King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

The sky was just beginning to turn white.

The white light cuts through the darkness before dawn.

In the envoy post station.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi, who was waiting for the news of Nakata and others' actions, did not sleep all night.

When I heard the night watchman's sound outside and looked at the sky which was about to dawn, there was still no news from Nakata and Noki.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi couldn't help but feel a very bad feeling in his heart, and a trace of panic began to spread in his heart.

After a brief pause, Ashikaga Yoshimochi suddenly opened his half-closed eyes and shouted towards the tightly closed door:

"Here comes someone."

"Call all the envoys to my room for a meeting."

"promise!"

The Japanese guard waiting at the door replied in a slightly hoarse voice.

As the command is issued.

Not long after.

dong dong dong.
There was a quick knock on the closed door, interrupting Ashikaga Yoshimochi's thoughts. He came to his senses and agreed:

"Come in."

then.

With a sharp sound of friction between wooden bolts, the tightly closed door was slowly pushed open. The summoned Japanese envoys hurriedly walked in from outside, bowing slightly and saluting.

Wait for everyone to come in.

The open door was closed again by the guards outside.

After the wild buyer Tian Tian sat down, he reached out and took a sip of the warm tea prepared for them. After that, he calmed down and sorted out his thoughts briefly, and asked first:
"Ashikaga-sama."

"I don't know why you have to disturb my sleep and call me here at this hour. Is there something important you want to discuss?"

"Or, what important matter has occurred?"

This is said.

All eyes of the Japanese envoys who entered turned to look at Ashikaga Yoshimochi, their faces full of confusion.

While speaking, the wild buyer Tian looked around at everyone in the room, frowned, and asked:
"Where's Lord Nakata?"

"Why is there no sign of Lord Nakata?"

After hearing this.

As a result, everyone in the room became serious and subconsciously looked for Zhong Tian's figure in the room.

Having said that.

However, the instigator, the wild buyer Tian Tian, ​​or Liu Fang, actually had a rough idea in his mind and guessed what had happened.

They are summoned here with such urgency.

If nothing unexpected happens.

Yesterday during the day, Ashikaga Yoshimochi spoke clearly to all of them.

The purpose of this trip is to attempt to attack the Ming Dynasty Weapons Workshop.

I'm afraid that those two bastards, Ashikaga Yoshimochi and Nakata Noki, struck while the iron was hot last night and ordered the Japanese soldiers hiding in the dark to take action without informing everyone of the situation, attempting to act with lightning speed.

They wanted to kidnap the craftsmen from the Ming Dynasty Weapons Workshop.

Judging from Ashikaga Yoshimochi's current attitude, I'm afraid that last night's operation must have failed.

And Nakata, who was responsible for leading this matter, should have fallen directly into an ambush by the Ming Dynasty's Jinyiwei and his life or death is unknown.

It is precisely because of this.

I'm afraid this is what could make Ashikaga Yoshimochi so nervous and frightened!
Ashikaga Yoshimochi, who was sitting in the main seat, waited to hear these words.

His expression changed involuntarily, and his expression darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye. His half-closed eyes suddenly opened, and he stared at Liu Fang who was sitting not far away for a long time. Then he slowly stood up from the main seat, hunched over, bowed ninety degrees to everyone, and said in a deep voice:

"Everyone..."

"On the matter here."

"It might cause trouble for everyone."

"Last night, Nakatanogi followed my orders and carried out what I talked to you guys about yesterday."

"But as of this moment."

"Nakata Nogi, who was leading the mission, has not yet returned to report."

“Whether the event was successful or not, I don’t know.”

"But considering Nakatanoki's personality and the words I told him."

"He hasn't come back to report at this time. If nothing unexpected happens, the mission is most likely a failure."

"If he dies, then we can all put all the blame on him and say we know nothing about anything, so we can survive by chance."

"But what if he didn't die, but was captured alive by the Ming soldiers or the Jinyiwei?"

"I can't guarantee 100% that he can withstand the torture of the Royal Guards and remain silent under the repeated interrogations."

"Once he can no longer hold on, he will reveal everything."

"If nothing unexpected happens, no one in our group will be able to leave the Ming territory alive."

"If this place is not properly maintained, it will become our burial ground."

Say it.

His already hunched body bent further and he bowed to everyone to express his apology:

"sorry!"

"Everyone..."

Seemingly ordinary words.

At this moment.

But it was like a thunderclap that instantly exploded in everyone's heart.

Everyone was so shocked that they were burnt on the outside and tender on the inside, and it took them a long time to recover.

That's it.

After a long while, the Japanese envoys came to their senses and were suddenly in an uproar.

What the hell?
Is it possible that this place will become their burial place?

It is very likely that these people will not be able to leave the territory of the Ming Dynasty alive?

In an instant.

Fear and uneasiness appeared on everyone's face, and many timid people could not stop shivering.

"No no no..."

"Ashikaga-sama, you, you, you...is this true?"

"This, this, this...how could this happen? How could this happen?"

"No, no, no...it shouldn't be like this!"

"Didn't there previously be an investigation that said the Ming dynasty treated the craftsmen in these weapon workshops badly and didn't really care about them?"

"Why can it fail under such circumstances?"

"That doesn't make sense!"

"Could it be...could it be...is there something wrong?"

"Or is it that Nakata-kun has actually succeeded, but just for the sake of safety he has not returned to report?"

"Ashikaga-sama..."

"Do you think this is the case?"

Done.

Everyone looked at Ashikaga Yoshimochi with hope, trying to get an answer that would reassure everyone.

Act like this.

In fact, isn't this also showing cowardice?

I don't want to die, and I don't want to sacrifice myself!

After all, we are all mortals, and fear is an emotion that no one can escape.

Even ants try to survive, let alone these people who hold high positions in Japan.

Some people enjoy endless wealth and glory.

Naturally, I don't want to lose my life in such an unclear way.

And the so-called emperor and country will take good care of their families!

These people even scoffed at this in their hearts.

Most of these people have officials in their families.

Who else needs the emperor's care?
Even if the emperor takes care of their family, what’s the point?
All of them died and could not enjoy the benefits brought by it.

See this situation.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi couldn't help but smile. He could probably guess what these people were thinking and feel their desire for life.

Actually, let’s not talk about these people.

Isn't he the same?
Who is willing to die if he can live?
It's not like I'm crazy!
However... he also knew in his heart that it would be extremely difficult to survive this situation!

There is almost no possibility.

The only chance is for Nakata to die. Otherwise...

Ashikaga Yoshimochi did not answer the anxious questions of the crowd. He frowned and pondered for a moment, then scolded:
"You are all good men of Japan."

"Why is it so trivial?"

"Just now, it was just the worst-case scenario that I had planned."

"okay!"

"Don't worry about the results or conclusions."

"Wait for the daybreak and see Daming's reaction!"

Say it.

He was too lazy to let these people dwell on this issue, so he waved his hand and ordered them to leave:

"If you have nothing to do, please leave!"

"Master Yemai, please stay for a moment."

Wait for him to issue the order to expel you.

However, none of the Japanese envoys who were sitting quietly in the room, already in a state of confusion, were willing to leave at this moment.

Everyone looked at Ashikaga Yoshimochi with longing and opened their mouths to say something.

However, after meeting Ashikaga Yoshimochi's cold eyes, the Japanese envoys who wanted to say something or ask something felt as if their throats were pinched. They opened their mouths several times but no sound came out.

In the end, even though I was very reluctant, I had to stand up and leave.

Wait until everyone has left.

The originally noisy room suddenly became quiet.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi had a terrifyingly cold expression, his eyes grim and full of murderous intent, staring straight at Nobuyoshida who was leisurely drinking hot tea, and with a 'bang' he slammed heavily on the table in front of him, and suddenly stood up from the chair, took a few steps to Nobuyoshida's side, grabbed Nobuyoshida's collar with both hands, and shouted angrily:

"Wild buyers' farmland."

"You must give me an explanation for this matter."

"You and the Royal Family."

"What exactly do you want to do?"

"Why do you do something that harms others and does not benefit yourself, killing one thousand enemies but injuring eight hundred of your own."

"What does it want to do?"

"What on earth do you want to do?!"

"Do you want to fight to the bitter end?"

"If you act like this and do something like this, once the Ming Dynasty sends troops to Japan, you and the royal family will be sinners in the entire history of Japan. You will push the entire country into an endless abyss. If you are not careful, the entire country will be destroyed. Have you ever thought about it?"

"We fight among ourselves no matter what."

"It's all for the sake of Japan as a whole, and for Japan to become prosperous and strong."

“I have never killed anyone.”

"Why are you doing this!!!"

“Why is it so?!”

Faced with harsh questioning.

Seeing Ashikaga Yoshimochi, who seemed to be about to lose his mind due to anger, Liu Fang raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing an intriguing smile, with an innocent look on his face. Then he reached out and gently patted the hands that were grabbing his collar:
"Ashikaga-sama."

"What does this mean?"

"Forgive my stupidity, I really don't understand what you mean."

"What do you mean by what the royal family and I want to do?"

"Master Ashikaga has completely misunderstood this matter. The order I received is to cooperate wholeheartedly with all of Master Ashikaga's actions."

"And try to ensure the safety of all the envoys on our mission."

"As for the rest, I know nothing and did nothing."

Hear this.

Seeing Liu Fang's innocent expression, Ashikaga Yoshimochi was extremely angry.

"Nomi Tian...you farted."

"It was definitely you, a bastard, who told the secret. It couldn't have been anyone else except you, a bastard."

"The real purpose of our mission to the Ming Dynasty was unknown to everyone until yesterday."

"And yesterday, after I revealed our true purpose to them, the entire delegation was filled with people."

“No one has ever left the Envoy Post, and no one has ever come into contact with a stranger.”

"You are the only one who left the post station."

"Let's go visit the Prince of Han, Zhu Gaoxu..."

"You still dare to say it's not you?"

"If it's not you, who else could it be?"

"Don't tell me that the Ming Dynasty court can predict the future."

"It can calculate the purpose of our trip."

"This is absolutely impossible."

As he spoke, Ashikaga Yoshimochi's face was filled with indignation, and he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"answer me!!!"

"Why!!"

"Why do this?"

"Aren't you afraid of death?"

"Do you think you can run away?"

Da da da……

It was at this moment.

The entire envoy post station was suddenly filled with the sound of hurried and orderly footsteps.

Then, a creepy voice was heard:

"Someone is coming..."

"Fence this place for me."

"No one is allowed to leave without your order."

"Don't let even a mosquito or a fly escape from me."

"Follow me inside and bring me all the members of the Japanese delegation that entered the city yesterday."

"If we can keep some of them alive, we should do our best to keep them alive."

"If anyone resists, they will be killed without mercy!"

When Ashikaga Yoshimochi heard the noise coming from the street outside, his body trembled uncontrollably and he stared at Liu Fang with an extremely angry expression:

"Is this what you wanted to see?"

"The pain of loved ones makes the joy of enemies?"

"Are you satisfied with the result now, Ye Selling Farmland?"

"I tell you... you, your family, and the royal family will all be nailed to the pillar of shame in Japanese history."

"You will never be able to turn over, and you will bear the infamy and be despised by everyone."

While talking.

At this moment, Ashikaga Yoshimochi also loosened his hands on Liu Fang's collar, unconsciously took several steps back, and fell into a chair, looking extremely lonely and unwilling.

He never dreamed that the result would be like this.

A plan that you thought was perfect ended up with this result.

boom……

Just then.

The tightly closed door was pushed open with a bang.

Zhu Gaoxu strode in with the support of a group of Ming soldiers. Seeing the distraught Ashikaga Yoshimochi, he couldn't help but grin and said with a hint of sarcasm:

"Emissary Ashikaga, we meet again."

"but……"

He glanced at the soldiers behind him and continued with a smile:

"I'm afraid this meeting won't be as harmonious as yesterday."

"What do you say?"

"Oh, right..."

"Are you curious about why your action failed?"

"Is it because you just can't figure out why the wild buyer Tian Tian would tell on you?"

"Ha ha……"

As he spoke, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Liu Fang, nodded at him, and said:
"Come on, come on..."

"Tell the Ashikaga envoy your true identity!"

"At least let others die with a clear mind, so as not to be a confused ghost."

(End of this chapter)