Early in the morning, Xia Xun and Zheng He's residence in the Flower Palace was suddenly surrounded by a group of warriors.【】
This is the shogun's residence, and it was impossible for the samurai to surround it without Ashikaga Yoshimochi's nod, and Ashikaga Yoshimochi was standing at the door of the courtyard opposite, holding a long sword in his hand.
Next to him stood an old man standing with a sword in his hand. His hair was already gray, but he was dressed in a domineering manner. When he looked sternly, he had an evil aura. Although he was half a step behind Ashikaga Yoshi, but when he stood firmly there, he was already there. The brilliance of the bright young general was taken away, just like when Cao Cao received the Huns envoy, he asked Cui Yan, the minister, to pretend to be the king of Wei, while he stood aside pretending to be a guard. Although he was pretending to be a guard, his aura was all over the place. seize.
There were dozens of Ming Dynasty guards guarding the vicinity of the envoy's residence. Not to be outdone, they unsheathed their swords one after another. Fire blunderbuss were also set up on the wall. The two sides were at war with each other. The guards and warriors were shouting and cursing in the languages of their respective countries. He was standing there, but he couldn't understand what the other person was saying.
After a while, Xia Xun and Zheng He walked out of the room leisurely. They seemed to have just finished breakfast. Xia Xun was still holding a white silk scarf in his hand, gently wiping the corners of his mouth. When he walked out of the door, Then he slowly stuffed it back into his sleeve.
Xia Xun turned a blind eye to the tense situation around him, and just greeted Ashikaga Yoshinori and Shiba Yoshitsune with a smile: "Your Excellency, General, Your Excellency, what are you doing so early in the morning?"
As soon as he saw the two of them, Sibo Yiyi roared angrily: "How dare you break the agreement, use troops against the Broken Waves, Gale Wind, and Yajiao Islands without authorization, and send your troops to land and fight. Now bandits are running around everywhere, doing things." There is a mess everywhere, and you must take responsibility for it! Take them down!"
General Si Boyi gave an order, and seven or eight Japanese warriors immediately swarmed forward, raising their swords to threaten them. Before the guards on Xia Xun's side could make any move, Zheng He suddenly turned around, as if there was a gust of wind on the ground. The whirlwind was so fast that even his face and movements were unclear. Only a clear shadow was seen rolling past the warriors, and the sonorous sound was endless. When Zheng He stood in front of Ashikaga Yoshinori and Shiba Yoshitsune again, , the long swords of the seven or eight warriors have all reached his hand.
The warriors seemed to have seen a ghost, screaming and daring not to advance or retreat. General Si Boyi was startled, immediately drew his sword out of its sheath, roared, and struck Xia Xun in the face. , this sword was like a bolt of lightning, but Xia Xun arrived first, and the long sword in Zheng He's hand somehow fell into his hand. General Si Boyi's full sword strike had just hit the air, and he hadn't even used his strength yet. The knife in Xun's hand was already pressed against his Tianling Gai.
Xia Xun has always been obsessed with Luo Kedi's sword that wielded the power of heaven and earth. After several years of hard training, although it may not be as powerful as Luo Kedi's sword back then, it is more than enough to deal with the Si Boyi general in front of him. Si Boyi His whole body was shaken, his arms struggled with strength, and he tried desperately to stop the slashing knife, his face turned pale.
Ashikaga Yoshimichi didn't expect that these two Ming envoys had terrifying martial arts. He was startled. He immediately took two steps back and said sternly: "You... what are you going to do? This is not your Ming Dynasty. , do you think you can escape our pursuit?"
Zheng He snorted coldly, and threw seven or eight long knives to the ground, making a clanging sound. Xia Xun turned the knife around, holding the tip of the knife, handed the handle over, and said with a smile: "We have no intention of escaping at all.
, why are you running away? This is the residence arranged for us by your Majesty the King. I don’t know if Your Excellency the Righteous General can be His Majesty the King’s master, or if Your Excellency the General can ignore His Majesty the King’s mission?”
The faces of Ashikaga Yoshimochi and Shiba Yoshitsune suddenly became extremely sad. Shiba Yishou received a report from his subordinates, saying that the Ming army did not act according to the time agreed by both parties, but suddenly launched an attack on the Jet Wind and Porpori Islands, killing one
Caught off guard, all the islands suffered heavy losses. Most of the pirates, almost all the ships, and a large amount of supplies were destroyed by fire. A small number of pirates who escaped ashore were also pursued by the Ming army. They were so angry that they immediately felt as if their tails had been stepped on.
Like a cat, I couldn’t wait to find him.
The largest pirate gang on Yajiao Island actually belongs to him. It was his retainers, the Oda family, who were sent out under his instruction to rob merchant ships as pirates and plunder the Ming Dynasty. General Shibo was also an ambitious man.
, his status and reputation today are actually not as high as those of the Hosokawa family at its peak. This is understandable, because Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was still a child when he became a shogun, and Hosokawa was like an emperor when he managed this auxiliary minister.
And who can control Ashikaga Yoshimitsu now? When he and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu were at odds with each other over their political opinions, he began to turn his attention to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who was not cared for by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and supported this boy.
, it is possible for the power of the Shiba family to go further. However, until now, Ashikaga Yoshinori, the general, has been in name only. He has no power, no money, and no capital that can be used to bribe the daimyo. It is somewhat unreasonable for Shiba Yoshimoto to just pay blindly.
We were short of money, so we decided to plunder.
As soon as Ashikaga Yoshimichi heard that his financial resources had been destroyed, he was also furious. Without thinking, he followed Shiba Yishou to the door. Unexpectedly, Xia Xun and Zheng He were even more arrogant than them. At this time, he calmed down a little and thought of these two people.
Special identity, and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's importance to them. All Yoshimitsu Shiba's ships, cargo, and people were destroyed, but this is a secret that cannot be made public. If it is just a violation of the cooperative combat agreement, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has not yet expressed his opinion.
Is it their turn to be the master?
After thinking about the pros and cons, Ashikaga Yoshimachi calmed down his anger a little and argued: "I... have no intention of harming the two noble envoys, but as a general, I have the right to ask you to do something about your team breaking the agreement and rashly raising troops.
Come up with an explanation so that you can report it to your father."
Xia Xun said: "Of course we will explain this matter, but because the matter is so important, we hope to talk to His Majesty the King!"
General Si Boyi gritted his teeth and said fiercely: "Then, please ask the two noble envoys to come with me to the Beishan Palace."
"No no no..."
Xia Xun smiled and shook his head: "Here, I will be protected by Your Majesty the General. I am not sure whether it is safe on the way to Beishan. So, I decided to wait here for the arrival of His Majesty the King!"
After Xia Xun finished speaking, he turned around leisurely. Zheng He dusted off his robe slowly and walked side by side with him.
Si Boyi held the handle of the knife tightly, the veins on his hand bulging out, but thinking of Zheng He's ghostly skills and Xia Xun's thunderous and lightning-like sword, he still did not dare to hold out the knife again.
At the entrance of the courtyard, Xia Xun and Zheng He became polite and polite: "Eunuch Zheng, please!"
"No, no, no, please, Duke Fu!"
"Hey! Eunuch Zheng, please come first!"
"Please come first, Duke Fu!"
Ashikaga Yoshi held the two of them in a pretentious manner, and his face turned red and white with anger. He tossed his sleeves and left angrily!
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Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and his three leaders and four officials rushed to the Flower Palace in a mighty manner. Together with his son Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, they sat at the negotiating table like the Eight Great Vajras. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Shiba Yoshimitsu His face was angry, and other ministers also had angry faces, but only Xia Xun and Zheng He were sitting opposite, with calm expressions.
"Our army did not launch the attack as scheduled. I admit this! We have our own difficulties. Before telling our difficulties, I would like to confirm first, His Majesty the King and all your lords, have you eradicated pirates? Determination, without any intention of partiality or indulgence?"
General Si Bo said angrily: "Your Excellency Yang Xu, what do you mean?"
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu raised his hand and said with a smile: "Of course we are determined to eradicate pirates. There is no doubt about our sincerity."
Xia Xun said: "Okay, I have a piece of evidence. I would like to invite His Majesty the King and all the adults, is that okay?"
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was a little curious, but he didn't ask, just nodded. Xia Xun immediately called someone to present the evidence. It was a knife. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu took the knife in his hand. After careful examination, he pulled out another sharp blade. After checking the knife, he put it back into its sheath, raised his head to Xia Xun, and asked, "What does this mean?"
Xia Xun said: "This knife is a trophy captured at Xiangshan Mountain in our country. It was obtained from a pirate leader. On the handle of the knife, there is the family crest of the original owner of the knife. It was near Shuangyu Sea Area in our country. The navy once fought against a relatively powerful group of pirates. There was a warship on which the pirate leader was riding, and the flag flying was the same pattern. Based on this, I can confirm that they are from the same family."
Those ministers had not looked at the sword carefully. When they heard what Xia Xun said, they all curiously looked at Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Only Ashikaga Yoshimochi and Shiba Yoshitsune's expressions changed slightly.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu handed over the knife in his hand and let his men check it. He looked at Xia Xun and said, "Does this matter have anything to do with you breaking the agreement?"
Xia Xun said: "After I arrived in Kyoto, I asked someone for advice, and the information I received was that this is the family crest of the Owari guardian Oda family. I was worried that there would be pirates' eyes and ears around the King, although I deceived His Majesty. , but I didn’t mean to offend. You also said that you hope to eradicate pirates, so what I did was exactly what your Majesty hoped. It was the pirates that I wanted to deceive, not you."
General Si Boyi yelled: "You are presumptuous, are you saying that among the people here, is there anyone who is involved in pirates?"
Xia Xun raised his eyelids, glanced at him casually, and said, "I heard that the Oda family is the retainer of your Shiba clan?"
"Asshole! Are you doubting me?" Si Boyi slammed the table and pulled it up suddenly.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu frowned slightly and said solemnly: "Sit down!"
Si Boyi glanced at him, suppressed his anger and sat down slowly. Xia Xun said: "I received news that when we captured Yajiao Island, our army captured a very important bandit leader named Oda, General, can you bring the person to Kyoto for interrogation? I think some things will be revealed!"
Sitting on the right side of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, there was a minister in his twenties. His face suddenly showed excitement and he blurted out: "Your Excellency, Minister Taizheng, I think what the Ming envoy said is very reasonable. If we are , it is true that some people tipped off the pirates, and the secret team did it cheaply. The purpose was still to combat the pirates, and they did not intend to offend your dignity. It is not appropriate to pursue this matter further.
However, this pirate leader is an important clue. Everyone here is loyal to His Excellency the Minister of Taizheng. Of course I don’t believe that anyone would liaise with pirates, but it is inevitable that there will be no samurai around him who will do something inappropriate. Come. This matter should be investigated carefully. I am willing to go there for you and escort this important witness back to Kyoto!"
Shiba Yishang said coldly: "Hosokawa Mangen, what do you mean, do you want to go against me?"
Hosokawa Mitsuru said nonchalantly: "I just want to dig out people who are having fornications with pirates. If Mr. Shiba thinks that this is against you, will Mr. Shiba admit that he has something to do with the pirates?"
General Shiba Yi was furious: "Asshole! This Ming envoy keeps saying that the pirate leader of Yajiao Island is a member of the Oda family. Didn't you hear it?"
He turned to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and said: "Sir, I think this is a conspiracy by Akito, and we should not be fooled!"
Xia Xun said: "You can't listen to my side of the story, and it seems that you can't listen to the side of Commander Si Bo, right? Is it a conspiracy? Is it necessary to interrogate that important criminal?"
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu nodded calmly and said, "Okay, let's send someone to escort this pirate leader back to Kyoto first, and then we'll talk about it after interrogation."
General Shiba was a little anxious and said quickly: "Sir, you know that Hosokawa Mangen has always been at odds with me. If he comes forward, there is no guarantee of fairness!"
Just as Hosokawa Mitsubishi was about to retort, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu raised his hand to stop him. An old man in his fifties next to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu said: "Tayama-kun, then... I leave this matter to you!"
Tayama Motoguchi was playing by the side, but unexpectedly the errand was put on his head, and he couldn't help complaining. However, the person in charge of government affairs is the third-in-command leader, so we can't let the military service chiefs do this. The third-in-command leader , Shiba Yishou is a suspect. Hosokawa Mitsurugi has always been at odds with Shiba Yishang, so the most suitable candidate can only be himself.
Motoyama Tayama agreed with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu glanced at Xia Xun opposite him. There was a slight smile escaping from the corner of Xia Xun's mouth. A smile that was not easy to be noticed also passed by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's eyes quickly. Without his cooperation, the situation would have been worse. The development may not be as Xia Xun hopes, but even if he knows that Xia Xun has ulterior motives, he will cooperate with Xia Xun's actions: General Si Boyi has grown enough to threaten him and must be weakened!
More importantly, his foundation...
He wants a righteous heir to inherit his legacy, yes! But is that enough? Who in the world can understand his great ambition of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu? What he wants is not just a shogun, he wants It is the end of the rule of the Imperial family that has been inherited for thousands of years and has been a line for eternity! His son will become the new emperor of the country, the emperor with the surname Ashikaga, and he will become the emperor!
Who is taking advantage of it still doesn’t know.
But, can sending that pirate leader to Kyoto bring down General Si Bo? This is absolutely impossible. If General Si Bo was defeated so easily, he would have taken action long ago, so... He was looking forward to it, he thought, this What other unexpected things could the officials of the Ming Dynasty do?