Chapter 151: The Wound of the Turning Point (Part II)

Two days ago, there was a sudden incident in northern China, and the head of the monomi fan immediately returned to the main camp, ready to report the news to Hosokawa Shinyuki At that time, Hosokawa Shinyuki was holding a military meeting to deploy the next day's Tsurushou Castle raid, and Jingzhong and Keiyuki were idle in the main camp as usual. Seeing the thing with his mother's clothes and the double flag, the two knew that there was an important situation, so they stopped him and asked what was going on. In the face of the inquiries of the two lieutenant generals, Wu Jian naturally did not dare to conceal it, and revealed the information that had happened. After Jingzhong heard this, he excitedly pulled up Jingzhi and discussed that the general was preparing to attack Heshou City, and the affairs were very heavy, so it was better for them to lead their respective horses to suppress the pressure on their behalf, one to share the worries of the general, and the other to prove to the general that they were heroic warriors, so as not to drag them as children. Jing Zhi also felt very depressed recently, so he agreed to Jing Chong's proposal, and led their respective horses to fight with him, and also bet on the famous swords sent by the main hall when they were in their own Yuan Suits, to see who could make more contributions......

Hearing this, I couldn't help but sigh. Really, at the moment of the war, with heavy troops on the side, a riot suddenly broke out, which is obviously a very abnormal thing, and it is very likely that the enemy is organizing in it. And the organized battle, in addition to its strong combat power, will definitely reach a considerable level in scale, how can one or two hundred warriors be able to suppress it?

However, this does not mean that the two are ignorant or not smart enough, after all, they are only two children, and they are extremely inexperienced in combat. For example, Jingzhong, who has always lived in Tosa Province, has a very stable life, and has never seen a war since he was a child, only hearing the frequent good news of his father and brother, and his martial name is all over the country; Jingzhi is similar, as the only heir of the Hosokawa family, he must have lived in Katsurui Castle for a long time, and it is also impossible to experience any war. Then, with their current experience and vision, it must be difficult to see the cattiness behind this one.

I frowned tightly: "And then they went like that?" Has no one dissuaded them, or reported to His Highness the Truth? ”

"Persuasion is persuasion, but His Royal Highness Jingzhong didn't listen, and told everyone that if anyone retreats this time, then leave the horse team immediately, and the Kira family doesn't need people who are greedy for life and afraid of death," Kume Yoshitoyo replied, with a rather helpless tone in his tone, "For the sake of the reputation of the samurai, and for the sake of more power to protect the young master, all the horse guards went out with the two highnesses." ”

"And then? How did Jingzhong disappear? I asked in a deep voice.

"It's after being surrounded by thousands of people," beads of sweat broke out of Kume Yoshitoyo's forehead, "They tried to break out of the encirclement, but another team stood in the way, and then His Royal Highness Jingzhong immediately made a decision and asked the young master to lead the headquarters back to the camp to report the news...... However, when the head of the family and the young master came with 5,000 troops, they could no longer find His Royal Highness Jingzhong, and they did not show their heads, so they should not dare to be the sharp edge of the army. ”

Don't dare to be a big army...... Such a proverb is really harsh to my ears at this time. Really, didn't you just find no trace of the enemy? And this result also made me feel a little irritable inexplicably.

I stood up, paced back and forth on the throne for a few steps, and suddenly turned my head and asked them, "There is no news from Heshou City or Songshan City, have you sent an envoy to negotiate with your own army?" ”

"Not yet," Changzong Lai Qin shook his head, and then added, "The ministers set out in the early morning of the second day of the incident and came to report the matter to the main hall......

"There is no result, what to report!" I interrupted him impatiently, "Do you still put on this posture to keep me in the mood?" ”

"Yes......" the two agreed, and fell to the ground again.

"Then let's go back quickly!" I waved my hand, "Let Shinyuki suspend the Tsurushou Castle raider strategy and send someone to contact the Hoida family...... I think that the one in the northern part of Bichu must be inseparable from the Hoida family, and if they catch Jingzhong, it is impossible not to use him as a bargaining chip! ”

"Yes!" The two of them bowed to me and exited the meeting room.

When the two of them left, I sat down on the main seat and collected my thoughts. There is no doubt that Jing Zhong is definitely not as simple as disappearing, it is likely that he was injured and captured, and maybe he will be worried about his life. It was precisely because of this that the two of them were so nervous, and I felt faintly irritated, but I didn't want to mention it openly, as if anyone who mentioned it would really suffer bad luck.

Even Xiao Xia was particularly worried these days, going to the Changfang Bodhi Temple of the Kamikawa family to pray for the blessing of the child, and asked me three times and twice if I had received information from the front line. At first, I thought she was too concerned about Jingzhong, and the so-called concern was chaotic, so she was so uncalm. In my opinion, there are 80,000 troops on the front line, and Hosokawa Shinyuki is also a cautious person, and since he has promised me, he will definitely be able to take care of the situation.

However, who knew that Jingzhong would be so impulsive? A casual word of encouragement when I sent him to Utatsu Port made him take it seriously.

I let out a breath and thought of Xiao Xia who had gone to Changfang Temple again. As a mother, she naturally loves her young son very much, and Jingzhong also inherits her family, and has grown up beside her since she was a child, and accompanied her through the days of exile in Lotus Pond City, and the relationship is not ordinarily deep.

For her, Jingzhong is the supreme treasure. If she learns about Jingzhong's disappearance, or if Jingzhong has an accident, I really don't know how sad she will be...... I'm afraid that this information sent by Changzong's Ministry of Lai Qin and Kume Yoshitoyo will have to be hidden from her. I just hope that the final result is not too bad, otherwise I really don't know how to talk to her.

I clasped my hands together and prayed silently in my heart.

……，……

However, the facts that followed soon shattered my expectations. On the third day after the departure of Yorijin and Kume Yoshitoyo, Bichu came again. This time it was Fujido Takatora who came here, and I arranged for Keishig's after-see, who was also the general who actually commanded the eight thousand Tosa people. As soon as I saw him, I knew that the matter was very serious, because according to the deployment of Hosokawa Shinnobu, he was responsible for guarding the Chiyogawa River valley on the border between Hosokawa and Hakugi, and preventing Yoshikawa Motoharu from going out to prepare for China.

In addition, with him, there are three strange samurai, the leader is about fifty years old, dressed in a full set of dresses, holding a brocade box in his hand, judging from the family crest on the dress, he should be the former Bichu Banguo guardian Dai Zhuang clan, and the head of this family is the inheritance of the Hoida Motoqing of the northern branch of the Bichu Zhuang clan.

My heart sank.

"Are you from the Hoida family of Bichu Matsuyama Castle?" I asked as calmly as I could.

"Yes," the samurai led two retinues to bow and salute, "the foreign minister Ueki Fujishi, from the Ueki family of the western branch of the Zhuang clan, currently serves as the head of the Hoida family. ”

"So what is the matter with Ueki-sama coming to see me?" I continued to ask, my eyes involuntarily tilting slightly, staring at the brocade box in his hand.

"On the orders of the head of the family, the foreign minister has come to express his submission to the Taichang Gong." Ueki Fujishi replied. Apparently noticing my gaze, he handed the brocade box in his hand to Fujido Takatora, and then fell deep on the floor. Fujido Takatora took the brocade box and handed it to Maeda Toshinaga beside me, and he also bowed down.

"Open it and take a look!" I ordered Maeda Toshinaga, my voice slightly sharp. Don't know what's inside? File? Gift? Or even a head? Rao is used to seeing wind and waves, and I can't help but feel a little nervous at this time.

Tian Lichang took the order and opened the brocade box in front of me.

It was a gorgeous helmet, the shape and decoration were very familiar to me, as it was one of the gifts I gave to Jingzhong. On the spade-shaped front stand of the helmet, there was originally a five-bone fan made of gold-Wusan bronze family pattern, and only Zhou Jing, Yijing and Jingzhong could be used in the whole world. However, now the crest has fallen off and is placed next to the helmet, shining golden in front of me.

The Hood Helmet was actually damaged...... I clenched my fists tightly.

"I'm really sorry, when my family got the helmet, the family crest had already been pried away. His Royal Highness Honke and Fujido searched the castle town under Matsuyama Castle and finally found a family crest in an izakaya that had been used as gold......" explains Ueki Fujishi.

"Who asked you about the helmet? What I want to know is where the owner of the helmet is! I interrupted him and looked at Fujido Gao Hu, "Gao Hu, you come on!" I entrusted Jing Zhong to you, how is he now? ”

"The Great Hall! The young master of Jingzhong has fallen! Fujitang Gaohu touched the ground with his forehead, and there was a whimper in his voice, "Your Majesty has betrayed the trust of the main hall!" After avenging the young master, his subordinates will follow the young master by seppuku! ”

Down?! I couldn't help but shake all over my body. Although I was mentally prepared, it was really hard for me to accept that it was the worst possible outcome. He was not yet ten years old, and just over ten days ago, I served him and sent him all the way to the port of Utatsu. At that time, he was so lively, so considerate, so vivid, and at Jingzhi's Yuan Dress Ceremony, he still squeezed his eyebrows at me...... And now he's dead?!

This is a great sorrow and a great tragedy! When someone from the Tsurushou Castle came to receive the reward with a head and a helmet, and then the castle guard reported the news to the castle, everyone was very shocked when they saw the helmet," said Ueki Fujishi, and the words were not so much an explanation as a shirk of responsibility, "Listening to the person who received the reward, His Royal Highness Jingzhong was extremely brave, and he also took the initiative to cover the departure of friendly troops, and finally cut many people before he was killed due to exhaustion...... Such a young hero, he really deserves to be a child of Taichang Gong! Everyone in this family is very emotional and respectful, so they decided to vote to the Taichang Gong and ask the Taichang Gong to accept this heart! ”

I didn't speak, still staring blankly at my helmet. The helmet was very clean and tidy, apparently carefully cleaned. However, I seem to be able to smell the blood on it...... It was Jingzhong's bloodstains.

Yes, it is an unmistakable fact that Jingzhong is dead, otherwise his helmet would not have been damaged, and Matsuyama Castle would not have surrendered to the family in advance. But is that okay? I gritted my teeth and made up my mind to avenge Jingzhong and make his victims pay.

But who should I ask for? Is it the people who were instigated, or the people who organized it, or the Hoida family who was hidden behind the scenes? And on the side of the family, who should be responsible for Jingzhong's death? Although Fujido Takatora was Jingzhong's afterthought, he was ordered to guard the Chiyogawa River valley and was not by Jingzhong's side at all; Hosokawa Shinyuki has always restrained Jingzhong, and he was deploying military affairs at the time of the incident, so he should not be responsible for this; Those horses, including Jingzhi who was pulled up by Jingzhong, just obeyed Jingzhong's assignment, and they also fought hard, and dozens of people followed Jingzhong and died...... Maybe I'm to blame! It was I who was too optimistic to teach him seriously, and who arranged for him to go out with the army too early, so that he could gain considerable qualifications.

Ueki Fujishi is still explaining: "The head of His Royal Highness, the family has been carefully arranged, and it is enshrined in the Buddhist temple in the city; The place where the body was buried, the family has investigated and sent people to protect it. If Tai Changgong is interested, the family can escort him at any time......"

The head and the remains of Jingzhong? By the way, if the samurai fights or not, it is naturally the end of the body in a different place, because the head has to be used for inspection or meritorious service, and I have presided over the post-war inspection many times before...... However, Jing Zhong is less than ten years old! He has always lived in a peaceful environment, and for him, the war is nothing more than the victory of his father and brother and the high prestige of his achievements. Even I, although I have experienced countless battles, it seems that the only one who has personally stepped forward to fight is the outpost battle between the barrels.

According to Ueki Fujishi, he only cut some people and didn't ask for the head, so maybe he couldn't make that decision at all. So, what does he think when he is being taken for himself? Do you think of your mother who smiles goodbye? Thinking of talking and laughing with me on the road? Does it hurt? Did you cry? And his little body is buried in the ground, will he feel cold?

Thinking of the body of my son who had lost his head, I suddenly felt a heart-wrenching pain, and I couldn't help but feel black in front of me, and I almost fell down.

"The Great Hall!" Maeda Toshinaga and Fujido Takatora shouted, and they all half-knelt up, trying to step forward to support me. At the same time, there was a sudden sound of something falling on the floor from behind the main hall, and then there were exclamations from many maids.

It's Natsu! I was so excited that I immediately came to my senses. Obviously, she should have heard that Bei China was coming, so she hid behind the main hall and eavesdropped, and as a result, she heard the bad news of her young son's death.

I stood up violently and left the envoy of the Suiida family in the hall! ~！