At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

The sun was shining brightly on Dongyi Street.

Gennosuke Shimazu was walking down the street, carrying a box of medicinal herbs, heading home.

At that moment, a figure caught his attention.

The man was wearing a black kimono and had a black samurai sword hanging at his waist.

Whenever he moved on the street, the black figure moved with him, and as soon as he stopped, the figure stopped immediately.

Such tracking techniques are quite clumsy.

Gennosuke knew that the person did it on purpose, to get his attention.

He was surprised that someone in the land of Dongyi would dare to play such a trick on him.

However, he was also very curious: who was this person?

Why follow him?

Suddenly, Gennosuke turned into a side alley, trying to lure the man out.

The moment he entered the alley, the figure appeared on the rooftop directly in front of him, no more than a hundred meters away.

The dark figure wore a mask and stared intently at him.

A moment later, the man slowly raised his right hand, pointed two fingers at his eyes, and then pointed his fingers at Gennosuke.

This is a hint that "I've got my eye on you."

After doing this, the person turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared into thin air.

Upon seeing this, Gennosuke gasped.

"What amazing ninjutsu!"

"Who is this person? Why are they following me?"

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Gennosuke turned around, walked out of the alley, and headed straight for his mansion.

……

Back home, Gennosuke immediately picked up a pen and paper and began to draw the image of the person he had just seen on a drawing board, relying on his memory.

Gennosuke had an exceptional talent for drawing from a young age, so the portraits he created were incredibly lifelike.

He rolled up the drawing, put it in a box, and then placed it in a hidden compartment on the wall of his study. He then activated the mechanism, and the compartment made a crisp sound, causing the portrait inside to disappear into thin air.

At the same time, a sound came from another hidden compartment.

Gennosuke immediately opened the hidden compartment and took out a slip of paper.

When he finished reading the note, he gasped, his pupils constricted, and he was utterly astonished.

He muttered to himself, "Thirty thousand naval troops, completely annihilated, twenty-five warships destroyed, and Admiral Murakami Heiji killed in action?"

This news seemed to possess the power of thunder, causing Gennosuke's already unsettled heart to pound wildly.

The loss of 30,000 naval troops would be shocking news for the entire nation of Dongyi.

"When did the Great Qian Navy acquire such formidable combat power?"

As Gennosuke spoke, he placed the note in front of the oil lamp and burned it to destroy it.

Boom boom boom!

Just as the note was burned to ashes, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door, followed by the butler's voice: "Master, His Majesty the Emperor has sent someone to inform you that he requests your immediate audience at the Chaoyin Palace."

"Go now, we can't afford to waste a moment."

Upon hearing this, Gennosuke did not hesitate. Instead, he picked up the coat beside him, put it on, and pushed open the door to walk out of the mansion.

He knew very well that His Majesty the Emperor had summoned him in this way because of the annihilation of the entire 30,000-strong naval force.

Thinking about it, he unconsciously quickened his pace.

……

Inside the Chaoyin Hall, Emperor Ito Jinmu and all his ministers were in the main hall, their eyes fixed on the mangled body stored in the main hall.

Ito Shinbu's face turned ashen, and after a long while, he became furious.

He turned to Minamoto Yoshikiyo and asked, "Is this corpse really Murakami Heiji's?"

"That's one of my naval admirals!"

"And what about my 30,000-strong navy?"

"The entire army was wiped out?"

As Ito Shinmu spoke, his eyes blazed with fury. He pointed at the corpse and roared at the assembled ministers.

In the imperial court, no one dared to come forward and answer his question directly.

After a long while, Fujiwara Shigenobu took a deep breath, mustered his courage, stepped forward, and bowed, replying, "Your Majesty, the token on this man is sufficient proof of Murakami Heiji's identity."

"The appearance of Murakami Heiji's command ship in the waters of Dongyi also indicates that our army has suffered a great defeat in this battle."

As he spoke, Fujiwara Shigenobu glanced at Minamoto no Yoshikiyo and gave him a meaningful look.

At this critical moment, Minamoto no Yoshikiyo reacted quickly, stepping forward and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, I will personally go to investigate the situation."

"No need!"

A figure strode in from outside the door.

The visitor was Gennosuke, who had come to pay his respects at the Emperor's request.

His words drew the attention of all the civil and military officials in the court, and all eyes turned to him.

"Your Majesty, I have received a report from my scouts that our Eastern Barbarian army of 30,000 has been completely annihilated."

Wow!

These words immediately broke the silence in the hall.

The atmosphere became tense and panicked.

Everyone in the court knew that any news that came from Gennosuke was an undeniable fact.

The annihilation of 30,000 naval troops was a devastating blow to the Dongyi people.

The implications are not simply the loss of 30,000 Eastern Barbarian sailors and a naval admiral.

This means that the strength of the Dongyi navy is no longer as overwhelming as it once was for the Daqian navy.

At this moment, Ito Jinmu and all the civil and military officials in the court had a question in mind.

That is—the rise of the Great Qian Navy?

"Absurd! Absurd!" Ito Kamuya shouted hysterically. "Didn't you all say that the Daqian navy was weak and that its warships were no match for the Dongyi?"

"Who can tell me how they wiped out my 30,000-strong navy?"

"Minamoto no Yoshikiyo, you tell us..."

Ito Shinmu's furious roar terrified Minamoto Yoshikiyo, who could only hunch over, shrink his neck, and stand in the line of ministers, not daring to step forward to answer the question.

At this moment, Gennosuke stepped forward and looked at Ito Jinmu, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down. According to the information I have received, the Great Qian Dynasty is building a batch of new warships. I think it is because their warships suddenly appeared and caught our army off guard."

"Therefore, the most urgent task is to find out what the new warships of the Great Qian look like."

"Furthermore, we, the Eastern Barbarians, must find a way to modify our warships and strengthen our naval power."

Upon hearing Gennosuke's words, Ito Shinbu took a deep breath, and half of his burning anger subsided.

He was also thinking that venting his anger on the ministers would not help at the moment; the most important thing was to find a way to deal with this sudden and drastic change.

"Your Majesty," Gennosuke continued, "from another perspective, the annihilation of these 30,000 naval troops also has one advantage."

These words stunned the entire audience.

The ministers below whispered among themselves, "Thirty thousand people have died, how can there be any benefit?"

"Yes, that's a bit too far-fetched."

"What is Gennosuke thinking? Is he just saying this on purpose to comfort His Majesty the Emperor?"

"Yes, that's 30,000 lives after all."

Gennosuke ignored the questions raised by the ministers around him and stared firmly at Ito Shinmu.

Ito Shinmu leaned forward and asked, "What do you mean by that, my dear minister?"

"Why would there be any benefits?"

Gennosuke cupped his hands in apology and replied, "Your Majesty, this at least serves as a reminder to us."

"The Great Qian Navy has risen to power, and it's no longer what it used to be!"

"We, the Eastern Barbarians, must take this seriously."

"If it weren't for this crushing defeat, our Dongyi navy would still be full of confidence and underestimate the enemy. When we finally went to war with the Daqian navy, we would be completely caught off guard."

There is an old saying in the Central Plains of the Great Qian Dynasty: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

"Your Majesty," Fujiwara Shigenobu, who had been listening to Gennosuke's words, immediately stepped forward, "I think Lord Gennosuke is absolutely right."

"This time, we were indeed caught off guard by the Great Qian."

"Therefore, we must act immediately!"

"Begin full-scale preparations for war!"