Chapter 50 Western Visitors

After this small meeting, Qi Xuansu followed Wu Zuo and others to attend the conference.

It's not that the Zunbang faction is careless, but the situation in Ise is too special now. There are often no human beings for dozens of miles. Neither Toyotomi Prime Minister's Palace nor the Taoist sect has sent spies here. Qi Xuansu tried to evade it in every possible way at first. In the end, he reluctantly agreed. In my opinion, this undoubtedly greatly increased his credibility - if he was really a spy, he would have climbed up the ladder long ago.

If it were Pingjing, the Zunbang faction would not be so casual.

Because Daomen's "Crane Boats" constantly harassed Jiuju City, the venue of the conference was not in the city, but in the wild. The wandering ghost zombies became an excellent cover.

In the middle of the night, only a little moonlight shines through the dark clouds, making the mountains and fields hazy and unreal, and the night wind blows by, making a soft rustling sound.

Deep in the dense forest, there is an abandoned ancient temple, which is the location of this conference.

Along the way, other people kept joining in. Because the mountain road was difficult to navigate, they all came on foot. The terrain here is very complicated. Not only are there dense river networks, but also dense woods. There is no daylight. Even if there are gods or "crane boats" coming from It is difficult to see the specific situation below as it passes by in the sky.

It can be seen that this conference venue has been carefully considered.

This temple has been abandoned for many years. It can be seen that it was once very popular and occupied a large area that could accommodate many people.

Qi Xuansu roughly estimated that there were at least a thousand people attending this conference, which was really not a small number. With so many people, it was difficult to carefully check them one by one, and Qi Xuansu really got in.

But having said that, one should not overestimate the degree of organization of the Zunbang Sect. They are more like a loose alliance, and it is impossible to check the identity of the sect as carefully as the Taoist sect.

With so many people, it is impossible for all of them to sit down. Only some of the leading figures can have seats, and others can only stand behind them. The leading figure of Qi Xuansu, a small group, is the young priest, who is quite respectable, so this group of people In the main hall, some people with lower status lined up all the way to the courtyard outside the hall.

After some noisy arrangements, the leaders took their seats and waited for the organizer of the conference to show up.

Qi Xuansu mingled in the crowd and felt that the scene in front of him seemed to be a gathering of bandits.

After waiting for a moment, a figure wearing a crotch ball came out and stood in front of the Buddha statue table.

The so-called "Banwan" is an armor unique to Fenglinzhou. It is different from the Central Plains armor. It was originally the armor of lower-level samurai. Later, it also became popular among upper-level samurai. The most significant difference from lower-level samurai is that upper-level samurai will wear it. This person has a star pocket in front of him in the shape of a spade.

[In view of the general environment,

After the person stood still, he looked around, then raised his hand and pressed it down to signal silence.

Everyone inside and outside the palace immediately became silent. Although they didn't address each other as "brother," they all addressed him as Lord Masao.

Qi Xuansu couldn't help but be surprised, this person turned out to be Maeda Masao.

After Master Seiwei arrived in Hidekyo, he issued a total of thirteen arrest warrants against those who fought against the Taoist movement, regardless of life or death. The swordsman Katsura Zenyuki was among them. Maeda Masao, as one of the leaders of the Zunbo faction, was also on this list. . His level of cultivation may be far inferior to that of Katsura Zenyuki, but his charisma, qualifications and prestige are even better. He is a leader recognized by many Taoist people, and they believe that only he can reluctantly integrate the many Taoists who are like knight-errants. person.

This is really a big fish, but it is a pity that Qi Xuansu is weak and unable to catch this big fish.

Maeda Masao did not introduce himself and said directly: "To respect the king, the only word is loyalty. To be loyal to the king and to resist foreigners is to be loyal. Over the years, countless people with lofty ideals have stepped forward to resist the Prime Minister's office and get rid of the sycophants. Only then can we have what we are today. The situation. Nowadays, Taoist soldiers are attacking the country, killing loyal people, and destroying lives. All the gentlemen here today may have hatred for destroying their families, or may have blood feud with them, and they are deeply hurt. However, they are facing the battlefield. Although you have forgotten your life. I fought bravely to kill the enemy, but the Taoist sect's weapons were sharp, and the prime minister's servants, hawks and dogs, came to my side to help. In the end, I was defeated and retreated steadily.

Only by asking for change and help can we have a chance of victory. "

As soon as he finished speaking, someone asked: "How to ask for change? How to ask for help? Please give me some instructions, Master Masao."

Maeda Masao said: "If we ask for help or change, now we can only ask outsiders, including Metropolitan White."

Qi Xuansu's heart sank.

It turned out to be someone from the Western Holy Court. As expected, they couldn't help themselves and took this opportunity to intervene in Dongfang's affairs.

If you think about it carefully, this is also reasonable. Now the Taoist sect dominates the east and the Holy Court dominates the west. Although it is still the case that there is no conflict between the well and the river, the dispute between the east and the west will continue. It is also a matter of time. When the end of the world comes, there will probably be a winner. The winner will naturally be the co-owner of the world and the master of the world.

Qi Xuansu couldn't help but sigh, this was great information, even if he failed to persuade Suzuka Gozen to surrender, it was still a worthwhile trip.

I saw a blond man with blue eyes walking out, wearing a black priest's uniform, a soft hat on his head, and a holy emblem on his chest. His facial features were as delicate as sculptures, and his whole person was solemn and majestic.

"Yankee?"

"A member of the Holy Court?"

Everyone immediately started talking.

Many people even showed disapproval.

The same was true for the small group that Qi Xuansu belonged to. They advocated assassinating the top leaders of the Taoist sect, but a Westerner came.

Anyway, the people of the Taoist sect look the same as the people of Fenglinzhou, with black eyes and black hair. What's the matter with getting a blond and blue-eyed foreigner? It is said that brothers quarrel with each other, but they defend themselves from outside. I am afraid that no one thinks that these yellow-haired Westerners are their brothers. On the contrary, the black-haired Central Plains people are more like the same lineage. In addition, after the Taoist sect entered Fenglinzhou, it only attacked the wealthy families and did not toss the common people. Instead, it has been committed to winning the hearts of the people. If it is not done well, the Zunrang faction will lose the hearts of the people.

In addition, if we join forces with the Westerners, then the Toyotomi Xiangfu will also have something to say. What is the difference between your Zunrang faction and our Xiangfu? It is nothing more than that the Taoism stands behind the Xiangfu, and your Zunrang faction stands behind the Holy Court. Is this a struggle between the Xiangfu and the Zunrang faction? Or is it a struggle between the Taoist sect and the Holy Court?

This will make the Zunrang faction lose its not-so-solid reputation.

To put it more seriously, isn't this handing over Fenglinzhou to the Taoist sect?

Maeda Masao saw it, but without much explanation, he just raised his hand again to signal silence.

Archbishop White stood still, performed a Western etiquette, and then said in fluent Japanese: "I came here on behalf of Cardinal Deacon Brown to express my most sincere greetings to you. In order to help you resist foreign enemies, our Holy See brought 30 new cannons and 2,000 new muskets this time to show our sincerity."

White paused slightly, observed the expressions of the crowd, and then continued: "In the future, we will provide you with various assistance worth more than one million British eagles, including various ammunition, firearms and even ships. In addition, we will provide the royal family of Fenglinzhou with an interest-free loan of 3 million British eagles through other channels. Cardinal Deacon Brown said that the Holy See will unite the Western countries to provide all necessary support to our Eastern friends. As long as your resistance has not stopped, we will continue to provide assistance and support until the last man fights."

After listening to White's words, everyone began to whisper again.

Westerners still have sincerity. There are only a few things in war, people and logistics. The Zunrong faction does have some people now, and in terms of numbers alone, it still has a considerable advantage, but it lacks food and support, so the Westerners can be regarded as timely help.

At this time, one person asked loudly: "Will the Holy See send troops to help directly?"

The smile on White's face froze slightly, and then returned to normal, saying: "Sorry, although our Holy See is very willing to send troops to help, we are separated by the vast South China Sea and East Posuo and Borneo, so we are really powerless."

Someone else asked: "I heard that the Holy See is the largest trading partner of Taoism. Can you interrupt trade with Taoism? As long as Taoism has no money, it will naturally withdraw its troops."

White's smile froze again, and he said slowly: "???????????????? This is probably not something I can decide. It must be decided after careful discussion by the cardinals.

. And our Holy Court has always respected the spirit of contract. Since the contract has been signed, we must naturally abide by the contract. Even if the cooperation is interrupted, we have to wait until the contract expires. "

"That's not possible."

"After saying so much, what's the spirit of contract? You just want to make money."

"Two-faced, doing business with the Taoist sect on one side, and telling us what support is here, it's unreliable."

"Western red-haired people are not trustworthy. No matter what, the Taoist sect is an upright opponent and deserves respect. Zhongyuan was also our teacher in the past. These red-haired people seem to be villains who play tricks behind the scenes. Be careful not to be used as guns by these red-haired people."

There was a lot of discussion below.

Maeda Masao had to speak up: "Gentlemen! We have to rely on ourselves to protect our homeland. The Holy Court is a friend who comes to help us resist foreign enemies. How can we rely on friends?"

One person sneered: "Master Masao, pie will not fall from the sky. These Westerners come to help us. There will be no conditions, right? After the matter is done, how much land will be ceded? Or what kind of contract will be signed?"

Qi Xuansu was a little surprised. No wonder these Zunyang factions can set off such a big momentum in Fenglinzhou. There are still masters here. Westerners have always been robbers and have never been good people.

When these words came out, the crowd was naturally indignant. The Taoist sect has the righteousness of revenge, and the cause is justified. There is also the Toyotomi Prime Minister's Mansion as a cover. It does not personally go down, and does not interfere in the political affairs of Fenglinzhou. It only asks about business affairs, but it is still being expelled. If the Westerners replace the Taoist sect, even if the expulsion is successful, it will be infamous for thousands of years.

Maeda Masao looked at the person who spoke and raised his voice: "Mr. Yoshida, do you have any other good ideas besides this?"

Qi Xuansu was shocked again.

Could this Mr. Yoshida be Yoshida Yoshikei who was also on the wanted list of thirteen people? The other leader of the Sonnōjō faction who planned the assassination of the regent?

In addition to the Fenglinzhou court, Tianmen, Fenglinzhou Buddhist sect, and local feudal lords, there were thirteen leaders of the Sonnōjō faction, mainly composed of lower-level samurai, and two of them appeared at once today.

It's a pity that Qi Xuansu didn't have the pseudo-immortal cultivation, so he couldn't capture these two people in one fell swoop.