuma."
Yu Qiuping held his forehead deeply, feeling that it would not be enough if his head exploded. He tried his best to maintain rational thinking, "If we take a step back and assume that the people who planned these four cases are the same group of people, then they are most likely to
Relying on an assassination team of less than ten people, they massacred the Ise Shrine defenders, killed Oriko and Master Kenjo, and then broke into the palace in front of tens of thousands of Oda family troops and ninjas to assassinate him.
The Emperor…”
"This is not something that ordinary people can do, no one can do it."
Yu Qiuping felt cold sweat break out in his palms.
"Are they superpowers?"
His thoughts progressed rapidly, and then spread out like an explosion. The previous scenes and clues were gradually connected.
Hojo Genan and Shimizu Oriko both mentioned divine power...
Both of them died, possibly at the hands of the same group of people.
That group of people also have supernatural powers?
They killed Hojo Genan, Shimizu Oriko, Honganji Hiro, and Frois... all of them were people who might know my identity as a time traveler.
So are that group of people also time-travelers? Time-travelers like me? Time-travelers with divine power?
How many of them are there? When did they time travel? Did they come with me? What era did they come from? Why do they want to assassinate the emperor? Why do they want to hunt down other people with divine power? What is their purpose
?Will they come looking for me and Haogu Suiko next?
If I also have divine power... what is it?
·
Just when Yu Qiuping thought of this, he suddenly realized that he had rushed to the gate of Nijo Castle. Hori Hidemasa, who was guarding the city, shined a torch on Yu Qiuping and others, and immediately recognized them.
"Your Highness Ikeda, His Highness Sawaki, please lead the guards into the city! Your Highness Momiji, please go south immediately! The Nirvana Bei of the Yuqiu family will arrive in Kyoto soon. The Lord has an order for you to lead the Hongye Army to blockade the south of Kyoto immediately.
All roads!" Hori Hidemasa shouted in a loud voice to Yu Qiupei and others in the city.
"Nirvana is ready? Shang'er?" Yu Qiuping was a little surprised when he heard this, and responded loudly, "What's going on?"
"I don't know the specific details, please your three highnesses to execute the order quickly!" Although Hori Hidemasa was very embarrassed, he still said loudly and resolutely, "My lord has given a death order. The assassin must be captured. No one is allowed to kill him."
No one cares!"
"I know!" Yu Qiuping saw that the usually gentle Hori Hidemasa was so anxious, and he could already picture Oda Nobunaga's furious rage in his mind. "You two, pay attention to your safety." Yu Qiuping said to Ikeda Hengxing
After giving a warning to Sawaki Yoshiyuki, he took his bodyguards and headed south. Soon after, he saw Nirvana Bei's flags and neat torches on the street outside Mibuji Temple in the south.
"It's Your Highness!" After Nirvana Bei's vanguard discovered Yu Qiuping and the guards, they immediately made way for Yu Qiuping to gallop straight into the middle army. Nirvana Bei's Shanfeng flag, Yu Qiu Shang saw Yu Qiuping
After arriving, he immediately dismounted his horse and saluted.
"Father."
"Shang'er, why are you here?" Yu Qiuping asked in confusion as soon as he looked at her.
"Father, Nirvana Bei was originally training in the mountains at the junction of Hanoi Province and Yamashiro Province according to the training schedule today. In the evening, he suddenly received an urgent order from the Oda Main Hall, requesting all Oda family troops near Kyoto to rush to Kyoto immediately.
Accept the dispatch. The military situation is extremely urgent, so I came here." Yu Qiu Shang explained to Yu Qiuping who was on the horse, and pointed at the brightly lit Kyoto, "Not long after we arrived, the Oda family sent an order
Bing asked us to wait for you, father, to come and take command. There is not much else to say. Is there a rebellion in Kyoto? What is our mission? "
"The Emperor has been assassinated." Yu Qiuping lowered his voice and said to Yu Qiu Shang. Even the usually calm Yu Qiu Shang exclaimed and confirmed to Yu Qiuping: "His Majesty the Emperor...has been killed?"
"That's right, Nirvana Bei's mission is to immediately block all streets in the south of Kyoto, and do not allow anyone to enter or exit. The murderer must be caught." Yu Qiuping, with a gloomy expression, issued an order to Yu Qiu Shang, "You have already
We've gone too far, so quickly turn around and continue heading south, I'll leave it to you, you can make the arrangements."
"Father." However, Yu Qiu Shang did not accept the order to leave. Instead, he got on his horse and said, "Sir Amano sent ninjas to chase you not long ago and asked me to return to Maple Leaf Mountain Castle immediately after you, Father, return to the army."
"Ah? Is that so..." Yu Qiuping was stunned for a moment, and then immediately realized what Amano Keide's considerations were. Amano Keide probably didn't know what the chaos in Kyoto was yet, so he was naturally worried that someone would attack Yu Qiu's family during the chaos.
It's unfavorable, so we don't want to let the two key figures Yu Qiuping and Yu Qiu Shang stay in a dangerous place at the same time. "Then you go back quickly and be careful on the road."
"As ordered." Yu Qiu Shang saluted Yu Qiuping quickly, and then rode away with his guards. Yu Qiuping took over the command and arranged for Nirvana to begin blocking the streets on the south side of Kyoto.
·
At the same time, near Toji Temple further south of Mibuji Temple, a group of Hatamoto samurai from the Oda family were galloping on their horses. They were all well-equipped and murderous, and Yu Qiuyou was one of them.
"Everyone stops immediately! No movement! Otherwise, shoot and kill! Residents must stay in the house and are not allowed to go out without permission!"
The Oda family's flag team kept shuttling through the residential areas, shouting orders. The people of Kyoto tightly closed the doors and windows of every household, huddled in the house and did not dare to move. Over the past century, Kyoto has suffered countless wars, these
The poor people who have gone through the disaster have already had experience. After being alert to the wind and realizing that Kyoto has changed, who dares to go out?
At this moment, on the outskirts of Kyoto, countless cavalry teams like Yu Qiuyu's team are patrolling the castle town with torches, prohibiting all movement of people. Their mission is to complete the complete blockade before the Oda army rushes to the outskirts of Kyoto.
, look at this castle town where it is easy for someone to hide and escape secretly.
Not long ago, Yu Qiuyou just saw the banner of Nirvana Bei heading north to Kyoto. He could also faintly recognize the figure of his brother under Shanfeng against the sunset. Many other teams around him were interested in this mighty iron army.
Tsk-tsk admiration, and also full of praise for the young heroes under the general's banner. However, the other Hatamoto warriors in Yu Qiuyou's team naturally understood Yu Qiuyou's thoughts, and no one expressed anything about Nirvana Bei's queue. But the brother with the shining star
In comparison, I am just a small leader of my clan, which seems so bleak.
"I won't lose to you." Yu Qiuyou secretly clenched his fists, and then shouted the order even harder to the castle town, saying fiercely in his heart: "I must achieve greater military exploits than you.
, must surpass you!”
At this moment, in another alley in the peripheral vision, a horse suddenly galloped southward. Yu Qiuyou was stunned for a moment, and saw that the horseman did not hold a torch, but instead rushed towards another unmanned road in the night.
alley.
"My patrol team all asked for torches!" Yu Qiuyou immediately realized what was happening in front of him. Before the other Hatamoto warriors in the team could react, he grabbed the horse's belly and chased after it, shouting, "Everyone
Follow me! Someone is running away! Capture him!"
Chapter completed!