I was still sitting on the steps of the chapel, but the flags around me no longer pressed their hands on the hilts of their swords, and the ashigaru stood in several lines on all sides to enclose the small square, and behind them the people of Taishi Village looked at everything in front of them with various moods, and the torches held high illuminated the surroundings as if it were daylight.

More than 120 corpses were dragged aside and arranged in two rows, moving with great effort to piece together the broken limbs. The blood-soaked ground in the center of the square where the battle had been fought was still wet and sticky, and on it knelt nearly two hundred captives with their hands bowed and their heads bowed. Hidemasa Hori was speaking majestically, and the only people who were scattered around were the Mizuki people who were eager to try their hands with swords.

Not a single pirate could escape, and before they could step on the sand, the cavalry rushed out from both sides and forced them back with their spears. Faced with a force that could easily crush them to powder, all the pirates lost all courage, and even though they knew they would be executed, they gave up resisting.

Even though I sat a dozen feet away, I could clearly feel the frustration of the captives, and the drooping heads showed their pessimism, and perhaps they thought that all of them would be executed. It's not surprising that there is such a thought, and the surrounding villagers and those Mizuki people also see it this way.

I don't want to kill but I have to, so let's do it as quickly as possible! There is still about an hour before dawn, so if you hurry up and deal with it, you can get a good night's sleep after you finish this matter. I called Goto Matabei and instructed him on my arrangements, and I added two more sentences thinking that there were still some shortcomings.

"Yes!" He whispered yes and ran over to convey it to Hidemasa Hori.

"What?!" Even though he knew that he couldn't lose his temper in front of everyone, Hidemasa Hori was stunned for 10 seconds, and looked at me in disbelief with his eyes, and what I got was an affirmative and clear statement. "You bastards, deserving pirates!" He regained his composure and continued to lash out at his captives. "According to your crimes, everyone should be torn to pieces! All the bones are gnawed by wild dogs! The skin and flesh let the crows in the mountains peck at it! He glanced around majestically as he said this, and then changed his words. But His Highness is extremely merciful, and even though you are just some heinous trash, he still wants to give most of you a chance to repent and turn your ways! ”

"What?!" This time it was the pirates who were shocked, and every head that had been hanging low was raised at once. Even people who live on the tip of the knife every day still have a desire for life, and it is often stronger than the average person, and the same is true for those who originally thought they would die and saw hope.

"Mizuki-sama, may I ask how your subordinates were captured?" Ignoring the hopes of the pirates, Hidemasa Hori turned to Sorokuro Mizuki and asked.

"It's not very satisfying to repay Hori-sama!" Sorokuro Mizuki bowed his head and replied humbly, "...... 21 killed one enemy; 12 killed two enemies; 5 killed three enemies; Inuko Zongji killed 4 enemies, Zongjia killed 5 enemies, and another 17 people failed to behead the head, which really makes you laugh! ”

"Although everyone fought bravely, ......" Hori Hidemasa looked a little embarrassed. It has been a rule since ancient times that you cannot receive a reward without a head. It's a shame that all daimyo are like this! ”

"Yes! It's really a pity......" Sorokuro Mizuki also looked very sorry.

"For the sake of Mizuki-sama's loyalty, courage and dedication, I will make an exception this time!" Hori Hidemasa waved his hand at the large number of pirates kneeling there and said, "Pick out 17 people from these people and behead them on the spot, and those 17 brothers who have no military merits will carry them out by themselves." After that, the reward will be given according to half of the enemy killed on the battlefield, which is enough for five stones of white flowered rice! ”

"Whew!" When he said this, he did not deliberately lower his voice, so that some people in the Mizuki crowd immediately let out excited cheers. Several of the people who had already been slightly injured also hurriedly stood up and drew their knives again, their eyes full of longing.

In stark contrast, the pirates, even though there were only 17 of them, might still have their turn, and in the face of such a sudden thrill, there were already signs of astigmatism in the eyes of some people.

"Quiet!" Mizuki Sorokuro looked back and suppressed the excitement of his subordinates, and asked Hori Hidemasa for instructions: "Thank you for your care, then please ask your lord to appoint someone to commit it!" ”

"Well...... Hori Hidemasa once again turned around the pirates with his eyes, but this time it was very slow, very carefully, as if he couldn't make up his mind for a while, and it seemed that he was seriously looking for and distinguishing something.

The tension and excitement have reached an unprecedented height, and everyone's expressions are really varied, but they don't see death as home, they don't have that quality. At the moment of life and death, everyone instinctively looked at the "competitors" around them, weighing the probability of each other's survival in their hearts, and several of them received more attention from the eyes around them, even they themselves seemed more uneasy, and the examiner could judge that they were the leaders of this group of pirates without much experience.

"It's a really difficult choice...... Hori Hidemasa smiled and walked back and forth, his shoes on the ground making a "quack, quack" sound, which was not very loud at first, but now it seemed to be stepping on everyone's hearts. "So be it!" He finally stopped. "You have chosen 17 people to be put to death, and I don't care who they are or who they are. As long as most of you think they deserve to die, that's fine, others will be let go after the execution! ”

Neither the pirates nor the Mizuki people made a sound, but just looked at Hidemasa Hori steadily, as if time had stood still.

"What, don't you understand?" Hidemasa Hori himself also showed a "strange" expression. "I advise you to start quickly, maybe I'll change my mind again in a moment!" He suddenly smiled secretly and said, "Maybe the opinions that are expressed first will be easier to get the support of others......

************************************************

I rolled over, and the sleep I had hoped for didn't come as expected. "Maybe the final scene is too exciting!" I reached out and rubbed my temples.

In the face of the last moments of life and death, the most despicable side of human nature is exposed, and the "gorgeous" scene cannot help but surprise the audience! The last 17 "unlucky guys" were thrown out by their superiors and accomplices, and it can be seen that they are all low-grade minions, but I didn't express any new opinions, and Hori Hidemasa happily fulfilled his promise. In the end, when it came time to release the pirates, they would not even be willing to take the bodies of their accomplices if they were not forced to do so. Although there are not many killings this time, the effect should be good, and the problem of sea hazards in Izumi should be greatly reduced!

I suddenly felt a little depressed, and as soon as I opened my mouth, I closed it again. "Don't look for them for a little thing!" I got out of the covers and pulled the mattress to the door, and when I went back to sleep, I heard a low conversation coming from outside the door.

"I can't figure this out!" This is the voice of Sadatomo Ishikawa. “…… Why do you want to let go of the leaders of those pirates, I can tell that those guys don't look right! ”

"What a pity!" Imu Hanqi immediately picked up, and his words were full of regret. "Although it is nothing to our Zhuxing family, it is a great family to be able to mobilize more than 300 people in Awaji! In my opinion, this should be one of the eighteen families of the Awaji Water Army, and maybe their head will still be among the captives. I really should have a good review, if I can catch a big fish......"

"Poor ...... What a bunch of rat-eyed guys! Goto Matabei didn't think much of them, and he probably made some small movements such as pouting and squinting his eyes. The Lord knows how to see thousands of miles of vertical and horizontal striking, how can you understand such a wonderful strategy! ”

"Cut, you get it?!" His contempt drew the unanimous displeasure of several others.

"Even if you don't win, it's not far away!" Goto Matabei's voice was full of pride.

"What is the sale, say it quickly, say it quickly!" The enthusiasm of the audience was fully mobilized.

"Then I'll help the lord educate you!" Although he was a genius, he was a teenager after all, and Goto Matabei boasted, "This time the lord's decision seems to be easy to spare these pirates, but in fact, it has completely destroyed the trust between them. What is trust? It is the foundation on which an army is maintained. The commander does not trust his subordinates; Ashigaru does not trust the Commander; Everyone doesn't trust their comrades-in-arms in front and behind, so what is left of this army? ”

"Ahh Several people around him let out a low exclamation.

"This group of pirates will definitely disperse, and those who betray their accomplices and abandon their men will no longer be accepted by other gangs! But think about it again......" Goto Matabei continued, but lowering his voice a little lower. "After these more than 100 pirates returned to Awaji, it was impossible to block the news even if they wanted to, and this real thing was more shocking than any rumors. If there were pirates who were to storm Izumi, the minions would think, 'This must be the bosses who know that even if we are arrested, they can take us to blame, and I can't be stupid and rush forward!' 'You all understand, how can such an army fight? If this situation develops, we don't need to fight Awaji Eighteen to collapse by themselves! ”

"The Lord is really a man of God!" Imu Hanqi admired it from the bottom of his heart.

"This plan is indeed unpredictable, and the most important thing is that the lord uses it at the right time!" Goto Matabei also sighed: "If the other party is a die-hard element like the Saga people, this strategy may not work, and it will be the right medicine to use it on a rabble like the Awaji Pirates." The lord is not only strategic, but also well-read, and can indeed be worthy of the word 'god man'! ”

There was another sigh outside.

"Children, you still have a long way to go! Just like I've been for more than ten years......" I laughed silently and pulled the quilt upward.