My personal opinion on Gensokyo

Everyone was silent.

The monster seems to be much more dangerous than expected, so should we continue chasing it?

Standing there, Lieutenant General Zuo Jinwei looked at the road ahead hidden in the darkness with a gloomy expression, and then gave an order.

"Gather all the troops deployed in the three locations and continue hunting down the evil spirits!"

Fujiwara Palace, Suzaku Gate.

Crack, crack…

Along with the sound of chains stirring, the cypress palace gate on the south side of Fujiwara Palace opened, and a group of foot soldiers holding torches, led by nobles and samurai on horseback, chased out of the palace.

In order to avoid being lost by the pursuers, Shang Yang kept "escaping" in the dark of night at a distance where the mounted warriors could vaguely see him. Even if he suddenly disappeared from the pursuers' sight, he would reappear from another direction after a while.

"Quick! Quick!"

The nobles on horseback and the samurai captains shouted orders to the foot soldiers to speed up and catch up. Soon, the nobles on horseback and the samurai captains, who were galloping sideways, disappeared into the pitch-black night.

In addition to the palace warriors who were the main fighting force, most of the nobles who participated in the extermination of monsters were anti-reform nobles of the old clan who wanted to kill the "monsters" before the Konoefu, use this monster riot to force Empress Jitō to abdicate, and a small number of new nobles who wanted to make meritorious deeds and win rewards.

As long as the old nobles can defeat and kill the monsters before the Imperial Guards and gain the merit of quelling the demonic riots, they can use this to force Empress Jitung and the reformist nobles to give up some important official positions, and cut off the possibility of the son of the former crown prince, His Royal Highness the Emperor's grandson, to ascend the throne. Then, they can support the royal family close to the old clan to ascend the throne and completely regain the power of the old clan.

To this end, the old nobles used the wealth they had accumulated over the years, recruited a large number of privately-owned foot soldiers and low-level samurai who could not make a name for themselves, and formed a force that was sufficient to rival the samurai foot soldiers recruited by the Konoefu. They joined the monster-killing unit commanded by Lieutenant General Left Konoe in chasing the "monsters" that escaped from Fujiwara Palace.

However, the old nobles disappeared into the night without noticing it. They chased the "monster" together with the troops of the Imperial Guard, and chased it out of the Suzaku Gate of Fujiwara Palace. After continuing the pursuit along the Fujiwarakyo Road, a group of 500 city gate warriors and foot soldiers followed them and chased it out of Fujiwara Palace together.

This force was led by the Naokoshi-panjō Fujiwara no Fuhito, who assembled this elite force after conveying the secret order from Lady Jito to the twelve city gate warriors loyal to the imperial court.

In addition to the mission of hunting down "monsters", this elite force also has another mission.

This mission is: at the right time, force some of the old clan nobles to "fight to the death to defeat the monster" and "be loyal to the court."

Riding in front of this elite force composed of city gate warriors and foot soldiers, Fujiwara no Hanshi turned around and looked at the Fujiwara Palace shrouded in darkness in the late night, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

Just now in the palace, the tragic deaths of the samurai and six foot soldiers deeply shocked Lord Kari.

However, Fujiwara no Hanji still judged that the monsters could not defeat the 500 soldiers of the Konoefu, the 500 private foot soldiers of the old nobles, and the 500 soldiers he led, a total of more than 1,500 soldiers in the monster-killing force.

This is nearly half of the military force in Kyoto. Since Iwao Hikozun, the imperial court has never dispatched such a large army, and it was only to repel and suppress "evil spirits".

However, Fujiwara no Hanshi could not be sure whether he would be killed by the "monster" before successfully defeating it.

However, as long as the descendants of the Fujiwara clan are still around, as long as the Taika Restoration is still in effect, relying on the achievements of our ancestors, and my achievements in defeating the evil spirits and clearing the obstacles for His Royal Highness to ascend the throne, the Fujiwara clan will surely prosper after His Royal Highness ascends the throne.

After making up his mind, the Shouyi nobleman, who was also skilled in archery and horse riding, suddenly spurred his horse, drew his sword, and shouted loudly.

"Today is the day to receive your reward! Chase!"

The nobleman Kari took the lead and rushed into the pitch-black darkness outside Fujiwara no Miyabi Palace.

Night fell over Fujiwara-kyo. An endless stream of troops raised torches to illuminate the surroundings. From the night sky, it looked like a fire dragon winding and circling in Fujiwara-kyo.

The noise, shouts, and the sound of weapons clashing seemed to combine into a tense and urgent march.

Fujiwara-kyō, the market town to the south.

Soon, the young man had "escaped" to the south gate of Fujiwara-kyo.

The city gate had been closed for a long time. Shang Yang glanced at the high wall, then looked back at the mounted warriors who were about to catch up, and jumped up again, climbing to the top of the wall as if using light skills.

The young man was about to jump off the city wall.

[Captain, there are arrows flying towards us!]

Miss Lord God suddenly reminded.

The young man turned around and saw an arrow with a black tip shooting towards him.

It looks like it's poisoned.

The young man's heart moved and he tilted his left shoulder slightly.

"Now it's time to give them some confidence to continue chasing."

puff!

The dark arrow pierced the young man's shoulder, and the entire arrow remained on his shoulder.

"Hiss... being stabbed by an arrow really hurts."

Shang Yang endured the pain, complained, and jumped off the city wall to "escape" from Fujiwara-kyo.

The noble Fujiwara no Panjiro put away his bow and shouted to the horrified and bewildered soldiers on the city wall who had witnessed everything.

"I am Fujiwara no Arisho, the judge of the court, Fuhito. We are under the command of the Third Councilor, the Left Vice-Shogun, to subdue the monster! Open the city gates!"

Crack, crack…

The heavy cypress city gate finally opened slowly under the efforts of the city gate warriors and foot soldiers. The nobles and samurai leaders cheered and led their troops to chase after it. Since the "monster" was already injured, now was a good time to defeat the "monster" and gain military honors.

"Master Fujiwara no Panshi has excellent archery skills."

The palace gate warriors on horseback arrived and witnessed everything from the three councilors. Lieutenant General Zuo Kunwei looked at the noble Kari who was very respectful to him and was amazed.

"I will report to Your Majesty that Fujiwara no Sanshi has wounded the demon and rendered great service in defeating it, and I will seek a suitable reward for him."

"Thank you very much, Vice Admiral Konoe."

Riding on his horse, the fifth-rank Naokoshi Fujiwara no Panshiro bowed respectfully to the third-rank councilor.

"Most of the nobles of the old clans have already led their private foot soldiers to hunt down the monsters. Lord Konoe Lieutenant General, please hurry. If the old clans take the credit for suppressing the monster riots in Kyoto, it will cause instability in the imperial court."

"That's it, I know."

The three councilors, Lieutenant General of the Left Guard, naturally understood Emperor Jitō's vigilance against the nobles of the old clans, and rode his horse to give orders.

"The troops that arrive later will be gathered by Lord Fujiwara-san."

"I understand."

After bowing and bidding farewell to the warriors who had led the mounted soldiers out of the south gate of Fujiwara-kyo, Fujiwara no Hanshi waited until most of the old nobles and private foot soldiers had rushed out of the south gate of Fujiwara-kyo before he began to gather the foot soldiers who had arrived later. After the follow-up forces had regrouped at the south gate, he also led this part of the forces out of the south gate of Fujiwara-kyo and chased in the direction of the "escape of the monster", Yoshino Mountain south of Fujiwara-kyo.

PS1: There are about five more chapters to end the Little Love story.

Volume 1: Heian Tales of the Past and Present: Chapter 28: The Immortal Valley God and the Immortal Sky Demon

　Nara, near Mount Yoshino.

"Quick! Quick! Ignore the foot soldiers lagging behind. Those who are strong enough should follow the cavalry and speed up the pursuit! Don't let the monster escape!"

The three councilors, Lieutenant General of the Left Guard, galloped on horseback while shouting orders.

On a mountain road late at night, a large group of people holding large torches, led by horse-riding warriors, ran all the way, chasing the "monster" that was looming in front of them.

In this way, after leaving Fujiwara-kyō, the nobles on horseback and the samurai leaders chased all the way to the south of Fujiwara-kyō for more than 20 miles and entered the Yoshinoyama area south of Fujiwara-kyō.

Ahead of the pursuers, Shang Yang, who had been fishing slowly for the large group of pursuers, saw Mount Yoshino standing quietly in the dark night and slowly slowed down.

After escaping into the valley that Shang Yang had chosen with the main goddess in advance, Shang Yang stopped on his own initiative.

This is a valley with a flat bottom, surrounded by mountains on three sides, and connected to the outside world only on the south.

There is no escape in front and pursuers behind.

This valley was specially chosen by Shang Yang, who felt that this place was very suitable for his resurrection point.

"The plan has reached this point, Miss Lord God, are you ready?"

Shang Yang finally confirmed with the Lady Goddess.

[No problem, Admiral, please hurry up.]

After reconfirming the causal anchor set up in the valley as a coordinate for returning from the underworld, Miss Lord God solemnly gave an affirmative answer.

"it is good."

As he answered, the young man with black hair turned around, glanced at the samurai foot soldiers who had already chased into the valley and were cautiously forming a semicircle, and sighed.

"Then let's finish it quickly..."

Although the young man seemed quite helpless at this time as he was cautiously surrounded by the pursuers, in the eyes of the samurai foot soldiers who were affected by the evil spirit, the young man did not have such a helpless expression.

In the eyes of the samurai and foot soldiers, the "monster" was panting heavily, its half-human face was full of ferocity, and its blood-red eyes were full of cruelty and bloodlust. The "monster" had the poison arrow shot by the judge Fujiwara no Naohiro in its left shoulder, and was bleeding profusely. The black blood flowed from the wound on its left shoulder and fell to the ground, dyeing the ground blood-red.

The warriors were worried and did not dare to rush forward to fight with the "monster". The hands of the foot soldiers holding the guns were shaking, and no one dared to attack rashly.

"Don't be afraid!"

The nobles on horseback were terrified and scolded the low-ranking samurai and private foot soldiers of each family.

"The demon is seriously injured and dying! This is a great opportunity to gain a reward from the imperial court!"

"Whether a samurai or an ashigaru, no matter who it is, as long as they have made meritorious contributions in defeating monsters, we, the nobles, will report their bravery to His Majesty! Official positions, wealth, status, whatever rewards they may receive! And for those who bravely advance and slay monsters, His Majesty will bestow upon them a surname and grant them the title of nobility!"

hiss!

Upon hearing what the "nobles" said, that those who killed monsters could be rewarded with the title of noble, the low-ranking samurai and private foot soldiers affiliated with the nobles suddenly had red eyes and were filled with desire.

The desire for noble status dispelled their fear, and the low-level samurai and private foot soldiers screamed and rushed towards the "monster" at the same time.

At the same time, under the command of the three councilors, the palace gate warriors and the foot soldiers affiliated with the Imperial Guard, who had been carefully forming a formation, no longer maintained their formation as ordered after hearing the words of the old nobles. They also lost control and began to attack the "monster" desperately.

Unable to command the troops any longer, Lieutenant General Zuo Jinwei, who was maintaining the formation, was furious.

"These idiots from the old clan!"

Bang!

The young man, who was also on high alert, faced the chaotic attacks of the samurai and foot soldiers. He first struck the low-level samurai who came forward first in the chest with a palm, shattering the low-level samurai's ribs and internal organs. The low-level samurai screamed, fell to the ground, and died.

The next moment, the young man kicked out another foot soldier who was approaching from the left. The foot soldier flew back more than ten meters and lay on the ground, vomiting blood. It was obvious that he was not going to survive.

Stimulated by the rewards, the irrational foot soldiers began to charge towards Shangyang again and again without fear of death. The warriors were fanatical, shouting "Establish military merits and obtain rewards!" They rushed forward and chopped with their swords without any rules.

He smashed the low-level warrior's chest with another palm strike, and took the warrior's weapon. Shang Yang killed several approaching warrior foot soldiers with a few swords, and began to advance left and right in the chaotic formation, relying on his speed to quickly kill the warrior foot soldiers who surrounded him in the chaos.

Without a commander, the samurai and foot soldiers fell into chaos, unable to take advantage of their strength and formation, and gradually fell into a war of attrition against one enemy.

By the time the direct judge Fujiwara no Fuhito arrived with the city gate warriors and the troops he had gathered along the way, the scene in the valley was extremely bloody. Countless samurai foot soldiers had been killed by the "monster", their bodies were incomplete, and broken limbs were everywhere. Even under the "monster", the remains of the samurai foot soldiers had piled up into a mountain of corpses.

puff!

A long spear was instantly grabbed by the fanatical and fearless foot soldier and stabbed into the side of the "monster".

The foot soldier did not expect that his sudden attack could cause such serious damage to the "monster" before he could even shout in ecstasy, and was grabbed by the throat by the "monster".

Crack, crack…

The sound of bones breaking was heard, and the foot soldier's larynx was crushed by the "monster". His head tilted and he died on the spot.

"Huh...huh..."

Pulling out the spear from his side and throwing it aside, the young man, with a lot of dark red blood on his handsome face, knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.

The enemy continued to attack fearlessly. Even though the young man was no longer human, he felt exhausted and his body was covered with wounds caused by the weapons of the samurai foot soldiers.

It’s so tiring…

The young man, his vision blurry due to fatigue and blood loss, complained.

However, as he continued to be injured, the young man clearly felt that something dormant in his body, or deep in his consciousness, was activated.

[It is time, Doctor, for us to enter the realm of death.]

The Lady Goddess, who had been silent from the beginning, suddenly reminded the young man in her consciousness.

"It's finally time..."

The young man, who was physically exhausted but conscious, also responded to the Lady of the Lord God in his mind.

Shang Yang glanced at the fanatical warrior foot soldiers who were still climbing up the pile of corpses, fearless of death, and the horse-riding nobles who were hiding far away at the bottom of the pile of corpses, watching the "monsters" killing the warrior foot soldiers in fear.

Just now, while charging left and right amidst the chaos, I seemed to have accidentally killed a few of the nobles who were approaching... I hope it won't affect history too much...

The dying young man was somewhat worried that his actions might have disturbed the historical cause and effect excessively, bringing danger to the black-haired girl who was far away in Fujiwara Palace.

...However, Miss Lord God has been monitoring the historical structure. Since no abnormalities have occurred so far, it means that the current situation is still within the safety range set by Miss Lord God.

So……

The young man who made the above considerations observed his surroundings.

When he saw a foot soldier holding a spear, carefully climbing up from behind the pile of corpses, the young man made a decision.

Since you are smart, I will give you the credit for killing the "monster".