Chapter 2081 A night of white flags showing miracles
Yamazaki, across the river from Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine, is the place where Ichijo Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide faced off and almost fought.
Yoshigan allowed Ashikaga Yoshiaki to return to the capital, but she must first go to Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine to repent. This request was not excessive.
Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine is located in the southwest of Yodo Castle, within the sphere of influence of Ichijo Hideyoshi. As long as the Shiba family does not break out and attack the Ichichi family, Ashikaga Yoshiaki's personal safety can definitely be guaranteed.
Secondly, Hachimangu Shrine worships the God of Genji and the patron saint of the Wu family, Hachiman Daibodhisattva.
Hachiman is the ancestral god of the Emperor, and is also regarded as a clan god by Genji, who is a descendant of the Emperor. When Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura shogunate, Hachiman's status further improved and he evolved into the patron saint of the samurai family.
This is considered the family temple of the Kawachi Genji. The Hachiman Daibodhisattva can also be regarded as the clan god that combines foreign Buddhism and local Shinto. It is not wrong to say that the ancestors of the Kawachi Genji can be seen from up there.
The two shogunates of Kamakura Ashikaga were founded by direct descendants of Kawachi Genji. Therefore, the status of Hachimangu Shrine is as solid as a rock, and the worship of incense continues.
Even though Ashikaga Yoshimitsu overthrew the imperial court and Shintoism, he did not dare to demolish Hachimangu Shrine. Instead, he wanted to elevate Hachiman Daibodhisattva's status as the patron saint of the samurai family in order to maintain the orthodoxy of the shogunate's rule.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki, a poor official, has been doing random things since he came to power. When Ashikaga Yoshiteru was in power, there were some signs of reviving the Ashikaga Shogunate, but now they have been completely wiped out by Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
It is true that Ashikaga Yoshiaki is not being unfairly accused of being mediocre and unprincipled.
At that time, Ashikaga Yoshiaki escaped from Kyoto. Although he was bewitched by Mitsuhide Akechi, he was more lucky and hoped to re-establish the majesty of the shogun outside and make a comeback to regain power.
Unfortunately, the result was that she was living in exile and living under someone else's roof. Now that she was disgraced and wanted to return to Beijing, it was naturally not as easy as when she left.
Even with the help of two rebels like Ninagawa Akashi and Hatakeyama Takamasa who led the way, the return to Beijing would still require Yoshihiro's nod in the end.
Yoshigami had no choice but to nod, unless he was willing to destroy the benevolent and righteous persona he had established over the years. What he wanted now was stability. It would be best for Shiba Tenka to transition peacefully from Ashikaga Tenka.
This idea was grasped by Ninagawa and Hatakeyama, and they thought they had a bargaining chip, but they did not think through the key point.
The restructuring and reform of the Shiba family was in full swing, and after the death of the Kamo clan, Yoshihiro himself stepped forward to support Naomasa Ii.
There is no room for maneuver in the matter. At the critical moment when we are sailing against the current and retreating if we do not advance, how can Yiyin give in easily again?
Today is different from the past. The petty calculations of these high-level officials of the Kyoto Shogunate have touched the bottom line of Yoshibank. Yoshineko has already made plans to send away Ashikaga Yoshiaki and the high-ranking officials of the Kyoto Shogunate.
Mitsuhide Akechi wanted to take advantage of the interests of the Shibagami Group and encouraged the women of Yoshigan to kill the Ashikaga Shogunate, but Yoshigan did not want his women to be contaminated with such dirty blood.
In this case, let's ask our ancestors to come forward and solve the problem.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki is such a fool. Yoshigan can forgive her, but just ask our ancestors if they forgive her.
If the ancestor was unwilling to forgive her, he would definitely strike her to death with a thunderbolt. Yoshihiro had no choice but to tearfully accept the Kyoto Shogunate, reorganize the Grand Council, and lay a new foundation for Shiba's world.
Yoshigami said to Yukino who was waiting for the order.
"I will order Ninagawa and Hatakeyama Takamasa to welcome the general at Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine, worship the Hachiman Bodhisattva with the general, and repent of their past.
And I will be at Yamazaki on the north bank of the Yodo River, looking at Otokoyama where Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine is located.
There is a cloud in the sky, a prodigal girl can never change her fortune when she returns home. As long as Ashikaga Yoshiaki completes this process, I will resume the story and welcome her to the capital again just like I sent her to Luo to succeed the throne."
Yamazaki is separated from Otokoyama, where Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine is located, across the Yodogawa River. The Emperor's court built the Yamazaki Bridge several times to connect the two banks, but it was unable to withstand the ferocity of the river and destroyed the bridge, so it had to give up in the end.
To this day, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can only rely on ships to cross, with no other way.
Yoshigan watched Ashikaga Yoshiaki worshiping the Hachiman God in Yamazaki, and the two sides settled their differences. This was a kind move, but Yukino felt more and more uncomfortable.
The saint has clearly had murderous intentions towards Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Putting aside the high-sounding political show, where is the killer move planned for this trip to Hachimangu Shrine?
Yukino asked tentatively.
"The saint wants me to lead the Mibu wolf to lurk outside Hachiman Palace, and attack the palace while the generals, governors, and government officials are offering sacrifices, leaving no one alive?"
Yiyin shook his head.
"When the general worships the God of Hachiman, there must be countless pairs of eyes watching from inside and outside Otokoyama.
Ichijo Hideyoshi is not a fool. There must be ninjas under her command lurking in Otokoyama. If you act there, even if you succeed in destroying the top officials of the shogunate, you will not be able to prevent the news from leaking out.
If we really do this, Ichijo Hideyoshi will definitely spread the news of the Hachimangu Shrine murder case throughout the world, and the great righteousness of the samurai family that I, Shiba Yoshigan, have built for more than ten years will be destroyed in one day."
Xueno thought for a moment and then said.
"The saint wants me to take control of Yodogawa's ships, and when the shogun has finished the sacrifice and goes to Yamazaki to meet the saint, he wants me to pierce her boat?"
Yukino thought that the saint wanted to follow the old wisdom of the Ming Dynasty Taizu and use an accidental shipwreck to eliminate the nominal political leader and replace him.
Yiyin smiled and shook his head.
"The water west of Yodo Castle is under Ichijo Hideyoshi's control. The Yodogawa River is the water transportation artery of Settsu Kyoto, with countless ships passing by. How can you guarantee that Ashikaga Yoshiaki will get on the ship you prepared?
The death of Miyoshi Yoshitsugu could scare Ashikaga Yoshiaki to stop moving forward. How could she, who has become cautious, get on a strange ship that she doesn't know the details of?"
Xueno thought for a while and sighed.
"If we don't take action at Hachimangu Shrine or on the water, I really can't guess what the saint is thinking."
Yiyin smiled slightly, and naturally no one could guess what he was thinking.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Ninagawa Makoto, Hatakeyama Takamasa and those ministers who are willing to accompany them must all be the most stubborn faction of the old shogunate, and Yoshigan wants to kill them all this time.
But they can only die as a result of divine punishment, and Yiyin and the Shiba family will never be stained with any blood.
Yiyin looked at Yukino and said slowly.
"I don't need you to kill anyone, you just need to do one thing for me.
I will write a reply to Ninagawa and Hatakeyama Takamasa to put forward my request, and they will definitely discuss it with Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
You have enough time to act before Ashikaga Yoshiaki nods to accept my conditions."
Yukino asked.
“What does the saint need from me?”
Yiyin smiled coldly.
"The workshop outside Duowen Mountain City has already built 108 pure iron flagpoles and prepared 108 Genji white flags.
I want you to take these flagpoles and flags, sneak into Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine, and place them all over the upper courtyard and inside the shrine."