The Great Seminary

Chapter 372 Dragonfly Shaking a Giant Rock

Several Japanese boys stepped forward as Uesugi Kazehakō called their names.

The most robust of them all was over six feet tall, with an astonishingly wide frame, though he was so thin that his ribs were protruding.

Touching his long-unseen, bulging belly, he grinned at his companion and said:
"Last night I ate two bowls of white rice and more than ten fist-sized pieces of fish meat."

Needless to say, from this morning onwards, we had plenty of tea-soaked rice, salted radish, and dried fish—enough to eat and drink to our hearts' content.

It's definitely not a 'starving ghost' anymore.

Although his companions were well-prepared, not everyone is truly ready to face death.

The bolder ones had solemn expressions and gritted their teeth, while the less timid ones' teeth trembled uncontrollably and their steps were unsteady.

But no one hesitated; they all walked out of the awning together.

Although everyone present knew that Zhang Gui was the most powerful person in Fengyu Port.

But how can a ruler who reigns overseas, a king and emperor, act rashly?

Especially with the imperial guards by their side, there has always been the saying, "When the ruler is disturbed, the minister is alarmed; when the ruler is alarmed, the minister is disgraced; when the ruler is disgraced, the minister dies."

Centurion Song Zhenqing shouted, "Jin soldiers, march in fish-scale formation!"
He led a hundred reborn soldiers forward, forming a line like scales, separating Yingri the young man from Zhang Gui.

Even though the Jinshi army, which was at least twice as tall as him, was determined to die, he still faced them.

But when faced with a ferocious tiger, the young wolves naturally tremble with fear, and two of the Japanese boys still staggered a few steps and fell to the ground.

However, she immediately jumped up, her face flushed, and even bit her teeth until they bled.

Seeing this, Wei Changqing grinned maliciously and said:
"You're nothing but a bunch of hot-blooded brats, how dare you be so insolent before my lord, the 'Hero of the World'! Get out of here!"

The words fell to the ground.

The most fearless and burly young man among the Japanese youths burst into laughter.

"Now that the true dragon king has been proclaimed, heroes from all over the world will emerge!"

Why would they be avoiding us young Japanese comrades?

Speechless for a moment, Song Zhenqing, in a fit of anger and embarrassment, decided to use a slap instead of a mouth to "reason" with the burly boy.

Unexpectedly, a faint voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Song Baifu, step down."

Let me see what tricks these Japanese 'children' are trying to pull in front of me.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Song Zhenqing recognized the emperor's voice and hurriedly led his men to retreat.

Zhang Gui revealed himself to the Japanese youths, his face bearing a half-smile.
"Boys under sixteen and elderly people over fifty appeared in organized groups."

Either you have other plans, or you Japanese and Japanese are already engaged in fierce battles in the East, exhausting your young and strong, and are truly about to be 'annihilated'.

What do you think it is?

Among the group of Japanese youths, one of them paused slightly, but none of them spoke.

They walked slowly to a distance of ten steps from Zhang Gui, lined up, and knelt down in unison.

Instead of rambling, they solemnly bowed and paid their respects in turn.

"The fourth son of the most honorable Hong, the 'Yuzhou Tan Ti' of the Outer Minister Ying Ri, and the fifth or sixth son of the most honorable outer ministers, pay their respects to the True Dragon Emperor..."
“The foreign minister… the third son of ‘Kawachi Governor’ Kanagawa Takayuki… Kanagawa Suiko-suke is here to pay his respects…”;
"Your humble servant... Hitotsubashi Kin'o pays his respects, Your Majesty the True Dragon..."

Seeing this, Zhang Gui simply watched coldly and refrained from making any further sarcastic remarks.

The first to introduce himself was the burly young man, Mogami Goroku. After all his companions had finished announcing their family backgrounds and names, the others followed suit.

Look around, then take one last look.

He announced in a loud voice, "Gentlemen, I will take my leave first."

There's no need for a second.

"Since we must demonstrate the loyalty and courage of the Japanese warriors before His Majesty the True Dragon, how can we allow others to end our suffering simply because of the terror of life and death?"

But before he could even get up, one of the two Yingri youths who had been startled and fallen to the ground by Song Zhenqing earlier stood up first.

He turned to the side and bowed to Mogami Goroku, pleading, "Mogami-kun, I lost my composure just now."

Therefore, please let me have the 'first place,' please."

"In that case, Hitotsubashi-kun, you can go ahead to 'Hira-hachi' first."

Mogami Goro smiled and, having straightened up, returned to a sitting position.

Yiqiao Jinwei bowed again to express his gratitude, took a few steps forward to Zhang Gui, and knelt down on both knees.

Zhang Gui had already guessed what he wanted to do, and a sense of tragic heroism welled up in his heart.

But more often than not, it is foolish and laughable: "The death of a person can be as heavy as Mount Tai, or as light as a feather."

And for teenagers, brimming with youthful energy and limitless potential, to seek their own death in order to demonstrate so-called 'loyalty and courage' is utterly utterly worthless.

Kin'o Hitotsubashi trembled at his words, but unfortunately, the die was cast.

"This humble subject has been disrespectful before Your Majesty."

After a moment of silence, under the scorching sun, Ichijo Kin-o bowed to Zhang Gui once more.

A six-winged dragonfly phantom, over six feet tall, appeared behind him.

Upon seeing this, Song Zhenqing instinctively stepped forward again to kill the offender with his iron fist.

But Zhang Gui waved his hand to stop him, saying, "Song Baifu, although it is extremely foolish for a dragonfly to try to move a rock."

But the passion of a human youth is always precious; let him fulfill his wish.

Upon hearing this, Song Zhenqing was stunned for a moment, but how could he disobey the emperor's personal order? Even if he didn't understand, he had to respectfully step down.

A look of gratitude appeared on Hitotsubashi Kaneo's face.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your understanding, but for us Japanese samurai families..."

Loyalty and courage always carry some weight; Your Majesty, please consider this.

Then he raised his right arm high, and the giant dragonfly behind him transformed into a three-foot-long short blade in his hand, which he then plunged downwards.

The short blade pierced through Ichihashi Kino's throat and slowly slid down in his hand.

They cut along the center of the chest, down the entire row of ribs, and then cut open the abdomen, stopping only below the navel.

Then, his whole body trembled violently as he pulled out the short blade.

Another cut was made between the chest and abdomen, almost severing the upper body in two.

Seeing that Hitotsubashi Kinou was almost unable to support himself, and that the 'Dragonfly Wedge' he was holding had dissipated.

Mogami Goro slowly stood up.

"My lord, I... I don't need an intermediary... please... please let me complete this 'glory' alone, please."

Even though he didn't turn around, Hitotsubashi Kaneo seemed to have sensed Mogami Gorokuro's actions and pleaded again, trembling.

"Hitotsubashi-kun, it seems I underestimated your martial prowess before. Please forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Mogami Goroku took a deep breath and kowtowed.

Just then, Zhang Gui suddenly made a move, summoning a hurricane that transformed into an invisible spear, piercing through the air into the heart of Yiqiao Jinwei and ending his suffering.

Then, with a sinister gaze, he looked at the instigator of all this, Uesugi Kazehakō.
"The extraordinary Ding Lei, who possessed the legendary shikigami, died just like that."

The Japanese Empire of today probably doesn't have such a powerful foundation anymore.

What exactly do you want to do?

(End of this chapter)