The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 686 Hanzo
Edo, Oo.

The wind was howling and the sky was gloomy.

The whale oil candles hanging on the wall flickered.

The third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, was hidden in the shadow of a lamp, holding a musket made by the British East India Company.

There was a map of Kyushu on the table beside him, and Jiaguang's expression was half gloomy and half sunny.

Kyushu was about to fall, and the Tatars were burning, killing, looting, and slaughtering soldiers and civilians from various vassal states at will.

In the face of the Tatars' fierce attack, neither the Satsuma clan nor the Hizen clan had the strength to fight.

Since the war broke out, the British and Zheng Sen have disappeared.

Even Amaterasu abandoned this land of gods.

The floor suddenly made an unsettling creaking sound, and Goshodai (the Shogun's legal wife) Takashi Takashi walked out of the darkness holding a candlestick.

The whale oil lamp shone on her bright and beautiful face. The flickering light seemed to cover the beauty with a thin veil.

"General, go to bed early today."

Tokugawa Iemitsu waved his hand impatiently, not even looking up. "The war in Kyushu is going badly. The lords of Satsuma and Hizen died for their country. I heard they were even made into wine vessels by Liu Zhaosun. The Tatars would castrate captured samurai. The Tatars... are truly despicable."

"Hattori Hanzo sent ninjas to Saga Castle. I think Liu Zhaosun has been beheaded. What a madman!"

The Shogun slammed the musket on the table, a ferocious look on his face.

Takashi Takashi put down the candlestick and said in a trembling voice, "Ah? Is it true... It's terrible. How could there be such a vicious person? General, if you still want to march west, you must take good care of yourself..."

Tokugawa Iemitsu smiled coldly and said nothing.

The situation has developed to this point, and a westward expedition is no longer possible.

Three of the four powerful domains of the shogunate (Choshu, Satsuma, Hizen, and Tosa) were destroyed by the Tatars. The last remaining domain, Choshu, had already been in a state of panic, and the lord of Choshu ordered the withdrawal of all reinforcements sent to Kyushu Island.

After escaping from Nagasaki, Tokugawa Iemitsu completely lost the courage to continue fighting against the Tatars.

Koxinga and the British have not yet taken action. I wonder what they are waiting for.

~~~~
As Takashi Takagi spoke, he moved closer, snuggled up to the Shogun, and began to touch the Shogun's body with his hands.

Tokugawa Iemitsu was only observing the map when he suddenly turned around and saw his wife with a gloomy expression.

"What are you doing?"

Takashi Takako had long been accustomed to her husband's cold reception, and she said to herself:

"I don't know what's happening in Nagasaki now. If they don't know about the volcanic mud offered by the volcano, the women in the Oiran will age faster..."

No matter how affectionate the most beautiful woman in the O-oku was, Tokugawa Iemitsu remained unmoved and didn't even look at his wife.

The woman's ramblings made Tokugawa Iemitsu feel upset. He frowned, waved his hand as if to shoo away a fly, and said to his wife:

"I'm tired. Awan will sleep with me tonight. You can go down."

The general's wife walked out of the house silently with tears in her eyes, and did not forget to close the door gently when she left.

Tokugawa Iemitsu put down his musket, glanced at the handsome back of Takashi Takashi, shook his head as if nothing had happened, and after his wife walked away, he also stood up and left the O-oku. However, he did not go to find his favored Awan, but walked straight out of the O-oku.

It was an open secret in Edo Castle that Tokugawa Iemitsu was indifferent to his wife, Takashi Takako.

It's not that there's something wrong with the Shogun's sexual orientation—although that's a strong possibility—but there's another woman standing between him and Takashi Takashi.

And this woman was the mother of Tokugawa Iemitsu, who was said to be the reincarnation of a fox demon and the wife of the second Shogun, Asai E.

It is said that it was his mother, Asai E, who instructed Takashi Takashi to enter the O-oku.

Tokugawa Iemitsu, nicknamed Takechiyo, was separated from his parents at a young age and raised by his wet nurse, Afuku (Kasuga Tsubone). His relationship with his parents was distant, and his frail health, stuttering, and unattractive appearance further disliked him.

In the 11th year of Keicho, Asai E gave birth to another son, whose nickname was Kunichiyo, who later became the Grand Councilor of Suruga, Tokugawa Tadanaga.

After Kunichiyo was born, Ajiang raised Kunichiyo personally with the consent of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the couple also doted on Kunichiyo.

The conflict between Tokugawa Hidemitsu and his parents intensified.

Later, through a series of conspiracies and tricks, Takechiyo killed her brother and forced her father to abdicate. She also hated Takashi Takashi, who was recommended by her mother.

From the beginning of their marriage, the Shogun had been very hostile to this woman.

It is said that the two have never had a substantial married life.

Takashi Takashi stood alone at the gate of the O-oku, smiling as he watched the Shogun gradually walk away. Suddenly, he took out a straw man wearing a kimono from his sleeve, with an evil smile on his face, and pierced the man with a steel needle.

~~~~
When Tokugawa Iemitsu left the O-oku, he did not go to find his destined lover Aman, but instead invited Master Shunshen to abbot of the Unknown Volcano.

Hattori Hanzo stood beside the two men, sword in hand.

"Tatarstan is attacking Nagasaki. If Nagasaki is also lost, the shogunate will no longer have a foothold in Kyushu! Hattori Hanzo has sent a capable jonin to Saga Domain to assassinate Liu. This is the only way I can think of to repel the enemy."

Master Chunshen clasped his hands together, chanted "Amitabha", and said disapprovingly:
"A few jonin are no match for Liu Ze. My senior and junior brothers from Yuantong Temple on Tsushima Island all died at the hands of Liu Zhaosun. He also killed the Sea God of Tsushima Island. Liu Ze is no mortal. If you want to kill him, I must do it myself."

Hattori Hanzo, who was short in stature and dressed in ninja attire with only his eyes exposed, looked displeased when he heard this.

"Please pay attention to what this wizard says,"

He pressed his fingers to the scabbard and looked at the rude wizard with hostility.

"The ninjas who were sent to assassinate were carefully selected and have never failed. During the Shimabara Rebellion, they cleansed out the cult members and killed hundreds of them."

Tokugawa Iemitsu quickly stepped forward, pulled Hanzo aside, and whispered to him about Master Chunshen's miracles:

"Don't be rude! Master Chunshen is a disciple of the immortal Huiran and possesses supreme magical powers. He previously lived in seclusion in Nagasaki and rarely came to Edo. It is an honor for you to meet him."

Hanzo was indignant, staring at Master Chunshen, slowly sheathed his sword, and sneered:

"Taqi is attacking Nagasaki. They are so powerful, why don't they stay in Nagasaki?"

Tokugawa Iemitsu shouted back Hattori Hanzo and forced a smile on his face:
"Master, don't be angry. If Nagasaki is not safe, Honshu will probably not be safe either. During this invasion, the Liu thief has wantonly burned, killed, and looted every place he conquered. He even burned the wheat fields outside the city. Tatar Qi has not sent any troops to garrison. I don't know what the Liu thief intends to do."

Nearly half a year after the war began, the Shogun still couldn't figure out what his opponent wanted.

If they wanted to occupy Japanese land, they would have to send troops to garrison after conquering each fiefdom, and they would have to dispatch Tartars from Tartar Qi to come and cultivate the land. At the very least, they would have to send troops to garrison there. But now, there is no sign that Tartar Qi has any plan to stay in Japan at all.

"He wants to become an immortal."

Master Chunshen looked towards the west thoughtfully, recalling the secret techniques his master had taught him.

"Killing tens of millions of people and ascending to heaven is a Tang Dynasty technique for seeking immortality. An Lushan used it, but unfortunately failed."

Hattori Hanzo was very dissatisfied with the monk's mumbling, and said angrily:

"What's the point of becoming an immortal or not? It's just a lie that confuses people..."

Hanzo stopped talking before he could finish his words.

At some point, the samurai sword slung across his body disappeared out of thin air!

A samurai without his sword is no longer a samurai.

Hanzo looked around and suddenly found that his ethereal sword had been held in the hands of the evil monk without him knowing when.

(End of this chapter)