Pawn Crossing the River

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.

The people inside and outside the hall 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 Qingwei Zhenren arrived in Hidekyo, he issued a total of thirteen wanted orders against those who were fighting against the Taoism. 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, but said directly: "To respect the king, the only word is loyalty. To be loyal to the king, to be loyal to foreigners. Over the years, countless people with lofty ideals have stepped forward to resist the prime minister's government 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, and although they sacrifice their lives, they will forget about it. I fought bravely to kill the enemy, but the Taoist sect's weapons were sharp, and the prime minister's servants, eagles 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.

He turned out to be a member of 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 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 is true for the small group that Qi Xuansu belongs to. They advocated assassinating the top leaders of the Taoist sect, but a Westerner came.

In any case, the people in the Taoist sect look the same as the people in Fenglinzhou, with black eyes and black hair. What's going on with a blond and blue-eyed ghost guy? It is said that brothers are jealous of each other and guard against their insults. I'm afraid no one thinks that these yellow-haired foreigners are their brothers. On the contrary, the black-haired Central Plains people are more like they are of the same blood. In addition, after the Taoist sect took control of Fenglinzhou, it only attacked the wealthy families and did not bother the common people. Instead, it has been working hard to win over people's hearts. If one of them fails, the Zunhuang sect will lose people's hearts.

Furthermore, if we join forces with the Westerners, then Prime Minister Toyotomi will also have something to say. What is the difference between your Zunbang faction and our Prime Minister's office? It's nothing more than the Taoist sect standing behind the Prime Minister's Mansion, and the Holy Court standing behind your Zunbo Sect. Is this a struggle between the Prime Minister's Mansion and the Zunbo Sect? Or is it the struggle between Taoism and the Holy Court?

This will cause the Zunbang faction to lose its already weak reputation for justice.

To put it more seriously, isn't this giving up Fenglinzhou to Daomen?

Maeda Masao saw this and didn't explain too much. He just raised his hand again to signal silence.

Metropolitan White stood still, performed a Western etiquette, and then said in fluent Japanese: "On behalf of Cardinal Deacon Brown, I am here to express my most sincere greetings to you. In order to help you resist foreign enemies, our Holy See will lead you this time. Thirty new artillery pieces and two thousand new muskets have arrived to express our sincerity."

White paused for a moment, observed everyone's expressions, and then continued: "In the future, we will also provide you with various assistance worth more than one million eagle oceans, including various ammunition, firearms and even ships, etc. In addition, we will also provide you with various assistance through other means. Cardinal Deacon Brown said that the Holy Court will unite the Western countries to provide all necessary support to our Eastern friends. As long as your resistance does not stop, we will. Provide aid and support until the last man."

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

The sincerity of the Westerners is still there, and fighting is nothing more than a few things, people and logistics. There are indeed people in the Zunbang faction now. In terms of numbers, they still have a considerable advantage. However, they lack food, grass and support, so the Westerners can be regarded as providing help in times of need.

At this moment, someone asked loudly: "Will the Holy Court directly send troops to help?"

The smile on White's face froze slightly, then returned to normal, and said: "Sorry, although our Holy Court is very happy to send troops to help, we are really powerless due to the huge South China Sea, East Borneo and Borneo."

Someone else asked: "I heard that the Holy Court is the Daomen's largest trading partner. Can you interrupt the trade with the Daomen? As long as the Daomen has no money, it will naturally retreat."

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

. Moreover, our Holy Court has always respected the spirit of contract. Since we have made a contract, we must naturally abide by the contract. Even if we interrupt the cooperation, we must wait until the contract expires. "

"Then it's impossible."

"After all that, the spirit of contract is not just about making money."

"It's two-faced. It's doing business with Daomen over there, but it's trying to support us here. It's unreliable."

"You can't trust the Western red-haired people. In any case, Daomen is an upright opponent and worthy of respect. Zhongyuan was also our teacher in the past. These red-haired people are like villains behind the scenes. Be careful of being tricked by these red-haired people. Be a gunman."

There was a lot of discussion below.

Maeda Masao had no choice but to speak: "Gentlemen! We must rely on ourselves to protect our homeland and our land. The Holy Court is a friend who comes to help us resist foreign enemies. How can we all rely on our friends?"

One person sneered and said: "Master Zhengxiong, there will be no pie in the sky. These Westerners will come to help us without conditions, right? After this is completed, I don't know how much land will be ceded? Or what kind of contract will be signed?"

Qi Xuansu was a little surprised. No wonder these Zunhu faction could create such a big momentum in Fenglinzhou. There are still experts here. Westerners have always been robbers and have never been kind.

As soon as this statement came out, the crowd was naturally furious. The Taoist sect has the great cause of revenge, has a good reputation as a teacher, and is protected by Prime Minister Toyotomi's office. It does not end personally, and does not interfere in the political affairs of Fenglinzhou. It only asks about business matters, but it still has to be kicked out. If it were a Westerner who replaced the Daoist sect, even if the fight against the Dao was successful, it would still be infamy 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 Yoshiki Yoshida who is also on the Thirteen Most Wanted list? That other leader of the Zunpeng faction who planned the assassination of the regent Guan Bai?

In addition to the Fenglinzhou imperial court, Tianmen, Fenglinzhou Buddhism, and local feudal lords, there are a total of thirteen leaders of Taoist warriors who are mainly lower-level warriors, and two of them suddenly appeared today.

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