He changed Tiwat

The five sword-making families that won the "Godsword" festival were later known as the "Raiden Goden".

In fact, if a sixth swordsmith could forge the "Divine Sword" and win the festival, then the "Raiden Goden" would become the "Raiden Rokuden"—more than four hundred years ago, Mikoto Nagamasa, who wanted to revive his family's name, learned his craft from Niwa Nagahide while serving as the Ōtsutsugu (chief swordsmith), and that was the path he took.

If that "Da Ta Ba Chang Zheng" had not been destroyed back then, perhaps the "Five Transmissions of Thunder and Lightning" would have really become the "Six Transmissions of Thunder and Lightning".

In the "Inazuma Novel Collection" compiled by Mikoto Nagamasa, various famous weapons forged by Inazuma craftsmen are recorded in a categorized manner, among which is this "Mist-Gripper Reflection".

According to Mikoto Nagamasa's records, "Kirigiri no Kaiko" was originally named "Kirigiri Shiden Senju," and was a "divine sword" forged by the "Senju Den" of the "Raiden Goden." Therefore, the sword's shape resembled lightning, and its sharpness was so great that it could even cut through the invisible mountain mists and night fog, hence the name "Kirigiri Shiden."

Five hundred years ago, it was the personal waist accessory of the previous general, Raiden Shin-sama, and the thunder and lightning three-pointed star pattern on the hilt was a symbol of the general's personal accessory.

The name of "Kirigiri Takane," one of the four major martial arts schools in Inazuma, also comes from this "Kirigiri" sword.

People say that "Inoki Iwazo" is unparalleled in swordsmanship, but in fact, in the era of "Inoki Iwazo", there was another swordsman who could be as famous as him - that is "Kirigiri Takane".

Komine Kombu-maru was a junior disciple taken in by the Ōtengu Ryōzenbō. Even the name "Kombu-maru" was given to him by Ryōzenbō, so he could be considered Ryōzenbō's last disciple.

In terms of lineage and seniority, "Yinzhi Yanzang" Yuyu Daoqi still has to call Gaoling Kunbu Maru "Shishu" (a term of respect for a senior master).

Takane Kombumaru mastered the essence of Tengu swordsmanship and archery on Mount Kageshiro, becoming a master in both. After completing his skills, he was recruited by Kujo Shigeyori, the then-governor of the Tenryo Regency, and became a hatamoto of the Tenryo Regency.

Later, due to his martial arts skills, he was valued by the general and was recruited by the general, given the position of general's cavalry, and given the divine sword "Mist-Giri Shiden Senju" - which is also the origin of the name "Mist-Giri Takane".

Becoming a Shogun's retainer essentially meant becoming a direct retainer of the Shogun, a position comparable to the then-unremarkable Kujo clan. Later, Kujo Shigeyori married his beloved daughter to Takane Kombu-maru, demonstrating his confidence in Shogun's future.

Takane Kombumaru once traveled the archipelago with Asase Hibiki, one of the "Three Shadow Actors" and a fellow disciple of his, using this "Mist Cutter" to slay countless demons.

During that journey to exorcise demons, Takamine Kombumaru comprehended a secret sword technique that rivaled "Tengu Shou" and was also known as "Mist Cutter"—it is said that this sword can not only cleave through mountain mists and night fog, but also slay invisible spirits such as "evil spirits".

However, the secret sword "Mist Cutter" has no descendants and only exists in storybooks, illustrations and nursery rhymes.

During the "Dark Calamity," Takane Kombu-maru, a cavalryman of the general, embarks on an expedition to Kanria with the general, facing the dark forces in the general's ranks.

Like an endless barrage of lightning, he and "Mist Cutter" slashed down countless demons. But in the end, swords could not match the swordsman's unwavering determination and resilience, gradually shattering, and the thick, dark fog completely engulfed him...

Later, when the Great Lord arrived at the battlefield, he only found the heavily wounded and dying General and the thousands of fragments left after the "Mist Cutter" was shattered.

The lord ordered his men to retrieve the fragments of the former shogun's belt ornament and recast them, naming it "The Return of the Mist Cutter" in the name of "a final burst of light."

As a tribute to the previous shogun, this "Mist-Cutting Reflection" was stored in the castle tower's armory and never shown to anyone again—but today, Sara saw this "national treasure" in Kujo Takayuki's hands.

“Sara, why do you think this ‘Mist Cutter’ ended up in my hands? Why was ‘Mikage Furnace’ entrusted to my Heavenly Territory Commissioner for construction? And why was the Tamashiro Sand placed under the jurisdiction of my Heavenly Territory Commissioner?”

"And..." He gestured with his eyes to the puppet body lying on the ground, "Why would the General allow my Kujo clan to keep the puppet swordsman he forged in his manor? Sara, do you understand now?"

Saro lowered her head.

Actually, she already understood after Kujo Takayuki took out the "Foggy Glitter".

The general knows everything.

Everything was at the General's behest.

In a noble mansion not far from the Tianling Magistrate's Office, a young lady was reading by lamplight in the courtyard, undisturbed by the noise of the outside world.

"The so-called mountain bandits are the children of war."

When she got really into it, the young lady couldn't help but recite the lines from the book aloud, full of praise.

She was deeply moved by those words.

The book in her hand was the new book released by Yaedo the day before yesterday, "The Record of Picking Up the Sword in Autumn".

This was her second time reading the book, yet she still couldn't put it down, and even seemed reluctant to go to sleep.

Someone gently reminded him from the side, "Lord Sumida, I've brought you a midnight snack. Also, it's getting late, you should get some rest."

The person speaking was her follower, Afu.

To be precise, Afu should be considered a "retainer" of the Sumida family, of course, a "retainer" taken in by Miss Sumida on her own initiative.

The Sumida family held positions in the shogunate's government office and had a deep connection with the acting head of the office, Lord Nagaoka Hidemitsu. A century ago, they would have been considered a prominent family. However, now that the shogunate's government office has been sidelined by the Tenryō magistrate, the Sumida family has been relegated to a less important position.

This Miss Sumida inherited the blood of her father and grandfather as literary figures. She loved reading novels and even more so, writing them. Unfortunately, none of her novels were ever completed—because her pursuit of novels was somewhat unconventional.

While other novelists typically pride themselves on their boundless imagination, Miss Sumida prioritizes "realism" in her novels.

"Going to 'Musou Blade's Edge' to describe the lightning disaster", "Going to 'Snake God's Head' to describe the snake demon", "Joining the army at the Tenryo Magistrate's Office to describe military life"... Miss Sumida's deadlines were consumed by these endless "gathering trips".

If the "study trip" yielded results, that would be fine, but the key issue is that Miss Sumida's study trips have never been successful.

She dared not approach the "No Thought Blade Narrow Space," nor could she climb the "Head of the Serpent God," and besides, the Heavenly Territory Enforcer did not accept female soldiers at all, and even if they did, they would not dare to accept a young lady like her...

Moreover, Inazuma has been unstable in recent years, with many bandits like the Sea Demon, making research a very dangerous undertaking. A few months ago, Miss Sumida went to the countryside to gather information by herself, and was robbed by bandits on the way.

At that time, not only was Miss Sumida robbed of her money, but she was also captured and taken back to the bandits' stronghold. Whether she could return safely was another matter.

The fisherman Afu who happened to be passing by rescued her at that time.

No one knows how Ah Fu managed it, but after the passing fisherman had a friendly conversation with a dozen or so bandits, the bandits not only returned the money, but also gave him a lot of commemorative coins with crow patterns!

She felt that it could be written into an interesting plot, but A-Fu just wouldn't tell her the details—so Miss Sumida kept A-Fu by her side, determined to find out A-Fu's story.

Later, unable to resist Miss Sumida's persistent pleading, Afu confessed to her that his ancestors had worked in the Tabusa Military Equipment Bureau, but later moved to Narukami Island due to unforeseen circumstances. Although he made a living by fishing, he had mastered the skills passed down from his ancestors and had some means of self-defense, making him more than capable of dealing with bandits.

What surprised Miss Sumida even more was that Afu was literate and had surprisingly good literary appreciation skills.

So later, the responsibility of "gathering materials" was entirely dumped on Akagi by Miss Sumida.

She couldn't go to the "Shadowless Blade Crossing" herself, but she could let A-Fu go; she couldn't climb the "Head of the Serpent God" herself, but she could let A-Fu climb it... It seemed that no place she couldn't gather material for herself was difficult for A-Fu. Now, the photos from these two places were already on Miss Sumida's desk.

Hmm, there's also the matter of joining the army... Ah-Fu is so strong, the Heavenly Commander will definitely be scrambling to get him.

However, Sumida is no longer planning to let Akagi join the army.

"A-Fu!" Mo Tian called his name, waving the scroll "The Record of Finding the Sword in Autumn" at him. "Look at this part! What do you think this part means?"

Afu naturally swapped the book in the young lady's hand with the food box in his hand—he was already used to the young lady's ability to transform into a "literary girl" at any time.

The passage that Miss Sumida was referring to was a dialogue between the Suruga Shogun, Imagawa Ujizane, and the male protagonist, Bitchu Shinkuro, in the book.

The character of General Imagawa Ujizane in the book is quite interesting.

This man was originally a local daimyo and also a swordsman of the "Imagawa school". Because the former shogun Danjō-tada Nobunaga implemented harsh policies, he led his troops to ambush at Okehazama Mountain, took the head of the great demon king Danjō-tada Nobunaga, and established the Suruga shogunate's hegemony.

He was also a man of great literary talent, loved reading, and enjoyed playing karuta (Japanese card games). He composed 1,700 waka poems and was a top-notch cuju (ancient Chinese football) player. He often played cuju with the townspeople and was very popular among them.

However, after becoming the shogun, Imagawa Ujizane seemed to have become a different person. He began to favor sycophants and alienate the virtuous and capable, and implemented even harsher policies than his predecessor, causing the people to suffer.

Bitchu Shinkuro, originally named Bitchu Kyubei, was the personal military strategist and advisor of the great shogun Imagawa Ujizane, assisting the shogun in the Battle of Okehazama.

However, after the Shogun established the shogunate, he no longer favored Bichū Kyubei, but instead heavily relied on the treacherous Dainagon Miura Uemon, allowing Miura Uemon to control the government.

Bichū Kyubei directly remonstrated with Miura Uemon, vehemently denouncing his actions of harming the people and persecuting loyal officials. He also cited evidence that Miura Uemon had intercepted memorials from loyal retainers, misleading the shogun into implementing erroneous policies.

He asked the general, "The Suruga Islands are filled with starving and freezing infants, fish waiting to be slaughtered on the chopping block. Does the general know this?"

However, the general replied with a poem:

"Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle."

Upon hearing this, Bitchu Kyubei became disheartened and left the shogunate, becoming the wandering swordsman Shinkuro.

What Sumida asked Afu was the meaning of the phrase "Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle".

After a moment's thought, Afu replied, "Clouds are naturally floating in the sky, and clear water is contained in a bottle... This waka poem means to follow the natural course of things. Things are what they are, and one should act according to their inherent nature and position."

"The retainers in the shogunate, whether it's Shinkuro or Miura Uemon... some are like clouds in the sky, some are like water in a bottle, they just do different things."

Sumida asked, somewhat confused, "Uh...so you mean, this general doesn't think that Miura is a traitor?"

"Yes, that's exactly what the general meant when he replied to Shin-Kuro—"

"They are all loyal ministers, there are no treacherous ministers."

Ah-Fu said.

Mo Tian stamped his foot: "This general is really muddleheaded."

Afu shook his head: "This general is actually very clear-headed, because the clouds in the sky and the water in the bottle lose their meaning without people. The general is the only 'person'."

“Huh…” Sumida’s eyes widened. “So, actually, the main villain in this novel isn’t the treacherous minister Miura Dainagon? But… the shogun?”

At that moment, the faint sound of thunder could be heard in the sky.

Afu glanced at the sky and whispered, "Lord Sumida, it's thundering... Let's go inside quickly."

Miss Sumida stubbornly shook her head: "But the male protagonist, Shinkuro, still cares about the general and wants to rid the general of treacherous officials! How could the general be a bad person?"

Afu smiled and said, "As you know, in our Inazuma, there is only one person who can command thunder and lightning—that is the General."

Chapter 165 Is there anyone left to shelter the general from the wind and rain? [4k]

The bridge of the "Tianheng" was already in a state of combat readiness, and preparations were being carried out intensively according to the orders of Captain Su Yong.

Vice Minister Han plans to launch the Kannazuka attack operation at dawn tomorrow, August 31, with the "Tianheng" ship undertaking the main attack mission.

Although the plan was to begin at dawn the next day, and there were still several hours until then, the entire crew of the "Tianheng" was already in a state of high alert.

If the previous operation by the "Tianheng" to destroy the "Shenju Island Collapse Artillery" position could be considered a "self-defense counterattack," then this operation was a true "proactive offensive."

Of course, if he had to find an excuse, Han Fulai could come up with a whole bunch of excuses and change the nature of the matter back to "self-defense counterattack"... but doing so would be meaningless.

After all, he would have to face the Thunder General after this battle.

This attack on the Kannazuka Kujou Jinya actually has the potential to force the Thunder General out of the castle tower. In other words, the enemy the "Tenheng" is facing is not the Tenryo Magistrate and a mere castle, but the god behind the Tenryo Magistrate.

In the face of divine power, making excuses only invites ridicule.

In Han Fulai's words, there is only one way to talk to Thor—"talk to her based on your strength and status."

After Han Fulai announced the operational plan, the most distressed person was actually Staff Officer Su: this champion of wargaming simulations in the Qianyan Army had conducted numerous simulations, but no matter how he simulated them, he could not achieve the predetermined objectives. The operational requirements demanded by Han Fulai were simply beyond the existing capabilities of the "Tianheng".

To put it another way, in Su Ding's words, Han Fulai's battle plan should probably not be called a "battle plan," but rather a "battlefield magic trick."

However, the job of an advisor is to implement the commander-in-chief's strategic intentions tactically.

Therefore, in the final battle plan he submitted to Han Fulai, he could only specify all the conditions required to achieve the tactics and demand that his superior meet them.

The good news is... Han Fulai actually agreed immediately.

Since Vice Minister Han said it's okay, then it's okay, and it's also okay if it's not.

Well, in a way, the two hundred officers and soldiers of the Qianyan Army on the "Tianheng" were like "magic assistants," watching a "magic show" led by Vice Minister Han at the closest distance, waiting for a "moment to witness a miracle."

Compared to the tense and focused Staff Officer Su and his colleagues, there was someone on the bridge who seemed quite relaxed—Han's assistant secretary and Liyue Trade Representative, Xingqiu.

The second young lady was still writing a novel at this time.

However, for the second young lady, she is also fighting; her writing is a second battlefield, which may be no less important than the main battlefield.

The first volume of "The Record of Shen Qiu Picking Up the Sword" has already been published in Inazuma City, and the second volume will soon be born from her pen.

Normally, Yaedo publishes light novels on a "quarterly" basis, meaning a new batch of works is published every three months or so, with each volume typically containing around 100,000 words.

For a typical light novel author, writing 100,000 words in three months is a very difficult task, and many authors will come up with all sorts of bizarre reasons to delay submitting their manuscripts...

However, Zhenyu, a teacher from Liyue, possesses a writing speed of "10,000 words a day" that crushes the entire Teyvat publishing industry.

Currently, Teacher Zhenyu is writing the manuscript for the second volume of "Chenqiu's Record of Picking Up the Sword":

The bells of Gion Shrine toll, telling of the impermanence of all things in the world;

The flowers of the Sal tree have lost their luster; the most vibrant have faded like the vicissitudes of life.

Extravagance and debauchery are fleeting, like a dream on a spring night.

The tyrannical and domineering will eventually perish, like dust rising in the wind.

After Imagawa Ujizane obtained the throne, his vision was no longer limited to the small island of Suruga; his gaze had turned to the vast universe.

He stood on a tiny planet on the edge of the universe, yet his eyes held the vast Milky Way.

The "General Who Conquers the Barbarians" also aims to conquer the universe.

In the vast universe, Suruga is but a drop in the ocean.

To conquer the universe, he would need an "eternal" lifespan.

Therefore, he secluded himself in the castle tower, built a hermitage, and devoted himself to meditation every day, no longer attending court. The administration of the court almost entirely fell into the hands of the powerful minister, Miura Dainagon Uemon.

Meanwhile, in the desolate village of Asada, the former military advisor to the shogunate, now a wandering swordsman named Shinkuro, is igniting a flame of rebellion against the shogunate.

Not only the local bandits, but even the government troops sent by the shogunate to suppress them all fled in disarray before Shin-Kuro's "Ikki-shu".

The peasant uprising has a long history in Suruga. Generals throughout history have never believed that these peasants could rebel against the heavens—they thought it was just a disturbance, and that they could be easily dismissed by giving them some grain.

However, Shinkuro's "Ikki Shu" was different: a group of farmers who were protecting their village and would never have burned their homes and granaries to the ground... However, Shinkuro used "fire attack" in the battle, and at the cost of burning the entire Asada village to the ground, he annihilated the shogunate's samurai army!