He changed Tiwat

More than four hundred years ago, there was a great pirate on Qinglai Island named Akaho Hyakume Kizaemon. He led a fleet of more than ten pirate ships across the sea, subdued pirates from various islands, fought countless battles, and became the overlord of the sea at that time, known as the "Pirate King".

In ancient times, naval battles were mainly boarding maneuvers. Akako Hyakume Kizaemon was always the first to jump onto the enemy ship during boarding maneuvers, using his fishing spear as a weapon to pierce through the enemy lines, displaying unparalleled bravery. It is said that he had nearly a hundred battle wounds of varying sizes, yet none of them could take his life. Therefore, the pirates of the time gave him another nickname: "The Immortal Demon of Kiyora".

Just like Haiqi Island today, Qinglai Island is also a rather barren land.

This place was once the site of a war between demons and gods. The Thunder God and the Thunder Bird fought here, and finally sealed it in the center of Qinglai Island, in a basin called "Tianyun Pass". This basin was originally a towering cliff, but it was shaved into a basin due to the battle between demons and gods. The mountain peaks were imprisoned in mid-air by divine power and became the place where the Thunder Bird was sealed.

Naturally, the aftershocks of the demon battle created ruins like the "Musou Blade Crossing," leaving the island filled with "lightning calamity."

While Narukami Island and Hachiyū Island still have arable land, Seirai Island is truly desolate. Coupled with the impact of the Demon God War, the people here have no way out but to make a living at sea.

Fortunately, the island of Qinglai also has the Otogi tree, which is very suitable for shipbuilding, and the people of Qinglai Island have learned excellent shipbuilding techniques over the long years. In the past, almost all the ships in Inazuma were made by the shipwrights of Qinglai Island.

Kizaemon Akako was able to possess a large ship like the "Seiraimaru" and achieve great fame because Seiraimaru Island had the best seagoing vessels of that era.

Of course, Kiyorai Island was, after all, Inazuma territory, and the shogunate would not completely abandon it. The shogunate sent administrators to Kiyorai Island to deal with the "lightning disaster" on the island.

The Asase family, a lineage of shrine maidens on the island, has been suppressing the "thunder calamity" for generations. The Asase Shrine is to Seirai Island what the Narukami Shrine is to Narukami Island.

More than four hundred years ago, the chief priest of Asase Shrine was the famous "demon-slaying priestess" Asase Hibiki.

According to the regulations of the shogunate, Asase Hibiki's official position should be the Daimyo who guards Seirai Island, that is, the Seirai no Kami.

However, the title of Kiyō no Kami has now been removed, and the Asase family has long since died out... After all, the Kiyō no Kami, Asase Hibiki, ultimately raised the banner of rebellion against Raijin.

"Raise the flag of rebellion against Raijin?" Xingqiu couldn't help but interject. "I've heard of the name Asase Hibiki. She, along with Mikoto Nagamasa and Yuugami Harunosuke, are known as the 'Three Shadow Actors,' and they have a great reputation. Moreover, as the hereditary guardian daimyo, shouldn't the Asase family be the most loyal to Raijin?"

“Yes.” Han Fulai nodded. “What’s even stranger is that Asase Hibiki’s rebellion happened after she was very old. A priestess who had been loyal to General Raiden for most of her life suddenly rebelled at the end. The reasons behind this are quite intriguing.”

He once studied under the tutelage of the Great Tengu Reisenbo of Kagemaki Mountain and was known as one of the "Three Kagemaki Actors". He was a close friend of the priest of Narukami Taisha Shrine, and traveled the archipelago with "Kirigiri Takane" to exorcise demons. Asase Hibiki should have been the most loyal guardian daimyo to the Inatsuma Shogunate.

During the "Dark Calamity," Asase Hibiki used her exorcising archery skills to protect Inazuma from many calamities, making great contributions. After the "Dark Calamity" ended, Asase Hibiki returned to her hometown, Seirai Island, where she managed her hometown as the priest of a shrine and the guardian daimyo... until the rise of "Pirate King" Ako Hyakume Kizaemon.

The first to raise the banner of rebellion against Thor was none other than the "Pirate King" Ako, Kizaemon.

Even though he was known as the "immortal demon of the pure sound," Akaho Hyakume Kizaemon was just a human being, and of course he could die... He must have known how foolish it was to raise the flag of rebellion against the gods.

The mere "Pirate King" is probably no different from an ant in the eyes of the gods.

But he did it anyway.

Because if they didn't rebel, they wouldn't survive.

During the "Dark Calamity," the Inazuma Islands were all attacked by the monsters of Kanria. Narukami Island, protected by the shogunate army and the demon race, and Umigi Island, protected by the divine power of Orobas, were able to protect themselves to some extent in this disaster. However, a "countryside" like Seirai Island undoubtedly suffered a devastating blow in the "Dark Calamity."

The already impoverished Qinglai Island, further ravaged by war, must have been in a truly dire state; one can only imagine.

Furthermore, after the "Dark Calamity," General Raiden announced his seclusion... In other words, General Raiden completely ignored the post-war reconstruction efforts.

It was clearly difficult for Hibiki Asase to support Seirai Island on her own, and her old friends who were able to help her—her master Reizenbo, her friend Kosai-miya, her lover Takane Kombu-maru—had all perished in the "dark calamity."

To put it bluntly, even this guardian daimyo of Qinglai Island couldn't conjure up enough rice for her fellow villagers to eat their fill.

Therefore, the only possible path that young people like Kizaemon Ako could think of at that time was—

“Looting.” Xingqiu uttered the word with a heavy tone.

As she wrote in "The Record of Shen Qiu Picking Up the Sword"—"The so-called mountain bandits are the children of war."

Pirates, on the other hand, are the embodiment of poverty.

If mountain bandits are farmers fighting against death, then sea pirates are fishermen fighting against death.

Some young people from Hiki Village also became pirates. The so-called leader of Hiki Village, Washizu, even wrote in his notebook that he wanted to buy food from pirates... Most of the pirates and sea monsters roaming throughout Inazuma actually came from this source...

It's all about survival.

"Akako Hyakume Kizaemon became the 'Pirate King,' but the empty title of 'Pirate King' couldn't buy rice, nor could it support his fellow villagers... The poor have no money, so if they want to rob someone, they'll rob the richest one. The richest one in Inazuma is the Shogun. So Akako Hyakume Kizaemon raised the banner of rebellion against the Shogunate."

Han Fulai said.

"I heard that a rebellion broke out on Qinglai Island, and the shogunate reacted very quickly. The shogunate immediately dispatched a naval fleet to Qinglai Island to suppress it."

"The daimyo of Seirai Island, who was supposed to help the shogunate to suppress the pirates, the renowned Asase Hibiki, actually boarded the pirate flagship 'Seirai Maru' and fought against the shogunate's fleet with them."

Faced with the banner of "Thunder Triple Tomoe," the priestess used the secret technique she learned from Shadow Mountain to break the great barrier that had been maintained on Qinglai Island for thousands of years and unleash the thunder.

The dying resentment of the Purple Lightning Kite swept across the entire Qinglai Island sea area.

Since then, the thunderstorms on Qinglai Island have never stopped.

"The daimyo who guarded the Qinglai betrayed the shogunate and perished together with the shogunate's fleet... Such an event undermined the shogunate's authority, so it was hidden by the shogunate afterward and eventually became a distant legend."

"People say that the 'immortal demon of Seirai,' Akako Hyakume Kizaemon, did not die in the thunderstorm. He still sails the seas on his flagship, the 'Seirai Maru'... The 'Seirai Maru' later became a famous 'ghost ship.' In fact, the legend of this ghost ship is a symbol of resistance against the shogunate."

After Han Fu finished telling the story, he sighed softly.

Xingqiu pursed his lips and said, "Brother Han is talking about the upcoming confrontation with Thor, right... But I believe that our 'Tianheng' will not become the next 'Qinglai Pill'."

"Of course." Han Fulai smiled reassuringly at Xingqiu.

As dawn broke, the fog dissipated.

The outline of Kannazuka is already visible on the sea level.

In the distance, thunder rumbled from Qinglai Island, like the roar of a thunderbird.

He imagined that more than four hundred years ago, young people from Qinglai Island boarded the "Qinglai Maru" and sang a ship song for their voyage.

"The time to set sail has come; our swords and spears are sharpened. Let those officers and soldiers see Qinglai's backbone!"

The boat song traveled through more than four hundred years and reached his ears.

Han Fulai lightly patted the gunwale of the boat and recited two lines of poetry: "When he was in a high pavilion, he was adjusting the cauldron, but alas, the world had complaints."

"It's time to let General Thunder know that some silences are deafening."

Chapter 169 The water that capsized the boat is the tears of the common people; you won't know until you see it in a raging torrent. [4k5]

Kannazuka, Kujou Jinya.

Kujo Masahiro, the commander-in-chief of the shogunate army, did not sleep a wink last night.

Because of restlessness.

It was like a premonition; he always felt that something was about to happen, or had already happened.

The defeat at Nashiina resulted in the loss of 5,000 elite troops in one fell swoop. The vanguard general and his sworn sister, Sara, were also captured by the enemy. Even the "Kamijujima Collapse Cannon," considered the "hammer of Thor," was destroyed... Every single event caused sleepless nights and uneasy thoughts.

In recent days, in addition to inspecting the camp and reinforcing the defenses every day, Kujo Masahiro has also held several military councils to discuss strategies to defeat the enemy. The conclusion of the military councils is that there is no way to defeat the enemy.

Yes, there's no way around it.

Defeat was almost a foregone conclusion.

The shogunate army under the Tenryo magistrate was said to number 10,000, but in reality, only about 3,000 were truly combat-ready samurai; the rest were merely foot soldiers temporarily conscripted to fill the ranks.

And these real fighting forces were almost completely wiped out at Meishida Beach.

Sara's personal guard, the "Horse-Returning Army," including spear general Fujita Sanshiro and foot soldier general Kayama Tadao, were all veteran soldiers, the true elite of the shogunate army; while the samurai general Kosaka Izumi took from the main camp were direct retainers of the Tenryō magistrate, the Kujō family's wealth accumulated over hundreds of years... In the end, they were all wiped out at Nashiina.

Although there were still 5,000 troops remaining in the Kujo camp, most of them could only be described as "old, weak, sick, and disabled"—those who were young and strong and wanted to make a name for themselves had naturally gone to the front lines with General Kujo Sara to compete for merit, while those who stayed in the Kannazuka camp were basically laid up and had little actual combat strength, probably less than half of Sara's troops...

With these people fighting against the resistance forces aided by the Liyue Thousand Rock Army, Kujo Masahito sees no chance of victory.

Unless... the General himself takes action.

Kujo Masahito sat motionless in front of the sand table, his eyes fixed on the line between Kannazuka and Kanagin Island—he was certain that if the resistance made any move, it would come from this direction.

The line on the sand table represents the supply line for the Shogunate army.

Contrary to popular belief, Kujo Masahito was not the kind of spoiled rich kid who lived off his parents' wealth.

In fact, this eldest son of the Kujo family was quite knowledgeable in military strategy, especially skilled in the military engineering techniques passed down in the Kujo family. Before Sara was adopted by Kujo Takayuki, Kujo Masahiro had already been sent to the army for training by Kujo Takayuki. In terms of prestige in the army, Sara was first, and Kujo Masahiro was second.

Although overshadowed by his adopted sister's dazzling brilliance, Kujo Masahito's own talent was actually sufficient to make him the successor to the position of Tenryō magistrate.

Moreover, compared to his sworn sister Sara, who was rigid in her actions, this Prince Masahito possessed a rare and precious kindness, and was considered the most lenient towards his subordinates in the army.

Sara had complained a lot about Kujo Masahiro's lax discipline in managing his troops, but Masahiro usually just laughed it off. He knew very well that harsh laws and punishments could not buy true loyalty, and might even have the opposite effect—wasn't that how the resistance was forced into existence?

Of those conscripted laborers, how many were truly willing to risk their lives for the shogunate and the Kujō family?

To be honest... if his father hadn't been so oppressive to Haizhi Island, this war might not have happened.

In addition, he knew better than anyone where the court's military funds went—after all, besides his position as the head of the banner administration, Kujo Masahito also held the official position of the fourth-rank "Minister of War" in the court.

...It was precisely because he knew too much that Kujo Masahito felt uneasy.

His position as "Minister of War" was essentially just a figurehead. Military power was currently in the hands of the Tenryō Magistrate. Kujō Takayuki arranged for him to join the Ministry of War simply for the sake of legitimacy when leading troops.

Five hundred years ago, the Ministry of War of the Shogunate army comprised six major bureaus: Hayato Bureau, Hyōma Bureau, Arsenal Bureau, Drumming Bureau, Ship Bureau, and Hawk Bureau. It held a high position and great power, but now...

Hayato, who guarded the castle tower, was replaced by the Okuzume-kun of the Hyōe-bō (Hyōe-bō) and dismissed; the Hyōma-bō (Hyōma-bō) had hardly any horses and was therefore unnecessary, so it was also dismissed; the Drumming Division's military band was not even as skilled as the musicians employed by the Kujō family, so it was also dismissed; the Naval Commander of the Chief Ship Commander was completely wiped out on Qinglai Island four hundred years ago, and the few remaining members were just swept away by the Liyue people's warships; the Falcon Commander was the guard who accompanied the Shogun on hunts, but the Shogun has been staying at home for almost five hundred years...

So the Ministry of War was left with only the Military Equipment Manufacturing Division... which is now in the hands of the rebels.

However, because of his position as Minister of War, he was obligated to review the military expenditures of Inazuma.

For Kujo Takayuki, showing the account books to his own son was not a big deal, but Kujo Masahito felt colder than anyone else after seeing the account books.

For example, the "Karei ceremony" held by the Kujo family in Inatsuma Castle a while ago was funded by the pensions that the shogunate army should have distributed to the families of fallen soldiers.

Even the compensation for fallen soldiers couldn't reach their families—would anyone really be willing to risk their life for such a shogunate?

However, his father's order was to stay put.

He was forced to stay on the island with these soldiers who were disloyal to the shogunate, awaiting their inevitable fate.

As the frontline commander of the shogunate army, Kujo Masahiro's command strategy was actually without any flaws.

According to his original strategy, the most prudent strategy was to use the range of the "Kamijujima Collapse Cannon" as the area under the control of the Shogunate army, and to use the Futsuna camp as the forward base to fight a war of attrition against the resource-poor rebels.

Building strongholds and fighting protracted battles may seem like a clumsy method, but it is a military strategy known as "using the right approach to engage the enemy."

Facing an opponent like Coral Palace Heart Sea who wins through unconventional tactics, the real "sure-win strategy" is to openly and honestly compete with her in terms of logistics and attrition.

With the support of Liyue, Haiqi Island suddenly had a large amount of military rations and medicine, and even possessed firepower exceeding that of the "Kamiju Island Collapse Cannon"—something no one could have predicted. It was not a fault of the battle, nor was it his responsibility for command.

However, the problem he faced was precisely the biggest advantage the Shogunate army had ever had: logistical support.

Kannazuka's terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it also has fortifications and strongholds built by the Kujo family over the years, so it is not difficult to hold it for a short time. However, after losing the "Kamijujima Collapse Cannon", the logistical supply route between Kannazuka and Narukami Island is actually completely undefended.

If the enemy were to launch the "Tianheng" and cut off the supply route between Kannazuka and Narukami Island, the Kannazuka camp would become a true isolated island.

To put it bluntly, without the "Kamijujima Collapse Cannon," even with its natural defenses, the "Kujo Jinya" fortress is practically indefensible—after all, any fortification needs to be defended, and people need to eat. Even if you fill the island with all sorts of fortifications and bunkers, if the enemy cuts off your supply lines, you'll just starve to death, won't you?

From a strategic perspective, after the Battle of Nashiina, the Shogunate army should have actually withdrawn to Inazuma Castle.

Without considering the Shogun's intervention, the Shogunate army should withdraw to Narukami Island, harvest the autumn crops, and then implement a scorched-earth policy. Leveraging the walls of Inazuma Castle and the strategic depth of Narukami Island, they can engage the rebels in another protracted and stalemate-like battle.

No matter how powerful the Liyue people's ships are, they can't sail onto land, right?

No matter how much food you bring on your ship, how long can it sustain Haizhi Island?

Furthermore, Liyue has not formally declared war on Inazuma, so it is unlikely to get too deeply involved in the war... Kujo Masahito believes that retreating to Narukami Island is the best strategy, and he also wrote a letter to his father, Kujo Takayuki, suggesting this.

But all he received in return was the wrath of Kujo Takayuki.

Of course, Kujo Masahito understood his father's anger.

"Kujou Jinya" is the place where the Kujou family rose to prominence, and it is of great significance to the Kujou family. It must not fall into the hands of outsiders.

From the perspective of the Tenryo magistrate, if Kujo Masahito fought to the death here, he would have been loyal to the shogun to the very end, and the spirit of the Kujo family would still remain. Although he was defeated, he was still honorable. If he had abandoned the position and retreated, he would have died as well, and it would have been a shameful death that disgraced the family name.

So even if I'm going to die, I can only die here.

However, Kujo Masahito still couldn't help but feel a deep sorrow, for himself and for the soldiers who were destined to perish.

In the eyes of others, he was the eldest son of the Kujo family, the heir to the Tenryō magistrate, the Minister of War in charge of the shogunate army, and a high-ranking official with great power at a young age... However, the real Kujo Masahito was nothing more than a pitiful wretch who could not even control when he fought or where he died.

All he could do now was pray in his own camp.

First, we pray that the people of Liyue will not actually declare war on the Inazuma Shogunate—the resistance forces on Haigi Island are not capable of cutting off the Shogunate's supply lines, and as long as Liyue's warships do not move, there is hope for holding out.

Secondly, they prayed for the arrival of the Shogun's might—as long as "Musou no Ichisaku" (a powerful sword) was present, the Shogunate could rest easy.

Just as Kujo Masahiro was in a state of utter confusion, someone called out "Young Master Masahiro" and pushed open the door to enter.

This is his command center, a heavily guarded area of ​​the military camp, not a place one can just enter casually. The fact that this person could enter without being announced and address him so affectionately clearly indicates he's no ordinary person.

This man's name was Tao Yilong, and he was a hereditary retainer of the Kujō family.

After the death of General Kosaka Izumi, known as "Kujo no Naka de" (Kujo's Blade), in the Battle of Nashiina, the position of General of the Shogunate Army was taken over by this Sue Yoshitaka—who also served as the military supervisor.

In addition... this person, like Izumi Kousaka, is also a handsome man.

Although Kujo Masahito was the commander-in-chief of the army, every decision he made actually had to be approved by these supervising officers.