Ryuzoji Takanobu is as strong as a bear, with a pair of eyes as narrow as a viper, and a noble dress, standing at the edge of the viewing platform, he has a lordly elegance, and his temperament makes the one hundred samurai kneeling under the platform not dare to look up to him.
Ryuzoji Takanobu stood there, scanning the kneeling warriors under the stage one by one, a moment later stretched out his right hand and made a gesture of please rise, his penetrating voice resounded above the heads of a group of warriors, “Two days of the ring of life and death competition, all of you have stood at the end of the ring, and have the qualification to stand up in front of my lord! All of you get up, my lord grants you the honour of not kneeling when you see my lord, in the future when you see my lord, you do not need to kneel!”
“Many thanks, Your Highness!”
One hundred samurai heard Ryuzoji Takanobu reward them with the honour of not kneeling at the sight of the duke, and each of them flushed with excitement.
“Your performance in the ring this time, my lord has seen it all and is very satisfied! Life once, but only a few dozen years, the past is like a dream, there is life and death, if you are passive and accept the fate of the arrangement, always just a soldier! Only by living desperately can you shine and have no regrets in life!”
Ryuzoji Takanobu’s magnetic voice resounded above the heads of the samurai, instantly boiling their blood.
“The purpose of this ring competition, all of you are clear, right?!”Ryuzoji Takanobu looked searingly at the crowd of samurai.
“Back to your highness, we are clear. To select the best of the best, to cross the Great Ming in the west, to spy on the realities of the Great Ming, to scout the route, and to prepare for the Great Ming to be plundered by the army.”Matsuura Sanbanro and other samurai returned in unison.
Ryuzoji Takanobu nodded slightly, and then scanned the crowd again, “This time, the only samurai who will be travelling westward to Daming are you one hundred samurai and fifty samurai under the command of my lord, only one hundred and fifty people, are you afraid?!”
“Not afraid!”Matsuura Sanbanro and the others said in unison.
“Yell west! The eyes of a coward often see the enemy’s hordes; while the eyes of a man of martial valour always see the road ahead! Though the Great Ming is the most powerful nation in the world, it has grown savagely alone because for thousands of years it has been a dominant power, and no home country existed around it with which it could compete and serve as a sharpening point; now it has many branches and grows crooked, and its trunk is hollow and decayed! Now that it is weak, it is a heavenly opportunity to pluck its rich, sweet fruit! You have travelled a long way, but the road is under your feet; you have travelled a thorny path, but the katana is strong enough to cut through the thorns!”Ryuzoji Takanobu impassioned in the face of a group of samurai put words.
“Your Highness, let’s see how we perform, we will not disappoint your Highness!”Matsuura Sanbanro and other samurai were encouraged by the red face and neck, excitedly stated.
“Good! If you have any other requests for this trip, feel free to mention them, and my lord will definitely fulfil them!”Ryuzoji Takanobu nodded in satisfaction and asked them.
“None! One ship, one sword, is enough!”Matsuura Sanbanro and the other samurai returned with a conceited face.
Seeing this, Ryuzoji Takanobu nodded with a satisfied face and said approvingly, “You are worthy of the name of samurai!”
“Nabeshima Naoyo, you guys come here!”Ryuzoji Takanobu called out to the fifty samurai of the Ryuzoji family who were standing by.
“My Lord!”Nabeshima Naono and the other fifty samurai answered and came to pay their respects.
The Nabeshima family was a hardcore supporter of the Ryuzoji family, and Nao Nabeshima was the third son of the Nabeshima family’s original family, and Nao Nabeshima had grown up wearing the same trousers, so to speak, when he was ten years old by the family’s service to the ten-year old six-year-old Ryuzoji Takanobu. Nabeshima Naoyo was known for his bravery and courage, and even his older brother, Nabeshima Naomo, was no match for him. However, although Nabeshima Naono was brave, he was not good at strategy, just like his name, so he was not as famous as his elder brother Nabeshima Naomo.
“Nabeshima Naono, from now on, you will be under the command of Matsuura Sanbanro until you return from the Western Crossing.”
Ryuzoji Takanobu ordered Nabeshima Naomo.
“Nani?!”When Nabeshima Naono heard Ryuzoji Takanobu order them to be under Matsuura Sanbanro’s command, he thought he had heard wrong. They are Ryuzoji Takanobu’s generals, representing the Ryuzoji family, with the Matsuura family’s generals samurai west stabbing the Daimyo, it is right that the Ryuzoji family should be the masters, and the lord even ordered them to be under the command of the Matsuura family’s generals?
“What, you don’t even listen to my lord’s words?!”Ryuzoji Takanobu narrowed his eyes and spoke in a deep voice.
“I dare not disobey my lord’s orders, Naono leads the way!”Nao Nabeshima bowed to receive the order, then bowed to Matsuura Sanbanro, “Sanbanro, please give me more guidance! Naoyo Nabeshima will honour your orders!”
“No, no, no, your highness, please withdraw your order, Naoyao-kun is known as a great swordsman, Sanbanro is not as good as him, how can he be qualified to command Naoyao-kun. This western assassination of the Ming trip, the danger is heavy, the Ming army although weak, but many people, but also no shortage of solid samurai, only the most courageous people can lead the crowd to break through the Ming army to complete the task. Therefore, Naono-kun is the right person to be the commander!”
Governor Matsuura came forward anxiously, waving his hands repeatedly, insisting that Ryuzoji Takanobu retract his order and reappoint Nabeshima Naono as the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Assassins.
“Your Highness, yesterday, I had a sparring session with General Nabeshima Naono, and was defeated under General Nabeshima Naono. Today, Your Highness has ordered me, a defeated general, to command General Naoyo, Sanbanro is ashamed to accept the order, and I beg Your Highness to descend!”
Matsuura Sanbanro kneeled down and bowed longingly.
“You guys, alas ……Since this is the case, then temporarily make Nabeshima Naono commander of the western stabbing Ming trip, Sanbanro you as deputy commander. Naoyao, you and listen well, although you martial courage to claim the hero, but not good at strategy, this time the western assassination of Daming trip, although you are the commander-in-chief, but you have to ask for advice on everything, listen to the advice of Sanbanro.”
Ryuzoji Takanobu, under the admonition of Matsuura family governor and Matsuura Sanbanro, sighed with a difficult face, withdrew Narimasu, and appointed Nabeshima Naono as the commander-in-chief instead, and specially explained that Nabeshima Naono would listen to Matsuura Sanbanro’s advice.
“As you command!”
Nabeshima Naono and Matsuura Sanbanro and other samurai led the order.
“Good! After my lord’s words, I ask Lord Matsuura to train him.”Ryuzoji Takanobu turned his head to Matsuura family governor.
“Your Highness’s words are great, so I will not dogpile them.”Matsuura Family Governor waved his hand and excused himself.
“In that case, then you will go down and familiarise yourselves, and when the auspicious time arrives, set sail for Damien!”Ryuzoji Takanobu nodded and said.
About a tea time later, one of the Matsuura family’s retainers came to report, “Your lord, your highness, the auspicious time has arrived!”
Ryuzoji Takanobu and the Matsuura family governor looked at each other, and at the same time got up, beckoning Nabeshima Naoyo, Matsuura Sanbanro, and the others, and rewarding each of them with a cup of wine, the two of them together held their cups of wine, and toasted Nabeshima Naoyo, and the others, “After this cup of wine is finished, you and the others will set sail. The sea is vast, the Ming Dynasty is rich and vast, everything is under your feet. We are in front of the fat, waiting for you and others to return in triumph, in the future, when the army plundered Daming, you and others will be the biggest contributors!”
“Please Your Highness/Lord wait for our return!”Naoyo Nabeshima, Sanbanro Matsuura, and the others drank it all in one go.
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A few moments later, two Japanese customs ships set sail outside Hirado Harbour ……
