Osaka, somewhere——
Soemon leaned against a big tree behind him and sat cross-legged at the roots of the tree.
"The sound of naval guns..." He looked towards the direction of Osaka Port, "Are Hulu Maru and Hikari Maru coming..."
"Haha... Just two warships have the power to raze a coastal city to the ground. I can understand more and more why England can dominate the ocean..."
After expressing his feelings in a joking tone, Soemon pulled out a small knife from his bosom that was only as long as an adult's palm, and then did something that would probably puzzle many people - he placed the tip of the knife against his palm and cut a long cut on his left palm.
The scarlet blood immediately flowed out from the wound on the palm of his hand.
But it only flowed for a short while before the bleeding stopped.
After the bleeding stopped, a short while later, red flesh threads like earthworms appeared at the wound.
The flesh threads tangled and coagulated, and in the blink of an eye, the long wound disappeared.
Soemon clenched his restored hands a few times, then raised his hands to touch his throat and left chest which had just been pierced by Ogata.
"The healing speed of the wound has slowed down by at least 20%... Shura's two blows just now really put a lot of strain on the body..."
"Compared to Toyotomi-sama, I am still far behind..."
After letting out a soft sigh, Soemon slowly stood up, leaning on the large naginata that was stuck on the ground beside him.
"Lord Soemon!"
As Soemon was brushing off the dust stuck to his butt, he caught a glimpse of an Iga male ninja walking towards him quickly out of the corner of his eye.
"Lord Yoshihisa has an order——"
After hearing the name "Yoshihisa", Soemon's expression immediately straightened up, and he stood up straight, ready to listen to the orders from this Iga male ninja.
"Traces of Ogata Ittosai or his accomplices were found in the suburban area near the northwest corner of Osaka."
The male ninja reported in a concise manner without any nonsense.
"Now order all groups except Group 9, Group 12, Group 13, and Group 15 to rush to the northwest corner of Osaka immediately."
"Hmm? Northwest corner?"
Zuoemon was startled, then turned his head to look northwest.
“…Isn’t that very close to us?”
A somewhat ferocious smile appeared on Zuoemon's face.
…
…
Osaka, somewhere——
"Leave in this direction." Chu Guang said calmly to a woman in front of him who was holding a baby and whose face was covered in dirt due to the thick smoke. "This direction was not affected by the fire and is relatively safe. Leave quickly and be careful not to be trapped by the collapsed houses again."
“Yes, yes!” The woman holding the baby bowed to Chu Guang repeatedly while sobbing, “Thank you very much! Thank you very much!”
The woman was crying with gratitude, but the baby in her arms was very calm.
He didn't cry or make a fuss, but instead yawned loudly and cast a curious look at Chuguang with his big black eyes.
Chu Guang lowered his head and looked into the eyes of the baby.
A smile slowly appeared on the originally expressionless face.
She raised her hand and touched the baby's face, then returned to her original expressionless look.
"Go."
After saying that, Chu Guang no longer paid attention to the woman and the baby in her arms. He jumped onto the roof next to him, and then jumped again into the night.
Hatsumitsu's nimble leaping figure on the rooftops added a touch of bright color to the Osaka streetscape, which was now filled with only fire and silence.
She jumped onto the roof of a three-story teahouse in one breath and then stopped.
On the roof of this teahouse, someone was already waiting for Hatsumi's return.
"Ms. Hatsumitsu." Shibata, who had been waiting for Hatsumitsu here, hurried over to her and asked, "How are you doing?"
"We successfully rescued a mother and daughter. What about you?"
"I don't have any trapped people." Shibata scratched his hair, "I always feel that our efficiency is a bit low... We have been busy until now, and we have only rescued a dozen trapped people."
"After all, there are only two of us. And the number of people we rescued is small, which means that not many people are trapped. Okay, let's go in that direction and take a look."
"yes……"
"What's wrong? Why do you look like that? Are you tired?"
"No, I just... I'm still concerned about the destroyed Osaka Port..."
At this moment, in the direction of Osaka Port, flames illuminated most of the sky.
Just by looking at these flames, one can roughly imagine what the tragic situation in Osaka Port is like now.
"It took just a little more than an incense stick of time to destroy Osaka Port like this..." Shibata's face turned pale and he swallowed hard, "Such firepower is really too terrifying... It feels like the earth is about to be torn apart."
"…The warships that destroyed Osaka Harbor were two third-class battleships of the English Empire, the Hulu Maru and the Hikari Maru, that Toyotomi Nobuhide purchased from Smith, the arms dealer, for tens of thousands of taels of silver."
Chu Guang said in a calm tone.
"Both ships had 70 guns, including 28 32-pounders, 28 18-pounders, and 14 9-pounders."
"In terms of firepower, either the Hulu Maru or the Hikari Maru may have surpassed the Edo Shogunate... No, it's the combined firepower of the Edo Shogunate and all the feudal states."
" With such firepower, tearing Osaka Port into pieces is easier than tearing paper."
"Compared with this kind of monster...the swords in our hands are no different from embroidery needles..." Shibata let out a long sigh.
"... Let's go." Chu Guang patted Shibata's shoulder, "Don't think about so many trivial things."
"Um……"
Hatsumitsu and Shibata walked towards the eaves not far away, one after the other.
But suddenly, Chu Guang stopped in his tracks and turned to look towards the east.
"Miss Chu Guang, how..."
Shibata had just finished saying "What's wrong?" when he raised his eyebrows because of a strange noise coming from the east, and then turned his head to look towards the east like Hatsumi.
A petite figure appeared from a shadow not far to the east. The petite figure used the roof as a foothold and moved quickly on the roofs of the houses. In just a few breaths, it leaped in front of Chu Guang and the others.
After seeing clearly who the visitor was, Chu Guang's originally tense expression relaxed a little.
"It's Jing."
"Ah, Miss Chuguang, you are here."
This petite figure is named Ajing. Among all the Iga ninjas, she is one of the few who has a good relationship with Hatsumitsu.
She had a pretty good relationship with Hatsumitsu, but was not very familiar with Shibata, and didn't even know Shibata's name, so after greeting Hatsumitsu, she just nodded to Shibata who was standing behind Hatsumitsu.
"Ajing, you look so anxious, who are you going to tell?" Chu Guang asked.
If Chu Guang remembered correctly, the task that Ah Jing was responsible for tonight was the same as her previous task, which was to deliver orders.
"I'm here to give you a message." Ajing responded in a joking tone.
"Give me a message?"
"To be more precise, the order was sent to all ninjas located northwest of Osaka."
After finishing her words, Ah Jing straightened up slightly and said in a serious tone:
"Lord Yoshihisa has ordered that Ogata Ittosai or his accomplices have been found in the suburban area near the northwest corner of Osaka."
"We now order all ninjas located northwest of Osaka to immediately rush to the northwest corner of Osaka and search for any traces of Ogata Ittosai or his accomplices."
As soon as Ajing finished speaking, Chuguang's brows frowned slightly.
She and Shibata happened to be in the northwest of Osaka.
"Has Ogata Ittosai been found?" Shibata was stunned. "Is this true..."
"This information should be reliable." Jing said, "After all, Lord Jijiu made such a big fuss."
"Not only did we ask all the ninjas in the northwest area of ​​Osaka to gather in the suburbs of the northwest corner, but we also sent some ninjas from the main camp to the northwest corner of Osaka to join the search for Ogata Ittosai."
"In addition, all divisions except for the 9th, 12th, 13th, and 15th divisions, which are far away from the northwest of Osaka, are required to assemble immediately in the direction where Ogata Ittosai was found."
"Such a big scene..." Shibata was shocked, "It seems that Ogata Ittosai has really been discovered..."
"…It may not necessarily be that he has collected extremely reliable intelligence. It may also be that Master Yoshihisa's intuition is acting on his own." Chu Guang said slowly, "Master Yoshihisa has always been a very bold and decisive person. As long as the reliability of a piece of intelligence is more than 50%, he will boldly trust and use this intelligence."
"A considerable part of the reason why he is so trusted by Lord Toyotomi is that his decisive, bold and fearless style of doing things suits Lord Toyotomi's taste very well."
Having said this, Chu Guang suddenly fell silent, with a thoughtful look on his face.
After a few breaths, her beautiful voice sounded again:
"Ah Jing, you just said that Master Yoshihisa has assigned some ninjas from the main camp to join the search for Ogata Ittosai. Is this true?"
"Hmm? Why are you asking that?"
"I'm just a little curious." Hatsumitsu said, "As far as I know, Lord Yoshihisa has already allocated some personnel to join the search for Ogata Ittosai."
“I am one of them.”
"And now Lord Yoshihisa has deployed part of the main ninja to the northwest corner of Osaka... Could it be that Lord Yoshihisa has transferred people from the 'reserve force'?"
The reserve troops - since tonight, they have been staying at the Toyotomi army's main camp, that is, the special troops of Ryusui Temple.
The total number of members in this unit is 50, all of whom are elite Iga ninjas.
Their duty, as their name suggests: "reserve forces" - is to act as "universal bricks".
Wherever there is an emergency, wherever they are needed, we will move them there.
When they are not needed to provide support somewhere, they stay in the camp and defend it.
"Chu Guang, you guessed right." A Jing nodded, "Lord Jijiu has drawn half of the troops from the reserve force."
"Right now, this group of reserve troops should be almost reaching the northwest corner of Osaka."
"Even the reserve troops have been mobilized... Haha, it looks like the northwest corner of Osaka will be very busy later... Jing, thank you for the order. Shibata and I will immediately follow the order and rush to the northwest corner of Osaka."
"Well. I wish you good luck. I have to get busy too. Oh... I have to convey the new order to all ninjas in the northwest of Osaka to 'search for Ogata Ittosai in the northwest corner'... I feel tired just thinking about it..."
While quietly complaining about the heavy workload currently on her shoulders, A Jing quickly walked away from Chu Guang and the others.
Chu Guang stood there and watched A Jing leave.
After Jing's figure disappeared from his sight, Chu Guang slowly turned around and looked directly into Shibata's eyes.
"Shibata, the golden opportunity has finally appeared."
"Huh? What good opportunity?"
"It's a great opportunity to send Jijiu and Lao Furen, two of the 'Three Demons', to the west at the same time."
Chu Guang spoke in a low voice, enunciating each word.
"As long as Yoshihisa and the branded woman are sent to hell, only Soemon will be left among the Three Demons, and that bastard Toyotomi Nobuhide will lose two important arms!"
…
…
Osaka, Ryusuji Temple——
"Master Jiku! This is the tea I just brewed! Would you like a cup?"
The abbot of Ryushui Temple... or rather the "former abbot" Qingcheng, with a smile as warm as the sun on his face, shook a purple clay teapot filled with tea in his hand towards Yoshihisa in front of him.
"Then give me a drink."
Yoshihisa has always disliked Kiyosumi a little.
The reason why I dislike him is very simple - Qingcheng is quite obsessed with the art of incense. He always uses his special incense to make himself smell "smells amazing".
His incense not only has a special smell and strong lasting power, but is also highly "contagious". As long as you come into close contact with Qingcheng, you will be infected with this special fragrance.
Yoshihisa has always been indifferent to incense and men who like to make themselves smell good, so he also kept his distance from Kiyosumi.
However, although Yoshihisa hated Kiyotō, he never showed his dislike for Kiyosumi.
Whether in public or in private, he always treated Qingcheng with the utmost respect.
Kiyosumi had much more seniority in the Toyotomi army than Yoshihisa, and was considered one of the earliest people to follow Toyotomi Nobuhide.
He was originally a very normal monk.
He chanted sutras and worshipped Buddha every day, and was promoted step by step from an ordinary monk in Longshui Temple to the abbot of Longshui Temple.
Although his career was going smoothly, Qingcheng always felt that something was missing from him... He felt an inexplicable emptiness in his heart...
Until one day, he accidentally killed a baby bird that flew into his room.
The Buddhism practiced in Longshui Temple is the Vinaya school of Buddhism.
The Vinaya school is the most strict of all Buddhist schools. Killing is undoubtedly a major taboo in the Vinaya school.
Qingcheng, who accidentally broke the precepts, felt extremely frightened and uneasy.
However, while feeling panic and uneasiness, Qingcheng actually felt a strange... sense of comfort in his heart.
As a monk, he actually felt happy after killing an animal. This kind of thing was against the moral character of a monk no matter how you looked at it. So Qingcheng didn't dare to tell anyone about this.
Not long after experiencing this accidental incident of "accidentally killing a bird", Kiyosumi met Toyotomi Nobuhide by chance.
Toyotomi Nobuhide's conversation and his "overlooking all the mountains" demeanor deeply attracted Kiyosumi. Before long, Kiyosumi and Toyotomi Nobuhide became close friends with whom they could talk about anything.
It was after he became close friends with Toyotomi Nobuhide that Kiyosumi finally mustered up the courage to confide his best friend for the first time about his troubles: "I felt happy after accidentally killing a bird, but I felt very ashamed."
After listening to Kiyosumi's confession with a smile and calmness, Toyotomi Nobuhide said to him in a gentle tone:
"Qingcheng, don't feel upset or ashamed. You just found your true self, which is a very rare thing, because many people don't know what their true self is like until they die. Don't resist your true self, try to embrace your true self."
Faced with the fact that he had committed such a serious taboo, Toyotomi Nobuhide actually said to him, "You did nothing wrong."
At that time, Qingcheng had a feeling of being redeemed.
From then on, Kiyosumi talked to Toyotomi Nobuhide more and more frequently, and was increasingly attracted by Toyotomi Nobuhide's remarks on "accepting the real self".
In the end, under the guidance and help of Toyotomi Nobuhide, Kiyosumi no longer concealed his true thoughts.
He was determined to accept his true self - the self that loved blood and violence.
It was also from then on that Kiyosumi became a member of the Toyotomi army.
On the surface, he was still the abbot of Ryusui Temple, but in reality, he was a spy for the Toyotomi Army. He used his identity as a "highly respected old monk" to collect a lot of high-value intelligence for the Toyotomi Army. Tonight, thanks to Kiyosumi's assistance, they were able to "clean up" Ryusui Temple very smoothly and turn it into the main camp of their Toyotomi Army.
Therefore, even without talking about Kiyosumi's qualifications, just based on the contributions and hard work that Kiyosumi made to the Toyotomi army, Yoshihisa had to look at Kiyosumi differently and treat him with courtesy.
Yoshihisa took the tea that Qingcheng poured for him, but before he could take a sip, he heard the sound of "bang bang bang" on the wooden corridor outside the door.
Just by hearing the footsteps, Jijiu knew who was coming.
He sighed softly and put the teacup aside.
Just as I put the teacup down, there was a loud bang and the door was roughly opened.
"Yoshihisa! I heard something! Ogata Ittosai was found in the northwest corner of Osaka!"
"Let me join the crusade against Ogata Ittosai!"
The lady was still dressed seductively like an oiran.
However, compared with before, the branded woman now had two more things on her body - two blue and gold knives, one long and one short, on her left waist.
Jijiu raised his eyes and glanced at the branded woman, then moved his gaze and winked at Qingcheng beside him.
Qingcheng instantly understood what Yoshihisa meant, shrugged, then picked up his purple clay teapot filled with tea and quickly walked out of the room.
After Kiyosumi left the room and Yoshihisa and Mrs. Lao were the only ones left in the room, Yoshihisa stood up with his hands behind his back.
"Mrs. Lao, your current mission remains unchanged. Stand by."
"Why?!"
Several blue veins popped out on the woman's neck.
"Because this is my reasonable judgment based on the current situation." Jijiu said slowly, "You are not suitable for participating in that kind of 'group mission'."
"Once you get angry, you will attack indiscriminately without distinguishing between friend and foe."
"So far, you have accidentally injured no less than fifty people in the battle."
"If we ask you to participate in the encirclement and suppression of Ogata Ittosai, I'm afraid that by the time Ogata Ittosai dies, you'll have killed many of our people."
"So - stay on standby."
"When there is a mission suitable for you, I will naturally send you..."
Bang!
There was a sound like thunder, exploding suddenly.
This was the sound made by the branding woman stomping on the floor beneath her feet.
The branded woman flashed in front of Jijiu at a speed as if teleporting.
bass!
With a fierce look in her eyes, she pulled out the wakizashi from her left waist.
Yoshihisa narrowed his eyes slightly, and then pulled out a wakizashi hanging on his waist.
laugh!
laugh!
The sounds of two sharp weapons entering the body were heard at the same time.
The knife that branded the woman pierced Yoshikyu's left shoulder socket.
Yoshihisa's knife pierced the branded woman's right abdomen.
Both of them were stabbed and bleeding all over the ground, but both of them looked as if nothing had happened.
"You old ninja! Are you addicted to giving orders?! Huh?!"
The branded woman looked extremely horrible at this moment.
His eyes were wide open as if the corners of his eyes would split open at any time, and veins on his neck were bulging like earthworms. I was afraid that the legendary evil spirits such as Rakshasa and Prajna were no more than like this.
"I can't help it." Yoshihisa's tone was still unhurried, "After all, Lord Toyotomi gave me the right to issue orders."
These few words of Lord Toyotomi seemed to have some magical power, causing the woman, who was currently in a state of madness, to show some rationality in her eyes.
“Tsk… Damn it!!”
The branding woman swore in an angry voice, and then pulled out the knife that had stabbed into Yoshihisa's body.
After the woman who had branded her put away the knife, Jijiu also took back the knife that had stabbed into her body.
After both parties put down their knives, a strange scene happened on their bodies at the same time - red flesh-colored threads emerged from their wounds, and in just the blink of an eye, the wounds on their bodies healed so well that not even a trace could be seen.
"You old bastard! Remember this! We are not done yet!!"
The woman strode out of the room with an angry look on her face.
While Yoshikyu sheathed his sword, he watched the branding woman leave.
"...Lady Lao, please be patient. If you stay in this camp for a while, maybe some...interesting things will happen."
"Ah?" The branded woman stopped and turned to look at Ji Jiu impatiently, "What do you mean?"
"Where should I start..." Yoshikyu raised his hand and stroked the gray goatee on his chin, his eyes lowered with a complicated look in them.
…
…
Osaka, somewhere in the northwest suburbs——
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Isshikika swallowed to moisten her throat which had become dry from her heavy breathing, and after her saliva slid down her esophagus into her stomach, she felt a hint of blood in her mouth.
"Sorry... I must be very heavy..." Ogata, who was supported by Isshiki Ka at his side, gave her an apologetic smile.
"No." Isshikika shook her head, "You are much lighter than I thought."
After saying that, Isshikika raised her hand and touched Ogata's forehead.
"...Master Ittosai, your temperature is really getting higher and higher..."
Isshikika slowly withdrew her hand that had just been touching Ogata's forehead with a worried look on her face.
Just now, Isshikika almost suspected that what she touched was not a human forehead, but a piece of red-hot iron...
Since a while ago, Isshiki had vaguely felt that Ogata's body temperature seemed to be getting higher and higher, and now, she finally dared to conclude that this was true.
"Once we get to a safe place, I'll try to find a doctor for you..." said Isshikika.
She didn't know what was going on with Ogata's current physical condition, but she felt that it would be a good idea to take Ogata to see a doctor.
"Ha..." Ogata laughed at himself, "The doctor... probably can't cure me now... and I probably can't find a doctor in this place..."
"Is it my illusion... I feel that your face seems to have become uglier than before, and your tone of voice has become weaker..."
"If I tell you 'I'm fine'... you probably won't believe it..." Ogata tried hard to move his tongue and let out a joking laugh.
Just as Isshikika said just now - Ogata's current physical condition is indeed worse than when he was hiding in the Buddhist temple just now.
Just now, Ogata could still speak and hear clearly.
Now, speaking has become an extremely strenuous task for Ogata. A strong tinnitus appears in his ears, forcing Ogata to concentrate all his energy to hear Isshikika's words clearly.
“…Master Itosai, please bear with it for a while.” Isshikika took a deep breath and lifted up Ogata’s left arm that was resting on her neck. “Once we are in a safe place, I will immediately go find a doctor for you.”
"Maybe we can find a doctor who can cure you."
Although Isshikika tried her best to hide it, Ogata could still vaguely sense a strong sense of uneasiness and worry in her eyes.
Looking at the anxiety and worry in Isshikika's eyes, Ogata smiled slightly.
"Don't worry, Ms. Isshiki."
"I will be fine, and I won't die."
Ogata slowly raised his eyes, looking straight at the road ahead and the skyline ahead.
Even if his condition is so bad that he can't even walk steadily.
Even speaking has become difficult now.
But Ogata's eyes never changed from beginning to end.
There was always a flame-like light burning in his eyes.
"Even if I have to endure inhuman pain... I will never bow to death..."
It was as if he was responding to what Ogata had just said.
The large patch of purple skin on the left side of Ogata's neck changed again.
They seemed to have life, and their area shrank again...
…
…
Osaka, Ryusuji Temple——
——Very good... It seems that the manpower here at the main camp has indeed become extremely depleted...
Chu Guang, hiding in the shadow of a beam somewhere in the temple, nodded slightly with a look of satisfaction on his face.
——Then... victory or defeat will depend on this one move!
Chu Guang took a deep breath, then walked carefully along the beams under his feet towards the depths of the temple...
For Hatsumitsu, who had stayed at Ryuusui Temple as a "messenger" not long ago, she naturally knew the composition of the permanent personnel at Ryuusui Temple... that is, the main camp of the Toyotomi army.
Yoshihisa was the frontline commander of the "Osaka Spring Campaign and Suppression Operation" and one of the "Three Demons".
The branded woman, one of the “three demons”.
A reserve force consisting of 50 highly mobile elite Iga ninjas. The reserve force is also responsible for protecting the main camp while on standby.
The "Main Jin Defense Team" consists of more than 30 Iga ninjas.
The "messenger unit" consists of more than 30 Iga ninjas.
In addition, there were some wounded who were sent back to the main camp for treatment.
There were no musketeer units stationed in the main camp. All the musketeer units were sent out to carry out the combat mission of the "Osaka Spring Campaign and Suppression Operation".
The above is the composition of all permanent personnel in the Toyotomi army's main camp.
Chu Guang not only knew the composition of the permanent personnel of the camp, but also the distribution of the sentries.
——There’s no way around this place…
Chu Guang, who was crouching on the beam, frowned slightly and looked at a male ninja in front of her who was also crouching on the beam and currently had his back to her.
——There is nothing I can do…
Chu Guang sighed silently in his heart, then took silent steps towards the ninja in front of him.
He got close and broke his neck - Chu Guang did it in one go.
The ninja who was standing guard here didn't realize that there was an extra person behind him until his neck was broken.
After Hatsumitsu arranged the male ninja's body so that it would not fall from the beams, he continued to move forward.
There are not beams everywhere in Longshui Temple that are convenient for people to move.
After moving forward a short distance, Chu Guang had to jump off the beam and back to the ground.
——It’s time to test your acting skills…
After Chu Guang muttered this in his mind, he took a deep breath, and then strode forward with a calm expression that showed no signs of anything unusual.
As she turned a corner, she saw two patrolling ninjas walking towards her.
"Huh? Chu Guang? Why are you here? I remember that you have been sent to search for Shura?" asked one of the two men.
"I have something to discuss with Lord Jijiu, so I came back for a while." Chu Guang lied without blinking.
"Oh, I see."
After asking Chuguang this question, the two ninjas stopped bothering Chuguang and passed by him.
After passing by these two people, Chu Guang silently breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, thankful that these two people did not bother her any more.
Chu Guang arrived at her destination safely - a door with a strong smell of gunpowder wafting out.
There are now four ninjas guarding the door of this room.
With such tight defense, it was impossible for Chu Guang to force his way in.
She looked around, made sure there was no one around, and then jumped onto the ceiling above her head.
Silent footwork - this is one of Chu Guang's best and most skilled skills.
However, although he was confident in his silent footwork, after jumping onto the ceiling, Chu Guang's palms still uncontrollably sweated.
——But...please don’t find me...
After quietly saying these words of prayer in her heart without any one to pray to, Chu Guang took her silent steps along the ceiling towards the room guarded by four ninjas.
As I walked, I counted down in my mind the distance between myself and the room.
——19 steps…18 steps…17 steps…
—3 steps…2 steps…1 step…here we are…
Chu Guang opened a small gap in the ceiling under his feet and inspected the room below through the small gap.
After confirming that there were no outsiders in the room below, she enlarged the small gap into a large gap large enough for her to enter and exit at will, and then jumped down from the ceiling along it.
As soon as he landed on the ground under the ceiling, the strong smell of gunpowder made Chu Guang almost cough.
——Finally... I successfully sneaked into this warehouse where weapons and ammunition are stored...
Chu Guang looked around with a relieved expression - the room she was currently in was filled with wooden boxes and barrels of varying sizes.
These wooden barrels all contain the same thing - gunpowder!
——Alright... let’s quickly blow up the Toyotomi army’s main camp!
…
…
Time goes back to just now——
"Send Yoshihisa and the branded woman to heaven?" Shibata's eyes looked as if they were about to fall out of his sockets. "Ms. Hatsumitsu, are you serious?"
Shibata now adopted a solemn and low tone.
"Ms. Hatsumitsu, you should know better than me... Yoshihisa, the branded woman, and Saemon and Uemon, the three of them who are collectively known as the 'Three Demons', all have 'extremely resistant bodies'... How can we send Yoshihisa and the branded woman to heaven at the same time?"
"Of course I know that Yoshihisa and the branded woman are not easy to deal with." Chu Guang nodded, "Shibata, listen to me carefully."
"You also heard what Jing said just now, right? Yoshihisa mobilized half of the reserve forces to join the search for Ogata."
"In this way, the troops remaining in the main camp will be greatly weakened in one go."
"The troops remaining at the main camp have been weakened - this gives us the opportunity to sneak in smoothly."
"Tonight's series of battles will all rely on artillery and flintlock rifles."
"So in a room deep inside the Ryusui Temple, there are a large number of guns and ammunition prepared for tonight's battle."
"Shibata, imagine what would happen if all the gunpowder in that room were detonated?"
Shibata's eyes froze: "Ms. Hatsumitsu... do you want to blow up Yoshikyu and the branded woman?"
Chu Guang nodded gently: "If all the gunpowder in that room is detonated, the entire Longshui Temple will be blown up to the sky."
"Even Jijiu and the branded woman would die after suffering such great damage."
"This way, we can kill both Jijiu and Lao Furen at the same time."
The more Chu Guang spoke, the more excited his face became.
"Just now, when I was still a 'messenger', I had thought of this wonderful plan."
"But because the 'messenger' can only stay in a few fixed places and cannot move around, their movements are severely restricted. In addition, the defense is too tight, so we have to abandon this plan."
"This is a chance to kill both Jijiu and Lao Furen at the same time. If we miss this opportunity, there may not be a next time."
"Ms. Hatsumitsu, please wait a moment." Shibata said anxiously, "Although your plan sounds wonderful, it feels too dangerous."
"Although half of the reserve troops have been transferred from the main camp, there are still many people left in the main camp."
"Even if we succeed in sneaking into the room where weapons and ammunition are stored, and successfully ignite the gunpowder stored there, how can we escape?"
"If we're not careful, we might get blown up into the sky along with the Longshui Temple."
"No, no, this plan is too dangerous. I don't agree with it."
Shibata sang a different tune to Hatsumitsu with earnest words.
Although his companions ruthlessly refuted his plan without hesitation, there was no anger or dissatisfaction on Chu Guang's face.
She simply looked at Shibata with a calm gaze.
"...Shibata, do you still remember the oath we made together?"
Shibata was stunned for a moment, then said without hesitation:
"We two must work together to bring down the Toyotomi Group from within."
Hearing Shibata's answer, Hatsumitsu smiled slightly:
"Bringing down the Toyotomi Group safely and smoothly - Shibata, do you think this is possible?"
Shibata: “…”
While Shibata lowered his head and remained silent, Hatsumitsu continued.
"Since we are determined to destroy the Toyotomi Group from within, it is impossible for us to not take any risks at all."
“Risk often presents opportunity.”
"If this plan succeeds, we will be able to cut off both of Toyotomi Nobuhide's arms in one go, causing the Toyotomi Group to suffer huge damage that it will not be able to recover from in the short term."
"Of course I also know that this plan is very dangerous and I will die if I don't do it."
"But faced with such lucrative benefits, I am willing to take the risk."
Shibata: “…”
Shibata slowly raised his gaze and met Hatsumitsu's eyes.
The determined light in Hatsumitsu's eyes was like a ray of sunlight that could melt the ice, slowly "dissolving" the chaos in Shibata's eyes.
"...I understand." Shibata took a deep breath, then nodded vigorously at Hatsumitsu, "Let's go, Miss Hatsumitsu! Let's go together to blow up Yoshihisa and the branded woman! Let Toyotomi Nobuhide lose two of his trusted followers!"
"That's more like it." Chu Guang smiled and patted Shibata's lower back. "Shibata, you always hesitate when doing things."
"On the eve of the two of us working together to rescue the people from the 'T-shaped Test Site' who were tragically subjected to the 'Immortality Experiment', you were there telling me how dangerous it was to do so."
"After all, I'm not as bold and unrestrained as you, Miss Hatsumitsu..." Shibata said with a wry smile.
"The task of sneaking in and detonating the gunpowder is left to me." Hatsukimi said with a smile, "Shibata, you stay outside and be ready to meet and rescue me at any time, as I might be half on fire if I don't run in time."
"Ms. Hatsumitsu." Shibata said with a sad face, "Don't say such terrible things..."
…
…
This room is used to store weapons and ammunition, so the use of fire is naturally strictly controlled.
There were no oil lamps or torches in the room, and it was pitch dark.
Fortunately, Chu Guang had received rigorous training, and even in the dark, she could barely see objects and determine the direction.
Chu Guang examined his surroundings, searching for the most suitable gunpowder barrel to detonate.
After a while, she found a large wooden barrel full of gunpowder placed in the middle of the room.
——That’s it!
Chu Guang showed a resolute expression and lifted the lid of this powder keg.
Just as she reached into her bosom, preparing to take out the tinder and the strip of cloth soaked in lamp oil to be used as a fuse—
"Chu Guang, you...are back."
An old male voice suddenly sounded behind her.