Di Ming

Chapter 328 The Dragon Returns to the Sea!

The Japanese emperor and his officials still couldn't believe what was happening, as if a nightmare had descended upon them.

They were actually captured and wiped out by a mere Ming Dynasty delegation of a few hundred people in their own capital!
Is this really not a nightmare? The Japanese emperor and his ministers are like prisoners facing each other; I hope this current situation is not reality.

However, everything before my eyes felt so real, it was a shameful reality!
Zhu Yin and Xu Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief. With the Japanese emperor and his ministers all captured, the true objective of their trip to Kyoto was finally achieved.

Just then, shouts of battle erupted from the foot of the mountain once more.

It must have been the main force of the Japanese army in the city that went out and engaged in a fierce battle with Zheng Guowang, who was blocking them at Yichengsipo.

The original plan was to leave 100 men behind to trap the Japanese troops in the city with Zheng Guowang, and then Zhu Yin would lead his men to launch a surprise attack on the undefended Juledi.

However, having successfully captured the Japanese emperor and his officials and having ascertained the strength of the Japanese army, Zhu Yin changed his mind again.

He and Zheng Guowang decided to first eliminate the main force of the Japanese army, and then take their time to attack Juledi.

This is because Zhu Yin was now even more confident, and he was absolutely certain that he would annihilate this main force of the Japanese army!
……

At this moment, at the foot of the mountain, on the slope of the temple, Zheng Guowang was holding the position and engaged in a fierce battle with Xiuji's chief retainer, Kimura Hitachi.

Kimura Hitachisuke was not a skilled warrior, but he was Hidetsugu's most trusted man and the chief retainer of the Jurakudai, second only to Hidetsugu in rank.

Therefore, when Hidetsugu came to the rescue of Osaka Castle, he entrusted him with a thousand soldiers to guard Jurakudai.

Who would have thought that such a big thing would happen this morning, just after Hideji left yesterday.

Upon seeing the beacon fire at Kamo Shrine, a sacred mountain outside the city, many samurai wanted to leave the city to provide assistance, because if anything happened to the emperor and the court nobles, no one could bear the responsibility.

Kimura Hitachi was very hesitant because the castle had very few troops, and Jurakudi was also very important. If troops were sent to rescue it, what if bandits attacked Jurakudi in the castle?
After hesitating for a while, Kimura Hitachisuke, persuaded by his trusted retainer Akutagawa Nobutora, led eight hundred men out of the city to provide assistance.

Meanwhile, Akutagawa Nobutora led two hundred men to defend Juroku.

But no sooner had he led his army to the sacred mountain than a group of Ming soldiers intercepted him at Yichengsi Slope before he even reached the summit.

Kimura Hitachi-suke, as expected of his chief retainer, knew he had been tricked and would not continue up the mountain. He immediately turned around and launched a fierce attack on Ichijoji Slope, attempting to return to the castle and defend Jurakudai.

As for the safety of the Emperor and the Imperial Court, he could no longer care about that at this point.

Who knew that, despite having eight hundred soldiers, he couldn't capture Yichengsipo, which was only defended by a few dozen Ming soldiers!
Although the Ming army was small in number, its fighting strength really startled Kimura Hitachi.

The Japanese army was eager to retreat to Juledi and launched repeated attacks, suffering more than a hundred casualties, but they could not break through the easily defensible Yichengsi Slope!
It is obvious that this was a conspiracy set up by the Ming delegation long ago!
Then the Emperor and the court officials should have already fallen into the hands of the Ming delegation.

Having figured this out, Kimura Hitachisuke launched a relentless attack on Ichijoji Slope, disregarding the consequences.

With overwhelming numerical superiority, the Japanese army, led by samurai of all ranks, launched a hysterical attack on Ichijo-saka.

Zheng Guowang held his position firmly in the strategic location, leading his family troops in a desperate battle, like a stubborn rock in the ocean waves.

Kimura Hitachi, riding behind the Japanese soldier, had an extremely grim expression.

More than a hundred people have been killed or wounded, but the enemy has only suffered a dozen or so casualties. Are the Ming soldiers all ten men each?!

Just then, a terrifying battle cry suddenly came from the mountain behind them. Turning around, they saw a Ming army, like a horde of beasts, swooping down from the direction of the shrine.

coming!

Leading the charge were still the Jurchen warriors, who resembled savages.

Although the Ming army was small, it was powerful and, with attacks from both sides, the Japanese army was immediately doomed.

The two Ming armies combined now have only a little over three hundred men left to fight, while the Japanese army still has six or seven hundred men capable of fighting, more than double their strength.

But the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

The fierce fighting lasted only a quarter of an hour before the Japanese army completely collapsed and was almost wiped out.

Kimura Hitachi was also killed by Nurhaci with an arrow.

From the attack on the shrine to the annihilation of the main Japanese force in the city, it took only about an hour. The Ming army killed or wounded more than 1,700 Japanese soldiers.

The entire mountain path was covered in blood and corpses. Japan's so-called sacred mountain would henceforth become a mountain of demons.

However, the casualties of the Ming army cannot be ignored!
After a headcount, the Ming army suffered nearly two hundred casualties, including eighty-three who died in battle, forty of whom were Jurchens.

The Jurchens suffered the most casualties because they were tasked with leading the charge. Wild Boar Skin also hoped to gain the support of the Ming Dynasty and be allowed to send troops by achieving merit.

Even Hu Erhan died from his injuries.

Fei Yanggu lost an arm, becoming a one-armed warrior, and nearly bled to death. Fortunately, Zhu Yin did his utmost to save him, thus saving his life.

Nurhaci's most trusted and loyal followers have lost one-third of their forces!

Hu Erhan, who died in battle, was a famous general of the Later Jin dynasty and one of its five ministers.

These forty Jurchen warriors died a worthy death. They killed at least several hundred Japanese soldiers. Hu'erhan killed several high-ranking warriors before fighting to the death.

Zhu Yin was both pleased with the annihilation of a large number of Japanese troops and delighted with Nurhaci's heavy losses.

“Brother Wild Boar Skin…” Zhu Yin came to Nurhaci’s side, who was sitting in front of Huerhan’s body. “Brother Huerhan has returned to the side of Lord Cuohazhan. He now has a place in the divine shrine of Baishan.”

Zhu Yin sat down, leaning on his sword, his expression filled with sorrow, and he couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Brother Hu'erhan, we will bring your soul home. We will take care of your wife, children, and family..."

Zhu Yin was truly heartbroken at this moment, but his heartbreak was not for the Jurchen warriors, nor for his brothers Hu Erhan, but for his private army of the Zhu family.

Thirteen of Zhu's private soldiers also died in battle!

These were all trusted servants of the Zhu family who had served for several years, and thirteen of them died at once. Fortunately, Lancha, Hongxiu, and others were still unharmed.

When Nurhaci saw Zhu Yin was sad, he turned around and comforted him in Jurchen:
"Little Tiger Brother, don't be sad. People always die in war. We Jurchen hunters are prepared to die in battle from a young age."

“Even I have nearly died on the battlefield many times. Hu Erhan and the others did not die in vain. It is better to die on the battlefield than to die an old man in a pit. Those who die in battle will receive the blessing of Lord Cuohazhan.”

Zhu Yin shook his head and said sadly, "Brother Wild Boar Skin is right. The Jurchen warriors fought very well today and did not disgrace Jianzhou or the Ming Dynasty. But thinking that I was drinking with them before, and now they are lying in this frozen foreign land, how can I not be sad?"

Nurhaci was deeply moved, his eyes welling with tears as he said, "Little Tiger, you are one of the Jianzhou people, they are all your brothers, that's why you're so sad. These brothers who died in battle would be comforted by this..."

The Jurchen warriors around me, seeing how heartbroken I was, were deeply moved.

Zhu Yin suddenly snorted coldly, "I will make more Japanese pirates pay the price for the lives of the Jianzhou warriors! Even if a hundred of them die, it won't be worth the life of one Jianzhou warrior!"

"Brothers Hu'erhan, all my fallen brothers, I swear to annihilate the Japanese invaders!"

After saying this, he drew an arrow, broke it in two, and declared, "I will avenge this humiliation one day! If I do not destroy the Japanese invaders, may I be as unfortunate as this arrow!"

The Jurchens around couldn't help but shout, "We swear to annihilate the Japanese invaders!"

Nurhaci could only shout, "If we don't destroy the Japanese invaders, we'll be like this arrow!"

After shouting, he felt something was wrong.

He quickly realized, "The main reason Jianzhou is sending troops to resist the Japanese is to gain benefits and to protect our homeland from the Japanese army occupying Liaodong. It's not to destroy Japan. Japan is just across the sea; they can plunder from the shore, but how easy is it to destroy them?"

"Sigh, little tiger brother is thinking too simply. Destroying the Japanese is not that easy. Besides, Hu Erhan and the others have killed so many Japanese pirates, what grudge could they possibly have left? What grudge could they possibly seek?"

It must be said that Nurhaci was very clear-headed. However, under these circumstances, he had to consider the feelings of the Jurchens and Zhu Yin, so he could only shout slogans.

In fact, the one who was most heartbroken at this moment was Prince Shule and Governor of Jianzhou.

Huerhan, oh Huerhan, and these fallen Jianzhou warriors, you truly break my heart.

You've followed me for so many years, sharing life and death, and now you're dying here? But for the sake of Jianzhou, for the future of the tribe, someone must return to the embrace of the White Mountain God first.

I, Nurhaci, will always remember you, remember that you were by my side when I was at my weakest!

But then Zhu Yin said, "Brother Wild Boar Skin, once we break through Juledi, I will reward the Jurchen warriors handsomely! The families of those who died in battle will also receive generous compensation!"

Nurhaci felt a warmth in his heart. "Little tiger brother, I'm content with just those words from you."

At this moment, what he most wanted was to acquire more gold and silver to replenish the tribe's treasury.

Zheng Guowang, his hair disheveled and looking tired, walked over and said, "Brother Zhihu, what are you and General Tong talking about?"

She couldn't understand Jurchen.

Zhu Yin said, "The Jurchen warriors suffered heavy casualties. How should we reward them? Brother Yueying, General Tong has made great contributions this time. I would like to ask you to join me in submitting a memorial to the throne to reward General Tong and the Jianzhou tribe."

Nurhaci and Eidu, who understood Chinese, were deeply moved upon hearing this.

The little tiger truly treats the Jianzhou people as his own brothers, always remembering the contributions of the Jianzhou warriors and never letting Jianzhou suffer any losses.

Zheng Guowang frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "What merit have those Jurchen barbarians made? More than a dozen of my servants have died in battle, and they have no merit?"

These Jurchens served the Ming Dynasty with their lives; that was their glory. What merit is there to count?
However, at this time, the Jurchens still needed to serve the Ming Dynasty, so on the surface she still said:
"Very well. I will follow you to submit a memorial to the emperor and request commendation for General Longhu. General Longhu, rest assured, with the Grand Tutor and I here, the court will not forget the contributions of the Jianzhou tribe."

One of Zheng Guowang's virtues was that when facing foreign tribes, she would always consider the interests of the Ming Dynasty and the court. She wouldn't oppose Zhu Yin because of personal grudges.

One yard owned by a yard.

Then, Zhu Yin took out several wax-coated letters that he had prepared beforehand, summoned Kangxi, and secretly instructed him:

"Arrange immediately to send these wax pellets to Nagoya Castle. Be quick! This is a secret letter from me to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Date Masamune, and Mori Terumoto."

Kangxi took the wax pellet and immediately made arrangements. There were already Tiger Tooth stations in Kyoto, making intelligence transmission very convenient.

After the Ming army rested for half an hour, and all the wounded had their wounds bandaged, Nurhaci ordered that the braids of all the fallen Jurchens be cut off, in preparation for taking them back to Liaodong.

The Jurchens believed that the spirit of the dead would reside in the braid, so when comrades died in battle, their braids would be cut off and taken home.

Next, Zhu Yin ordered that all eighty-odd fallen soldiers be buried in a certain place in the forest, without sealing it or planting trees, and then covered with snow to erase any traces so that the Japanese would not find them.

Having done all this, Zhu Yin led three hundred soldiers, escorting the Japanese emperor and his officials, and carrying the emperor's entourage, swaggering towards the empty capital of Kyoto.

Now that the main force of the Japanese army has been annihilated, there are almost no soldiers defending the city, and the Japanese emperor and his ministers are in control, so there is no need to attack the city.

Currently, not only the Emperor, but all male members of the Japanese Imperial Family, regardless of whether they are direct or collateral relatives, have been captured.

In other words, Japan no longer has a single male eligible to inherit the throne. They're all here.

This is why Zhu Yin chose to perform the grand sacrifice, because according to the rites, all male members of the royal family, including infants, must participate in the grand sacrifice.

However, Xu Wei was still uneasy. He suddenly said, "My lord, in the Japanese imperial family, can't a princess succeed to the throne?"

"Back in the day, in Goryeo and some small Southeast Asian countries, princesses could also inherit the throne. Take our country, for example; didn't we have Empress Wu Zetian? What if…"

A female emperor! Zhu Yin suddenly remembered that Japan had indeed had a female emperor.

If Xu Wei hadn't reminded him, he would have been blind to his own shortcomings in his complacency.

"Sir, your reminder is quite insightful." Zhu Yin narrowed his eyes. "Japan has indeed had female emperors, and several at that! Princesses and empresses have all served as female emperors!"

"Really?" Xu Wei's gaze sharpened. "Then we have no choice but to arrest all the royal women, whether they are concubines or princesses!" Zhu Yin nodded: "Alright. After entering the city, please lead a hundred soldiers to seal off the palace and arrest all the royal women. We have spies in the palace; we'll give you the list. Just arrest them according to the list."

Soon, the Ming army entered the city with the Emperor's entourage and, to the astonishment and bewilderment of the city's inhabitants, went directly to the foot of Juledi.

A mere few hundred people from the Ming Dynasty controlled the capital city of Kyoto, which had a population of two hundred thousand!

Until this point, many people in the city did not know what had happened, only that it was a big deal.

Xu Wei led a hundred men straight to the Imperial Palace to deal with a group of women. Zhu Yin, on the other hand, led two hundred men, accompanied by the Japanese emperor and his officials, to the outside of Jurakudai.

Only two hundred soldiers remained to defend Juledi.

Akutagawa Nobutora, who was left behind at Juroku-dai, suddenly revealed a strange smile when he saw the Ming Dynasty delegation approaching the city.

"Can't you see His Majesty the Emperor and all the court officials down there? Open the door."

"Your Excellency, this..."

"I told you to open the door! I'm the one in charge here now! Do as I say!"

"Hai!"

Kimura Hitachi, who was shot to death by Nurhaci, must have died with his eyes wide open in disbelief. He was unaware that his most trusted retainer, Akutagawa Nobutora, had long been secretly bribed by Nobutora's fangs.

Akutagawa Nobutora persuaded Kimura Hitachi to send troops, while he stayed behind to guard Jurakudai, which was obviously also an order from the secret service.

This is just one step in Zhu Yin's plan.

Thus, the Ming army swaggered into Juledi and disarmed and captured all two hundred Japanese soldiers.

Then, they found the treasure trove of Juledi.

Even though Zhu Yin was rich, he was still excited to see so much gold and silver.

Japan truly had an abundance of gold and silver. Although Hideyoshi spent a large amount of gold and silver from the Jurakudai estate on rewards and gifts for his troops, the estate still held over 20,000 taels of gold and over 1.3 million taels of silver!

This is one of Hideyoshi's three major treasuries.

Hideyoshi now controls the Iwami Silver Mine and the Kurokawa Gold Mine. The Iwami Silver Mine produces as much as 1.5 million taels of silver annually, accounting for a quarter of the world's current annual silver production!

Of the gold and silver mined at the Iwami Ginzan mine, 40% is stored at Jurakudi each year.

"General Longhu, Brother Yueying," Zhu Yin said, pointing to the gleaming silver treasury, "so much gold and silver, all from the Iwami Silver Mine! It truly is a mountain of gold and silver, but alas, it's not in our Great Ming..."

"There's also a great gold mountain called Mount Zodu..."

"If we could seize those mountains of gold and silver, the imperial court would have no shortage of gold and silver."

Zhu Yin's statement is misleading. While Japan does have a lot of silver, its gold reserves are actually quite limited.

But Zheng Guowang, Nurhaci, and others were still very excited.

At that moment, all the gold and silver were taken away by the prisoners. At the same time, a large number of jewels, paintings and calligraphy were also packed up.

The ships left by the Toyotomi clan at the Mikawa dock, including a warship, were also captured and began to be loaded with cargo.

At noon, Xu Wei also brought over a hundred women to join them.

The Japanese empress, concubines, princesses... direct and collateral relatives are all here.

Upon seeing so many women, Zheng Guowang couldn't help but frown and say:
"Our ships were already too small to hold all the gold, silver, and treasures. Now we have so many prisoners. What are we going to do?"

Zhu Yin also pondered, "We already have a lot of prisoners. The mission only has this many troops. If we take another large number of prisoners, it will be difficult to keep them under control."

"We can only take a maximum of one hundred prisoners; the remaining several hundred..."

Let's stop here.

Xu Wei said, "Having too many prisoners is indeed a problem. We have too few men and the boats can't accommodate them all. We shouldn't delay, let's just..."

Xu Wei paused here, then clenched his hand, “Leaving only the Japanese King and Queen, nobles of the third rank and above, direct descendants of princes and princesses, and the remaining hundreds of captives, men and women alike…”

Zhu Yin thought for a moment, then, seemingly reluctant, said seriously:

"So many prisoners, including women, isn't it a bit... Sigh, better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos."

Xu Wei, with eyes that had seen the world's suffering, looked at Zhu Yin and smiled slightly:

"The Grand Secretary and the Junior Minister are kind-hearted and naturally cannot bear to do this. This matter was not the Grand Secretary's or the Junior Minister's idea, but rather a request from the King of Japan!"

"Hmm?" Zhu Yin and Zheng Guowang exchanged a glance and looked at Xu Wei together.

Xu Wei glanced at the distraught Japanese Emperor and said:

"The prisoners who are about to be killed were actually executed by imperial decree by the Japanese king for colluding with Hideyoshi and his son in a rebellion. We... were just helping the Japanese king... to kill the traitors and rebels!"

Zhu Yin paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Should we grant the Japanese king's request, Brother Yueying?"

Zheng Guowang's eyes flashed. "Why are you asking me? Since this is the request of the King of Japan, then just agree. He is, after all, the ruler of a country."

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "That's true. Even if he is captured, he is still the ruler of a country. The Ming Dynasty should give him the dignity and honor he deserves. So let's agree to his request."

What is the difference between executing prisoners in the name of the Ming army and executing rebels and traitors in the name of the Emperor?
If the Ming army were to kill prisoners, it would incite hatred among many Japanese people towards the Ming army, which would be detrimental to the plan to conquer Japan.

Executing rebels and traitors in the name of the Emperor would mislead the common people and benefit the next step of the plan.

Xu Wei then laughed and said, "So, it's not that our Ming delegation wants to commit violence in Kyoto. It's that Zhou Ren asked us to help him escape from Japan. These surviving ministers and direct descendants of the imperial family also hope that we can help them escape from Hideyoshi's control."

"The Japanese king pleaded desperately, treating the Ming Dynasty delegation as his lifeline, asking them to help him regain power. After careful consideration, the Ming Dynasty envoy, seeing that the Japanese king and his ministers were loyal to the Ming Dynasty, finally agreed to help."

"However, the mission had limited capacity and could only take one hundred people with it. Most people could not be taken. After the news leaked, those nobles and members of the collateral imperial family who could not be taken, fearing repercussions later, united to stop the Japanese emperor and even tipped off the Japanese troops at Jurakudai..."

"This is rebellion. So the Japanese king requested the mission to suppress them, with no mercy shown..."

Zhu Yin and Zheng Guowang couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.

...

Zhu Yin walked up to the Japanese Emperor and said in a low voice:
“Zhou Ren, didn’t you want to know why we’re doing this? Because you asked us to do it…”

Zhou Ren trembled with anger after hearing Zhu Yin's words.

He never imagined that Zhu Yin would do such a thing and come up with such a vicious trick.

“Zhu Yin…” Zhou Ren’s face twisted slightly, “You’re a demon…”

Zhu Yin stared coldly into his terrified eyes, "If you cooperate, I guarantee that you, the Queen, and all the princesses and princes of your direct line will have a way out. You'll be wealthy men in the Ming Dynasty. It's no worse than being a puppet in Japan."

“But if you don’t cooperate…” He pointed at the Jurchen warriors and lowered his voice, “See those Jurchen warriors? I’ll give them all your queen, your sister, and the others, and let them suffer a fate worse than death in front of you!”

"Your young son and your teenage brother will also be executed by slow slicing. As for yourself..."

Zhou Ren trembled all over, but a pleading look appeared in his eyes.

This Ming Dynasty envoy was clearly a young man, so why was he so ruthless? Why? Why did he hate Japan so much?

Zhu Yin continued to murmur, "What's so difficult about dying? I suppose you're not afraid of death. But there are many things in this world that are far more terrifying than death. Do you really want to try it?"

Zhou Ren closed his eyes in pain and despair, his throat churning violently, and snot running down his face.

Where is the former elegance now?
After a long while, he opened his sorrowful eyes and said in a hoarse voice:

"What...do you need me to do?"

……

At noon, the Emperor and the Imperial Court issued an edict to execute traitors and rebels in the square in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate!

The imperial edict stated that Toyotomi Hideyoshi had deceived the emperor, plotted to establish himself as emperor, and intended to destroy the imperial court. Left with no other choice, the emperor sought help from the Ming Dynasty's envoy, which led to the Kyoto coup, resulting in the events of today.

These traitors and rebels are utterly disloyal. Because they cannot leave together and fear being purged by Hideyoshi, they intend to join Hideyoshi and betray the emperor.

As the Emperor of Japan, I should rightfully hold the reins of the court and bring peace and prosperity to Japan. However, Hideyoshi has seized power and established himself as emperor. I am not only powerless to do so, but the imperial family is also in danger of collapse.

Therefore, I have decided to heed the guidance of Amaterasu Omikami and lead the imperial court to accompany the Ming Dynasty delegation to the Ming Dynasty to ask the Ming Emperor to uphold justice, restore order, and allow Japan to resume its imperial laws and restore the dignity of the Son of Heaven.

Along with the imperial edict announcing the execution of the rebels and their officials, the emperor also dismissed Toyotomi Hideyoshi from his position as Grand Minister of State and Toyotomi Hidetsugu from his position as Regent.

At the same time, Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed Shogun, and the Edo Shogunate was established to uphold the emperor and eliminate traitors.

He appointed Yoshihiro Shimazu as the explorer of Kyushu.

Date Masamune was appointed as the voyage leader of Oshu.

He appointed Mori Terumoto as Kanpaku (regent).

The third imperial edict called upon all warriors to cease serving the Toyotomi clan and instead rise up against them.

The fourth imperial edict called for friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty. The Ming army would one day escort the court back to the capital…

When the people of Kyoto heard the Emperor issue four edicts in public, they could hardly believe their eyes and ears.

Could it be that the Ming delegation dared to do this because it was truly at the Emperor's request?
Whether the people of Kyoto believed it or not was no longer important, because hundreds of heads of "traitors and rebels" had already been cut off.

Then, the Emperor and the Imperial Court issued the "Imperial Edict of Temporary Farewell to the Capital," bidding a temporary farewell to the people of Kyoto before heading to Beijing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the "Imperial Edict on Temporary Farewell to the Capital" emphasized that the emperor and the court would definitely return.

Let all the people of God's kingdom wait for their return.

Having done all this, Zhu Yin walked up to Emperor Zhou Ren in front of the onlookers, cupped his hands, and said:

"Your Majesty, there is no time to lose. I believe Your Majesty should set off now."

Zhou Ren said loudly, "Then I will leave it to Your Excellency, the Ming Envoy. I am extremely grateful! Please, Your Excellency!"

Zhu Yin smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please!"

Immediately afterward, under the "protection" of the Ming Dynasty delegation, the Emperor bid a tearful farewell to the people of Kyoto, boarded the oxcart reserved for the Japanese Emperor, and slowly headed towards the dock.

"Your Majesty!" The people of Kyoto knelt down and kowtowed to the oxcart that was gradually disappearing into the distance, and many of them wailed and cried.

But many more people are puzzled and unaware of the truth.

Half an hour later, several large ships set off from the dock and sailed down the river.

The dragon returns to the sea!

P.S.: Please vote with monthly tickets! It's a long chapter of almost 7,000 words! Some people might not like Little Tiger, thinking he's sinister. But he's a spy, so his personality can't be very upright.

(End of this chapter)