Chapter 2089 Hachiman Palace amid lightning and thunder
Ashikaga Yoshiaki looked at the respectfully bowed Koji Yoshinaga in front of her. This head guard was the person she brought out from the temple when she returned to secular life, and he was one of the few people she could trust now.
Wada Yimasa's betrayal of him would inevitably lead to his death, Niki Yoshimasa fled back to his hometown to live in seclusion, and Yagyu Munegan relied on his daughter's protection to survive.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who once thought he was noble, extremely rejected Yoshihiro Saba from sharing the glory of being a direct descendant of the Genji family in Kawachi.
But when all the wings around her were plucked out and she was tricked out of Kyoto by Akechi Mitsuhide, she realized that the wolves, tigers and leopards outside were not as good as Shiba Yoshigan.
The female ambition that she once had had long been worn away, and Ashikaga Yoshiaki was so confused that he didn't know what to do.
The only thing she refused to let go of was the noble family character of Kawachi Genji.
But in the eyes of the utilitarian samurai, a washed-up Ashikaga shogun is worse than a dog. No matter how noble his bloodline is, what's the point besides satisfying his own pride?
Returning to Kyoto this time was not Ashikaga Yoshiaki’s original intention from beginning to end.
The Mori family wanted to get rid of this political burden, Ichijo Hideyoshi wanted to interfere with the Shiba family's reforms, and the top shogunate hoped to use Ashikaga Yoshiaki, a general, as a bargaining chip to negotiate with Yoshihiro Shiba.
Everyone had their own demands, but no one asked Ashikaga Yoshiaki what she thought.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki found it boring to be a general, but he couldn't do it if she were to be as strong as Ashikaga Yoshiteru and fight to the death.
Although the Ashikaga sisters look similar, their personalities are quite different.
Ashikaga Yoshiki received a martial arts education since she was a child. She was proficient in swordsmanship and had an extremely strong temperament. She was known as a strong-willed woman. She was so brave that she would die in spite of everything.
However, Ashikaga Yoshiaki has lived in a temple since childhood and has a gentle temperament. How can she have the bravery and courage of Ashikaga Yoshiteru?
In the face of persecution, Ashikaga Yoshiteru will rise up to resist, while Ashikaga Yoshiaki will only retreat helplessly again and again until he is completely reduced to a puppet general.
After venting a few complaints about the unfairness of the world and the disloyalty of his ministers, Ashikaga Yoshiaki finally got up, tidied his clothes, and walked out.
Ke'erjichang has long been accustomed to the king's fierce appearance and softness on the inside, so he just silently followed her towards the main hall of the sacrifice.
———
Outside the main hall, when Ninagawa saw Ashikaga Yoshiaki coming obediently, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and his eyebrows relaxed.
Next to her, Takamasa Hatakeyama couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth and said mockingly.
"I told you a long time ago that the general has no choice but to follow the path we arranged for her."
Ninagawa Himashi nodded.
"As long as you are willing to obey, it will be good. As long as you are willing to obey, it will be good."
The two shogunate bosses who were waiting looked respectful, but their private exchanges were unscrupulous, and they looked down upon Ashikaga Yoshiaki even more.
As the saying goes, if a good person is bullied, he will be ridden immediately. This saying is also a wise saying in politics.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki was forced to participate in the sacrifice and confess his past in front of Hachiman Bodhisattva. This fulfilled the conditions of a saint. With the character of a saint, he would naturally fulfill his promise of reconciliation.
Looking at Ashikaga Yoshiaki who was being led by priests and shrine maidens to perform sacrifices like a zombie in the main hall, Hatakeyama Takamasa whispered.
"As soon as the sacrifices here are over, take the general by boat to the other side of the river and let her admit her mistake to the saint face to face. Great things will happen."
Ninagawa Himashi asked hesitantly.
"Is this...safe?"
Hatakeyama Takamasa scoffed.
"Of course it's safe.
The sage always said what he said, and he said that reconciliation would be possible after the sacrifice. Who dares to refute?
Furthermore, the area around Hachimangu Shrine has been thoroughly investigated, and there is indeed no lurking threat.
Now the saint is on the other side of the river. As long as the general crosses the river, he will be walking under the nose of the saint. Even Akechi Mitsuhide and his fellows don't dare to commit murder in front of the saint, let alone the others.
Just listen to me, it’ll be okay.”
Ninagawa himself smiled bitterly and nodded.
"Now that things have come to this, what else can I say?
The money has been spent and things have been done. I just hope that the saint will be merciful and slow down the reform for the sake of the general, so that the shogunate can end with dignity."
What Hatakeyama Takamasa couldn't bear the most was that Ninagawa himself was so hesitant and wanted to take advantage of others but had no sense of responsibility. How could he achieve great things with such cowardice?
After the incident was completed, the first thing Hatakeyama Takamasa had to do was to kick Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Ninagawa Makoto, and turn around and surrender to the saint.
Hatakeyama Shiba was a member of the Ashikaga clan, with three governors in his lineage, and Hatakeyama Takamasa himself was the current shogunate governor. Saints have always valued famous families, and thought they would find a good way out by buying horse bones for a thousand gold.
Hatakeyama Takamasa had a beautiful idea, but Ninagawa Makoyo opposite her actually had the same idea.
Once the big thing is over, Ninagawa will immediately go to the saint to plead guilty and sell out Hatakeyama Takamasa.
The two shogunate bosses stood outside the main hall, looking respectfully at Ashikaga Yoshiaki who was offering sacrifices. They said words about betraying the general and thought about betraying their colleagues around them.
It took two hundred years for the shogunate to bring the world to this point. How could it not collapse if there were still young people like Hatakeyama and Ninagawa?
Even the last skeleton of the shogunate had to be sold cleanly. It was really an ungraceful death.
———
In the main hall, Ashikaga Yoshiaki looked numb, even though she was wearing a sword and had a gold seal on her waist, and her full dignity represented the orthodoxy of the Ashikaga world.
But at this moment, standing in front of Hachiman Bodhisattva, Ashikaga Yoshiaki only felt humiliation in his heart.
Looking at the Ashikaga Imperial White Flag enshrined together with Hachiman Daibodhisattva, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was unavoidably distraught.
If it is true that the ancestors have spirits and the gods bless them, and I beg you to protect Ashikaga and protect the world, let the thunder of the sky kill those rebellious officials and traitors with malicious intentions.
It seemed that Ashikaga Yoshiaki's sincerity moved the heavens, and the originally clear sky suddenly cast a shadow.
There was a thunder on the ground, and lightning flashed faintly in the clouds.
The entire shogunate looked at the sudden change in the sky in astonishment. Ashikaga Yoshiaki's numb expression had just a hint of surprise, but it soon turned into fear.
When the wind blew, one hundred and eight white flags outside the main hall were blown up by the strong wind, fluttering in the wind, and the iron poles were straight.
The thunder in the sky seemed to have found a channel to vent, and poured down like countless electric snakes, hitting Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine hard.
———
Countless thunders exploded in the sky, and lightning struck Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine one after another. Because the speed was so fast, it looked like a thick and huge white light, hitting Otokoyama hard.
Akechi Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka, who were watching from a distance, were also frightened by the sudden force of God and were unable to move.
On the contrary, Yiyin slowly walked in front of them, silently watching the lightning and thunder in the distance that continued to explode and wreak havoc on the earth.
Akechi Mitsuhide almost forgot to breathe, her body was trembling, and the vulnerability of mortals before the power of God was undoubtedly exposed.
The awe of the power of nature has always been deeply buried in human hearts, which is why there are sacrifices, gods, and religions.
Even the human elites who claim to be wise are insignificant and powerless in the face of the true power of God.
Yiyin slowly turned his head and asked teasingly.
"Why don't you speak? Weren't you very eloquent just now?"
Akechi Mitsuhide swallowed his saliva and said slowly.
“This..this is you..your..
Over at Ishikimizu Hachimangu Shrine, there are not only Ashikaga Yoshiaki, but also Ninagawa himself, Hatakeyama Takamasa, and the die-hards of the shogunate, there are many, many people."
Yoshigan looked at Otokoyama, which had been burned into a sea of flames by the thunder. Not only the wooden building of Hachimangu Shrine, but also the forest on the entire mountain had been ignited.
What is even more frightening is that the thunder has not stopped yet, the lightning has not stopped yet, and the power of God continues to wreak havoc. The people living in it must be so desperate at this time.
Such violent eradication of Tianwei overwhelming people did not look like the work of a kind-hearted saint, which made Akechi Mitsuhide unbelievable.
Yiyin said calmly.
"I think I'm not mature enough to forgive betrayal.
And you, sometimes you are too flattered and arrogant."
Under Yoshigan's indifferent words, Hosokawa Fujitaka slowly knelt down on the ground. Her heart was beating wildly, her knees were too weak to support her body, and her breathing became increasingly rapid.
Beside her, Akechi Mitsuhide looked at the thunder that kept exploding in the distance and the lightning that kept falling. His mind went blank and he had lost the ability to think and the courage to speak.