He changed Tiwat

The three "righteous armies" merged, marched through the town streets, and advanced towards the Heavenly Territory Magistrate's Office.

Just as the "righteous army" was about to enter the upper city, a young man wearing glasses and looking refined stepped out of the Tianling Envoy's mansion.

Amidst the chaos, this man issued a crucial order: "Destroy the wooden bridge!"

—The upper part of Inazuma Castle, which includes the shogun's castle tower and the residences of various noble families, is actually an independent castle.

The city is surrounded by high cliffs overlooking the sea on three sides, and is connected to the lower city only by a wooden bridge. Cutting off this bridge would turn the river under the bridge into a "moat".

Thomas and Ying escaped from the "Hunting Eye Ceremony" by jumping into this "moat". Now, this "moat" has become the Kujo family's lifeline.

The person who issued this order was Kujo Kamaji, the second son of the Kujo family.

Kujo Kamaji did not hold a position in the Celestial Territory Magistrates' Office, but instead served as Junior Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, a position similar to the "Wagi-cho" in Liyue. This position mainly involved managing the mountains and roads of Inazuma Castle, a task that required frequent field investigations. Compared to his elder brother, who was in charge of the Ministry of War, this was a job with "little power and much work."

Compared to the nobles who were born with five official positions, Kujo Kamaji's position as Junior Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was not particularly prominent. Furthermore, as the second son of the Kujo family, he had no chance of inheriting the position of head of the family and could only assist his elder brother.

This made Kujo Kamaji completely inconspicuous within the entire Kujo family.

Moreover, he had previously pledged his life to Miss Hiiragi Senri of the Hiiragi family, openly defying Kujo Takayuki's prohibition, which enraged Kujo Takayuki, and his status in the Kujo household became increasingly marginalized.

When Kujo Takayuki "disappeared" and the rebel army attacked the Tenryo Magistrate's Office, it was this unassuming second son who stood up to hold up the crumbling roof of the Kujo family.

Cutting off the passage between the upper and lower city districts is tantamount to abandoning most of the guards and other nobles' retainers and warriors in the lower city district. Moreover, with the upper city district on fire at this time, there are countless traitors lurking in the shadows, making it the time when manpower is most needed for protection.

Even if someone thought of cutting off the passage, no one dared to make that decision because no one could bear the responsibility.

But Kujo Kamaji dared to take on this responsibility.

His judgment was actually quite simple—no matter how many rebels were lurking in the upper city, it couldn't possibly be more than the few thousand refugees in front of him; no matter how much damage the fire in the upper city caused, it couldn't possibly be greater than the damage caused by the rebels attacking the upper city.

When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one; this is a very simple principle.

At the same time as issuing the order to cut off the bridge, he also sent someone straight to the general's castle tower to inform the general of the rebellion that had occurred at the foot of the kingdom—again, choosing the lesser of two evils.

With the shogunate army currently far outside the city, he has no authority to mobilize them and no longer has the possibility of suppressing the rebellion on his own.

To conceal the fact that the Kujo clan was trying to maintain its position and ultimately allow the rebels to storm the castle tower would be considered dereliction of duty, incompetence, and treason. However, if the rebels were temporarily stopped by the moat and the shogun or the Okuzume clan were asked to intervene, the Kujo clan would at least avoid being accused of treason.

In fact, among the nobles and officials of the Upper City, it wasn't that no one was smarter than Kujo Kamaji, it's just that... no one had more courage and responsibility than him.

Kujo Kamaji's judgment was undoubtedly accurate. Within half an hour, the fire in the upper city was extinguished, and the losses for each household were not too great. The number of people the resistance could infiltrate Inazuma Castle was quite limited, and the "Final Squad" could not show themselves openly. At most, they could only launch a feint attack and could not really cause any trouble in the upper city.

Even though the morale of the "righteous army" on the other side of the "moat" was high, they could not cross the "moat". All he needed to do was lead his men to guard the broken bridge.

Once the general receives the news, or the Otsuki clan mobilizes, then everything will be settled.

...That's how things should have been.

but……

"Second Master, Second Master!" A samurai from the Kujo clan reported frantically to Kujo Kamaji, "A ship!...A ship!"

"Calm down and tell me slowly. What ship?" Kujo Kamaji remained calm and asked while reassuring his subordinate.

"The Liyue people's ship!" The samurai finally managed to utter a complete sentence.

"Liyue people's ship? The Liyue people are preparing to land...? Wait! How did you know?" Kujo Kamaji frowned as he looked at the samurai.

They were in the city and had cut off the passage to the lower city, so theoretically, no information from the outside world could get in... So where did this samurai get the information from?

Perhaps startled by the unusual sternness of Prince Kamaji, the samurai paused for a moment before pointing with a trembling hand to the "Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed Statue".

Kujo Kamaji's eyelids twitched, and he looked in the direction the samurai was pointing.

The "Thousand-Handed and Hundred-Eyed God Statue" is quite tall, and from this angle, you can only see the wings on the back of the statue... But today, the "Thousand-Handed and Hundred-Eyed God Statue" has something extra on its head - a mast, a mast that flutters the banner of "Heavenly Justice Drives On".

The mast slowly rose, and gradually, the bow of the black behemoth appeared before Kujo Kamaji's eyes.

Kujo Kamaji couldn't help but wipe his glasses... His glasses weren't fogged up, and his vision wasn't blurry.

The colossal black ship has indeed appeared in Inazuma Castle—it has appeared on…land?!

Not only him, but more and more people saw the ship, and people kept shouting loudly, some cheering from the rebels, and others wailing from the followers of the Heavenly Ruler...

A voice drowned out all the noise in the city:

"Han Fulai of Liyue has come as promised to seek guidance from General Leidian!"

Chapter 187 With the heart of a beast, I fired a bullet into the eternal heart [4k]

he came!

The one who dared to declare war on General Thunder...

The person who once blocked "Wu Xiang's" knife...

That man who boasted that he would personally ascend the castle tower to meet General Raiden again...

He really came!

Han Fulai's voice echoed throughout the entire city of Daozhi.

Almost every Inazuma resident outdoors saw the giant ship that suddenly appeared in Inazuma Castle, and the proud figure standing on the ship.

Even after seeing it with his own eyes, Kujo Kamaji still couldn't believe his eyes—how could that black ship possibly appear in front of the "Thousand-Armed Hundred-Eyed Statue"?

Directly in front of the "Thousand-Handed and Hundred-Eyed Statue" is a sheer cliff overlooking the sea!

When the castle tower was first built, it was during the era of the Demon God War. At that time, the castle tower was not called the castle tower, but a watchtower.

Just like the "Dongjian" in "Kujo Jinya", this thing was originally just a watchtower, with military use as the sole consideration, and the construction site was naturally chosen at the highest point of Narukami Island.

In fact, the Upper City was originally a military fortress just like the "Kujou Jinya". Moreover, since the main force fighting alongside the general at the time was the Inazuma ayakashi, who could all fly, not even a path for people to walk on was designed...

At that time, the living area of ​​humans was limited to parts of the lower city, such as Hanamizaka.

It wasn't until the end of the Demon God War that most of the demon race went into seclusion in the mountains and forests, and the military fortress was transformed into a residential area, which gradually became the Upper City where the Inazuma nobles live today.

The watchtower, which served as a lookout tower, was also expanded into the general's residence at that time and renamed "Tenshu".

"God of Heaven" means "the Lord of all people".

Later, the pronunciation of "天主" (Tianzhu) changed in history and became the current "天守" (Tenshu), which means "guardian of the world".

Because of this historical evolution, the upper part of Inazuma Castle still retains its original military fortress design. The people living in the castle usually don't realize it, but in fact, they live on a cliff nearly 100 meters above sea level.

Unless the ship can climb up the cliff, or it can fly... there's no way it could possibly be in a place like this.

As the second son of the Kujo family, Kujo Kamaji was in no way inferior to his father and brothers in terms of courage. While others were still in shock, he had already reacted and began to shout loudly, "Don't panic, this is just an illusion!"

Yes, there is another possibility: that this ship, like the image that appeared over Kannazuka a few days ago, is an illusion.

Logically speaking, a ship cannot climb a cliff, let alone fly, so the most reasonable explanation is that it is an illusion.

Moreover, the other party has a history of using illusions to create momentum, and there is a high possibility that they will repeat the same trick.

His shout brought many of the shogunate samurai back to their senses—yes, Prince Kamaji was right, how could a ship possibly appear in Inazuma Castle? It must be an illusion!

However... Kujo Kamaji saw with his own eyes that the ship started moving again.

It adjusted the angle of the ship so that the bow was directly facing the "Thousand-Handed and Hundred-Eyed Statue".

—If Kujo Kamaji could walk up to the "Thousand-Armed Hundred-Eyed Statue" and observe this "land-going boat" black ship up close, he should be able to discover that there is actually something supporting the bottom of the ship.

It was a giant salt column, hundreds of meters high, literally a "white jade pillar supporting the sky and a purple-gold beam spanning the sea."

The true form of the "Tianheng" appeared before the "Thousand-Handed and Hundred-Eyed Statue".

Then Han Fulai's voice rang out again, drowning out all the noise below:

"I'm here today to prove one thing to the people of Inatsume—"

"The 'unthinking strike' may not be unattainable. Because... there will always be creatures on earth who dare to face the might of thunder."

Everyone saw the man extend his right hand toward the "Thousand-Handed and Hundred-Eyed Statue," making the shape of a gun.

Then, he fired his "bullet".

A long spear that gleams with dazzling golden light.

Let's go back a little earlier.

The entire ship, "Tianheng," was covered by a layer of water-colored light curtain while it was sailing.

Those on board wouldn't notice anything unusual, but if other ships happened to pass by, they would find that the "Tianheng" was only able to see a vast ocean.

This was Han Fulai activating the Qimen Dunjia formation he had set up, enveloping the entire "Tianheng" ship with the "Stealth and Concealment" technique.

In the history of Teyvat, this was probably the first time that humans used "invisibility camouflage" in naval warfare—this magical invisibility technology later became standard equipment for the Liyue Navy.

Of course, Han Fulai used "Stealth and Concealment" at this time to completely hide his movements. Even if the other party was a demon god, they would not be able to detect his presence unless they consciously used anti-invisibility methods such as elemental vision towards the "Tianheng" ship.

Although Yae no Miko had promised him that she would do everything in her power to hold off General Raiden and prevent the general from discovering his intentions, Han Fulai still used every means to reduce the chances of being discovered—better safe than sorry!

Xingqiu, Su Ding, and the others on the ship were also completely unaware of the objective of this operation.

It wasn't that Han Fulai didn't trust them, but rather that he was wary of the Fools' spies who might be lurking nearby and getting advance notice of the "Tianheng's" movements.

This time, he set sail suddenly in the early morning without giving any action plan in advance, and even the course was only announced to Captain Su Yong after the ship had set sail.

From the moment the departure notice was given until the ship left Kannazuka, less than half an hour had passed. Even if the Fools discovered that the "Tenheng" had set sail, it would be too late by the time the news reached Narukami Island.

On the contrary, the brocade pouch that Xin Hai gave him when she saw him off made him realize that Xin Hai might have already guessed his plans, otherwise she would not have prepared a farewell gift in advance—perhaps the "human goddess" also has a certain ability to sense the "power of will" in the human world.

When he set his navigation target as the "Thousand-Handed, Hundred-Eyed Statue," the expected astonishment filled the bridge of the "Tianheng".

In particular, operations staff officer Su Ding threw down his pen on the spot—he really couldn't continue working as a staff officer!

After abandoning his studies, he didn't join the army, mainly because he assessed the situation and realized he probably couldn't defeat Vice Minister Han...

From his perspective, there was indeed no room for him to offer any "advice" on this matter.

The "Thousand-Handed and Hundred-Eyed Statue" is located in the heart of Inazuma Castle, on a cliff that the "Tenheng" cannot climb. Physically, it is not a place that ships can go. This is the first point.

The statue is located not far from the castle tower, and the Thunder General could come out at any time to deliver a "sudden, unexpected blow," which is the second point.

Thirdly, even if you can make the ship fly to the statue and withstand "Musou's slash"—why don't you just fly to the castle tower and fight the general one-on-one!

The Chiiwa Army Staff had previously conducted simulations of a landing operation on Narukami Island. The landing sites in the plan were basically the same smuggling points that the rebels had used before, namely the line from the outlying island to "Kanjin Island".

The outlying islands were under the control of the Kanting Enforcement Bureau, had weak military forces, and had ports for ships to dock. They were also one of the "war criminals" named by Han Fulai in advance, making them the most ideal target for attack.

"Kanjin Island" is a small island near the outskirts of Inazuma Castle. It is under the jurisdiction of the shrine magistrate year-round and is a place for Inazuma Castle residents to hold festivals and gatherings. It is also an "extraterritorial jurisdiction" that is beyond the reach of the Heavenly Territory magistrate, since it is a place of worship. Inazuma's illegal immigrants and small groups of the resistance army basically enter Narukami Island from this place.

If the strategic objective is set as "Heavenly Commander," then simply sail the ships to the beach outside the city and bombard it with naval guns.

Blow through the last line of defense of the Shogunate army, and I, Su Ding, will carry the flag and go with Vice Minister Han to storm the castle...

No matter how you look at it, the destination shouldn't be set as the "Thousand-Handed, Hundred-Eyed Statue"—what's the point of going to the "Thousand-Handed, Hundred-Eyed Statue"? To visit a tourist attraction, right?

However, Han Fulai was very determined about this strategic goal and would not allow any objections.

Xingqiu asked cautiously, "Brother Han, is there anything special about that 'Thousand-Handed, Hundred-Eyed Statue'?"

Han Fulai made that "let the bullets fly for a while" gesture to her at that time.

He said, "With the heart of a beast, I fired the bullet into the eternal heart!"

Before the "Tenheng" even arrived at Inazuma Castle, General Raiden was already sitting in the main hall of the castle tower.

For her, today was supposed to be just an ordinary day.

The general's puppet body does not need to eat or sleep, and when there is nothing to do, it will maintain a so-called "standby state" - which can be called "feigned sleep" or "meditation".

In short, on the morning of September 3, General Thunder, as usual, remained quietly seated in the main hall, motionless.

Then, Shima Masaoki, the leader of the Okuzawa clan, suddenly entered the main hall and informed her that the officials of the government office requested an audience.

According to custom, courtiers are not allowed to enter the castle tower without the shogun's decree. Unless the shogun grants them special permission, the guards should keep them outside. However, the shogun clearly heard the chaotic footsteps and heavy breathing outside the palace.

However, the general did not pursue the matter, as similar emergencies had occurred in the past few centuries.

More than four hundred years ago, Yae no Miko had barged into the castle tower without permission because of the loss of control of the furnace. More than ten years ago, it was this same guy who barged into the castle tower without permission because of the matter of the magistrate.

The general had actually considered slashing her according to the rules, but Ying said that this was the divine child's act of loyalty to the country, and besides, she could easily dodge the blow, so it was better to save the effort...

After a few "exceptions," the rule was modified to "entering the palace without an imperial edict is punishable by death, but the general may not pursue the matter."

The general knew that this actually meant to tell her to be "magnanimous," and he respected Shadow, the creator of Shadow, so he complied with her will.

Today was no different. Although the group of people in the government office broke the rules, the general silently pardoned their crimes because of their unquestionable loyalty, and patiently listened to them read their memorials for half an hour.

The official writing style of Inazuma officials differed from that of ordinary people; it was called "fumon," which was Inazuma's "classical Chinese." Their memorials were also written in this style, characterized by a lot of function words, with each sentence taking many deep breaths, making it tedious to read.

In name, using this style of writing is to show respect for the general, but in reality, it is probably because they want to distinguish themselves from ordinary people in every way.

However, it seems that the Shadow likes Inazuma's classical literature, so the General tolerated these annoying classical memorials.