He changed Tiwat

The "Tianheng" ship's energy reserves continuously replenished his energy, allowing him to quickly recover his strength. Even if General Leidian were to strike again, he would be able to withstand it.

He was practically invincible until the "Tianheng" ran out of energy.

This is also the source of his confidence to challenge General Thunder in public.

The better news is that General Thunder was fooled by his "magic".

He can no longer sense the pressure from before, and General Thunder should not make another move for some time.

He was able to maintain a calm and collected demeanor and continue with the next step of his operation.

But when he opened and closed his eyes, they were radiant with golden light.

His voice once again traveled for miles.

"Han Fulai has grasped the meaning of 'A Single Strike Without Thought.' General's martial arts are not bad. I will personally visit Tian Shou another day to learn more from you."

Kujo Masahito, who was in Kannazuka, looked up at the sound and stared in horror at the figure that appeared in the sky.

Not only him, but also the soldiers in the "Nine-Tone Battle House" and the residents of Inazuma Castle stared in horror at Han Fulai's image.

—Wasn't that person struck by the General's "unthinking slash"?

He was clearly cut in two!

Why is he still alive?

He appeared to be unharmed and even had the energy to comment on the general's martial arts skills.

...General, aren't you an invincible being?

Han Fulai didn't give them much time to think.

His gaze fell upon the "Nine-Tone Array House," as if a celestial being were looking down upon the mortal world.

"Now, I only have one question for Kujo Masahito, the commander of the Kannazuka Guardian of the Heavenly Territory—"

"To fight, or to surrender?"

As he asked the question, Han Fulai waved his hand in the sky, and a silver salt bridge rose from the sea, like a white jade pillar supporting the sky, spanning the Shenwu Tomb.

In the blink of an eye, the centuries-old natural barrier was transformed into a thoroughfare.

Han Fulai and Su Ding had originally devised various siege tactics, but General Lei Dian's move greatly helped them—the "Nine-Track Formation House," which was half-destroyed in the tsunami, was now wide open, and the defending troops were unable to organize an effective counterattack.

Holding the banner that read "Heavenly Principles Drive Forward," Su Ding led his troops across the salt bridge and headed straight for the "Nine-Tier Array House."

Upon hearing his name called, Kujo Masahito paused for a few seconds before finally remembering his duty and loudly ordering the messenger to organize manpower for defense and attack... However, no one responded to his command at that moment.

The old, weak, and disabled soldiers in the camp were already disloyal to the shogunate, and the tsunami had thrown them into chaos. Coupled with the imposing presence Han Fulai had just displayed—facing an opponent who could withstand "Musou's sword" without any harm—the shogunate soldiers' fighting spirit had long since vanished.

Not long after, a flagpole pierced the remaining gate of the "Nine-Line Formation House," and Su Ding roared out the four-word mantra that would later become the most famous of the "Liyue International Brigade": "Surrender and you will not be killed!"

Chapter 174 Let the Bullets Fly for a While [4k]

Just half an hour later, the "Kujou Jinya," Inazuma's most fortified stronghold and the legendary "Kami no Ichiyatsu Castle," had changed hands.

The banner of "Heavenly Principles" replaced the banner of "Goken no Naruto no Sumeru" and flew high at the highest point of Kannazuka.

This battle was later described in Liyue's battle reports as "Vice Minister Han led 200,000 Rock troops to a great victory over 5,000 Shogunate troops."

Well, this battle report is certainly inflated—the Qianyan Army squadron on the "Tianheng" does indeed have two hundred men, but some men have to be left on the ship to guard it, so in reality, Su Ding only took one hundred men to land... Moreover, Han Fulai didn't even go into battle; he stayed on the "Tianheng" to observe the battlefield.

However, accepting surrenders and escorting prisoners were not matters for him to attend to; Su Ding could easily manage with a hundred men.

The shogunate army in the "Kujo Jinya" did indeed number five thousand. Although the shogunate army left to guard the main camp was not very strong and there were many mediocre soldiers, it was not that bad.

If they had fought to the death, they could have at least managed to muster three to five hundred men to continue engaging the Chiiwa army, and the "Kujou Jinya" would not have fallen so quickly.

Kujo Masahito was prepared to fight to the death.

Han Fulai gave him the option to surrender, but he was not prepared to choose it.

His father, Kujo Takayuki, gave him the order to "defend to the death."

Whether as the commander of the shogunate army or as a son of the Kujo family, losing the "Kujo Jinya" would mean certain death.

Fighting to the death would at least preserve the reputation of the Kujo family and the integrity of Bushido, while surrendering would be an eternal disgrace and a disgrace to the ancestors of the Kujo family who laid the foundation for this family.

Therefore, when Su Ding broke through the camp, the last resistance he encountered came from Kujo Masahiro. Kujo Masahiro organized his personal guards to launch a final charge against the Chiiwa army, and personally raised the military flag and charged ahead.

Unfortunately, he could only muster a few dozen personal guards around him. The "Kujou Camp" was already in a state of chaos, and no one else would listen to his orders as the commander.

From a military strategy perspective, Kujo Masahito's final charge could be considered a desperate gamble. If he could truly defeat Su Ding with this charge and recapture the gate, he might be able to regain some morale and plan for the future...

Su Ding himself was also planning to "capture the king first" and was supposed to have a fierce battle with Kujo Masahito... However, among the "personal guards" who charged with Kujo Masahito, there was also a samurai general named Tao Yilong.

Thus, Kujo Masahiro's final act of resistance turned into "presenting the prisoner"—Tao Yoshitaka ambushed Kujo Masahiro in the chaos, then presented the unconscious eldest son of the Kujo family to Lord Su of the Chiiwa Army as if he were a treasure, even along with the "Otake-no-Ming Shinshu no Mikoto Flag" that symbolized the glory of the shogunate army.

Su Ding found Tao Yilong somewhat both amusing and exasperating. Tao Yilong's act of betraying his country on the eve of battle would be considered shameless and despicable in any country's army.

If you ask Su Ding what he thinks of Tao Yilong, one word: Bah!

However, the Sen'iwa army's policy was "surrender and you will not be killed." Tao Yilong responded to the Sen'iwa army's policy of prisoners of war and even helped him capture the commander of the shogunate army, which can be considered a "rebellion in the face of battle."

At that time, Kujo Masahito will be a stubborn and die-hard resistance fighter and will have to go to a prisoner-of-war camp for ideological reform; Tao Yilong, on the other hand, is a meritorious uprising general, and when he goes back, he might even have to sit at the same table with Su Ding...

Alright, let Vice Minister Han deal with this kind of person.

Han Fulai was not troubled at all. He happily met with Tao Yilong, the "rebel general," praising him for his great sense of righteousness and for setting an example for the shogunate soldiers who had been misled by the Kujo family, saving many innocent soldiers from death. He also said that if possible, he would be willing to give Tao Yilong a medal as big as the castle tower.

Tao Yilong was moved to tears on the spot, knelt down and swore to lead Han Shenjun's horse and whip him, and to persuade those stubborn fools to surrender on Han Shenjun's behalf.

Han Fulai invited Tao Yilong to stay for a meal, and they chatted very warmly.

Xingqiu, who witnessed the entire scene, later said that Tao Yilong's obsequious demeanor disgusted her so much that she couldn't eat dinner... In particular, Tao Yilong even said something like, "I am willing to serve the God at his feet and in bed..."

She was quite curious; given Brother Han's personality, how could he chat so happily with someone like that?

As far as she knew, Brother Han had always respected heroes.

He would erect a monument for the Thousand Rock Army soldiers who died five hundred years ago, and he would also personally visit the descendants of those heroes to comfort them. I heard that he had previously instructed the General Affairs Department to take good care of a certain company from the Winter Kingdom that was aiding the Layered Rock Abyss... It can be seen that even as an enemy, he was a loyal and righteous man and earned Brother Han's respect.

She felt the same way. She didn't have any ill feelings towards Kujo Masahito, who resisted to the very end, but she was quite disapproving of Tao Yilong, who betrayed her in the face of battle.

Why is Brother Han so nice to this kind of person?

...It can't be because Tao Yilong is... uh, handsome?

She didn't say it aloud, but Han Fulai, observing her expression, could tell what she was thinking.

Han Fulai's explanation was very calm: "The Thunder General is a god. Your brother Han was able to withstand 'Wu Xiang's' sword strike, so in their eyes he is also a god. The god of Inazuma lives in the castle tower, which is hundreds of miles away. Of course, the god who is closer to us is more worthy of our loyalty."

"Moreover, his public surrender actually did me a great favor—even without Tao Yilong, I would have needed someone else to surrender to me. Even if Kujo Masahito had fought to the very end and died in battle, I would have publicized that he had surrendered to me."

“Hmm…” Xingqiu discerned a deeper meaning in Han Fulai’s words. “Brother Han, is this still a ‘psychological warfare’? You’re planning to use Tao Yilong, who surrendered, as a propaganda model to show that the Sen'iwa Army treats ‘rebel generals’ well, so as to encourage more shogunate troops to surrender to us?”

Han Fulai replied, "Yes, but not entirely."

"Not entirely?"

Xingqiu was puzzled once again.

They had previously experimented with this policy of "winning hearts and minds" with prisoners of war, and the results were quite good—even Kujo Sara showed signs of being influenced.

But Brother Han said there was another purpose behind it?

Han Fulai said, "I am attacking not only people's hearts, but also General Leidian's 'divine heart'."

"Huh?" Xingqiu was even more puzzled.

Han Fulai smiled: "...Although you didn't see it, General Leidian slashed me with her sword, and I returned the favor with a shot."

"Huh? When?" Xingqiu was genuinely surprised. She didn't remember Brother Han ever using weapons.

Han Fulai laughed again: "You saw General Lei Dian's slash today. The general's slash is very fast. To be honest, in a one-on-one fight, I am no match for her. My spear is not as fast as hers."

"Uh... um." Xingqiu grinned, thinking to himself, "I already know this even if you don't say it. As the true leader of the Guhua Sect, I know very well just how good your martial arts are, even as the acting sect leader. Back then, you only managed to defeat Maocai Gong's servants by sprinkling lime powder..."

“But…” Han Fulai seemed to sigh, looking up towards the direction of Daoqi City, “I can block her knife, but she can’t defend against my gun.”

"In the eyes of the Inazuma people, the 'Thunder General' is not only a god, but also a symbol—she is a supreme leader, the 'eternal' thunder and light, and the 'Mikazumi no Kami-no-mikoto-sama' who remains unchanged for thousands of years and ages."

"In fact, few people in Inatsuma truly believe in 'eternity.' Human lifespan is only a hundred years, unlike the long lifespan of immortals and gods. So-called 'eternity' is nothing but a dream or a bubble to humans."

"What they believed in was General Thunder's power, his 'unthinking slash'."

"The shogun is the shogunate."

"The general is order."

"The general is eternal."

"Because the general possesses the 'unthinking slash'."

"'A single, thoughtless strike' is the foundation of Inazuma's art."

"For the past thousand years, the Inatsume people have believed that the 'Unthinking One Slash' is the invincible light of heaven and the unstoppable power of the gods."

"Only with the 'unthinking slash' can Inazuma survive."

Han Fulai paused, then turned to Xingqiu: "As you can see, in this vast shogunate, there are many like Tao Yilong, and few like Kujo Masahito. Most of the shogunate officials are similar to that Tao Yilong, but they are submitting to power—fearing authority rather than virtue. If there is a more powerful entity, they will readily side with that more powerful force."

"To put it bluntly, they'll help whoever wins."

"In this battle, the general drew his sword, and I did not die."

"Not only did he not die, but he was also alive and kicking, and he even captured Kannazuka and won the victory."

"Thus, the myths that had been passed down in Inazuma for thousands of years were shattered. The 'Unthinking One-Sword,' which symbolized invincibility, was no longer invincible, and the General, who symbolized eternity, was no longer eternal. Cracks appeared on her statue."

"In the letter that Yae-no-miya sent to Miss Kokoro, there was a conscription notice with a message from a woman who said that her husband and brother killed each other in the war. She was saddened by the meaningless war and utterly disappointed with the shogunate... There are actually many people like that in Inazuma."

“Even an ordinary woman dared to write complaints on the conscription notice issued by the Tenryō-gyō (military governor), which shows that they were not afraid of the Tenryō-gyō or the shogunate. The Tenryō-gyō was just a representative of the shogun—the only person they truly feared was the shogun.”

"Inazuma is like a balloon that has been inflated to its limit. It is under immense pressure and is only being suppressed by its fear of the shogun."

"Make a small hole in this ball, and the pressure will be released through the hole."

"The book I asked you to write, 'The Record of Shen Qiu Picking Up the Sword,' was to 'put pressure' on Dao Qi, while today's battle is to 'create an opening.'"

"Today I not only gave Kujo Masahito the option to surrender, but I also gave Zen Inazuma a choice."

"—Should we choose a general, or me?"

“Tao Yilong is a smart man; he was the first to make that choice. There will be more and more people like him, and I have to make a gesture to welcome such people to come and surrender.”

"The first to betray the general is a 'traitor,' but if everyone betrays, then it becomes the general trend of the world, overwhelming and unstoppable."

"But when I have the upper hand, the balance of power will change. Before long, I will be able to truly defeat her."

What the people expect is the power of their will.

It is also the foundation of the "Seven Rulers of the Mortal World".

In today's battle, what he wants is not Kannazuka, not "Kujo Jinya", and not the surrender of those two-faced people in the shogunate, but rather—the "wish" to defeat the shogun.

Han Fulai concluded with a single sentence: "Her knife can only kill. My gun, however, can sever the soul."

Xingqiu was silent for a moment, then asked, "...Brother Han, you said you can't defeat General Leidian right now, but you'll be able to defeat her soon... How long is 'soon'?"

Han Fulai raised his hand again, making the shape of a pistol, and pointed it towards the castle tower.

"Let the bullets fly for a while," he said.

The battle of Kannazuka spread faster than carrier pigeons could fly, and this unprecedented "declaration of war live broadcast" has already caught the attention of the entire Inazuma family.

On the night of August 31, most people in Inazuma Castle already knew the news that "the garrison of Kannazuka has revolted on the battlefield and Kujo Masahiro has surrendered."

More people were out in the streets that night than at any other festival.

That night, the magistrate of the Heavenly Kingdom announced a curfew and dispatched a large number of people to arrest those who were discussing the war in the streets. However, it was easier to suppress the people's voices than to stop a river from flowing; no amount of suppression could stop them.

The only place that remained calm was the castle tower protected by the Okuzawa clan.

To avoid disturbing the shogun, the entire Okuzawa clan mobilized tonight, surrounding the entire castle tower completely, as if determined not to let even a fly into it.

Whether they were court officials or envoys sent to the capital, all those who sought an audience with the general were forcefully blocked outside the castle tower.

That same night, several groups of people came to Narukami Shrine on Mount Kagemaki.

If there's no way to seek divine intervention, then one has no choice but to consult divination.

At least everyone who goes up the mountain says they're there to draw lots from the palace master.

Acting Miyaji Kano Nana was extremely busy tonight, having to fend off countless people.

There were officials from various departments of the shogunate, officials from various provinces of the imperial court, and even a young lady from the Imperial Censorate... but none of them were present.