Chapter 1490: Oystersaki's Choice

The clouds continued southward, crossing the banks of the Shiribetsu River, past both parties who had completed the deal, and finally came to the edge, above the military formation of the Oyizaki samurai. The slanting sun shines on the clouds, and the dark red clouds are like blood falling on the soil. Naturally, Uyizaki veteran Shigeyasu Kudo was used to seeing this kind of blood. But now, he was riding on a pony, frowning, looking up at the dark red dusk clouds, and cursed in a low voice.

"Damn it! Do you want to see blood in this terrible weather?..."

"My dear! My dear!..."

A young and short warrior, panting, ran from the rooftop fleet by the river. Carrying the Oyezaki clan's flag on his back, he crossed the loose formation of spears, passed through the somewhat relaxed samurai, and then with a "pop", he knelt down in front of the horse of the family boss Ando Shigeyasu.

"My dear! The Master Mage on the ship has passed on the message!"

"Sukezaburo! Hold your chest high! What do you look like in a panic? That's a mage from the Tendai Sect, not the head of my family of the Oyizaki clan! Next time there is a message, you have to hold your head high and never lose me. The face of Mr. Oyizaki!"

"Ah?...Hiyi! Yes!..."

Sukezaburo opened his mouth, not knowing how the Ando family elder's inexplicable fire started. But as a civilian samurai from a humble background, he followed his elder brother Sukeichiro to feed horses for the gentlemen of Katsuyamakan since he was a child. He still had that kind of cleverness and sharp eyesight. He immediately kowtowed to his father, straightened his body again, gritted his teeth and shouted loudly.

"Old man! The mage on the ship said that the deal with the Shantao tribe has been completed. He asked us samurai of the Oyizaki clan to march back by ourselves. He said that the fleet was full and could not accommodate so many of us..."

"...The fleet is full, let us walk back by ourselves?!"

The old man Kudo Shigeyasu's eyes widened, and his anger instantly appeared. But soon, he suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice.

"Where are the accounts of this gold trade? How much gold did our family share? What did Mr. Morino Kiyo say?..."

"Ah! The younger one didn't get on the boat, and I didn't see Mr. Morino Kiyo. He seemed to be discussing something important with the great mage of the Tiantai Sect... The official and the young mage on the bow of the boat just said a few words and didn't mention it. The gold divided from this transaction is just for Let’s go back first! However, the old assistant of the Mori family, Xiang Saburo, came over and told me to go south as soon as possible and not to stop on the way. Miwu will replenish us with goods in the future, which will not be less than last time... "

"It won't be less than last time? Does that mean it's the same as last time? But the scale of the gold transaction this time is obviously much larger than last time... huh?! Go south as soon as possible and don't stop on the way?..."

The old man Kudo Shigeyasu came back to his senses, his face suddenly changed, and he fell silent for no reason, not knowing what he was thinking of. He raised his eyes and looked at the ships on the shore. The Tiantai Sect's fleet did not delay at all. They had already raised the square sails, lowered the oars, and began to turn around and return home. And he looked across the river. The Shantar people's military formation was still solemn. The armored tribal warriors were sitting on the spot and resting. None of them took off their armor and could fight at any time.

"O Great Bodhisattva Hachiman! The power of the Shantaru people is getting stronger and stronger!... If the Shantaru people are angered and really go south, then the first ones to bear the brunt of it will be the Kazuto land, and the family that just took control of the Kazuto land..."

Some thoughts that he shouldn't have resurfaced in Kudo Shigeyasu's mind again. He hesitated for a moment, and suddenly thought of the words that the Takeda family leader said before he died.

"The wind is blowing! The trees are here, the birds are here, and the nests are here. But I won't be there anymore!..."

"Oyizaki is the big tree, and Kazuto is the bird's nest. And we samurai are the birds in the nest..."

"Will there be intact bird eggs under the overturned nest? This is my family's nest, not the nest of those great monks of the Tiantai Sect..."

Kudo Shigeyasu squinted his eyes and thought gloomily for a while. Then, he suddenly raised his head and waved to Sukezaburo, who was short, clever and of humble origin.

"Sanlang, come here!"

"Ah? My lord?"

Sukezaburo took two steps forward in confusion, only to see his old man Kudo Shigeyasu dismounted from his horse and spoke to him with a straight face.

"Sanlang! Your brother, full of loyalty, raised horses for the head of the family, and dedicated himself to the family for more than ten years. Finally, he boarded a ship to the North Sea, and disappeared into the endless waves for the future of the family... And In order to reward his loyalty, the head of the Takeda family personally granted you the status of a samurai. I promoted you to a confidant and found you a daughter from a samurai family! And now, you have a son who can inherit your samurai family... "

Kudo Shigeyasu looked cheerful, walked up to Sukezaburo, and touched the other man's samurai bun affectionately. Then, he looked at Sukezaburo's surprised and somewhat frightened eyes, and under the setting sun, he gave a few instructions.

"You are like this...like this..."

"!!...My lord?!"

"What? Aren't you willing to dedicate yourself to our family?"

"This...my...family master loves me so much and gives me the status of a samurai. Of course Saburo is willing to die for our family! But 'Defecting the family, defecting to Ezo, and leaking military information'? For such a crime, I would not regret dying, but my two-year-old son , wouldn’t it mean that you would be humiliated for the rest of your life…”

"Sanlang! I will adopt your son as my adopted son. No one dares to gossip about him! And this is nothing more than a just-in-case preparation. In case the mages win, they will learn about it from the Shan Tao prisoners. In this matter, my family can be kept safe... But if the Shantao people win, this crime will naturally not exist. You are the envoy sent by my Oyezaki clan, which is equivalent to my nickname! "

Kudo Shigeyasu extended his old hand, touched Sukesaburo's cheek, and rubbed his head. He was closer than ever before. The price of this sudden closeness of the superior is naturally that the inferior has to pay with his life...

For a small clan like the Kakizaki clan, although the shogunate is weak, its authority has not been completely lost. The Tendai clan with the background of the shogunate is as powerful as the mountains!

If the other party supports the Kakizaki clan, the Kakizaki clan does not have to worry about the dissatisfaction of the Andong clan. They can act decisively to kill the lower country guardian and unify the land of the people. If the Tendai clan turns against them and supports the Andong clan to put pressure on the Kakizaki clan, the Nanbu clan ally that the Kakizaki clan relies on will probably never help. Therefore, even if he wants to do something, the Kakizaki clan wants to do something to sit on the fence and maintain relations with the Yamata clan... they must be prepared in advance to be able to completely cut off once the matter is leaked!

"Saburo! With me here, you don't have to worry about your afterlife! I will maintain your family for you. I will also arrange for your wife."

Under the setting sun, Kudo Shigeyasu's expression became more and more amiable, but his tone became more and more severe.

Reading the error-free version! 6=9+Shu_bar publishes this novel for the first time.

"I only ask you one question! Are you willing to fulfill the honor of a samurai and die for the family?..."

At this point, what choice does Sukeraburo have? He could only bite his lips hard, and swear with blood on his tongue.

"Buddha is a witness! I am willing!..."

"The honor of a samurai! This is the honor of a samurai! Saburo, do you remember what I told you just now?"

"I remember it! Ship... people... time..."

"Very good! The Kakizaki clan will remember your dedication!"

Kudo Shigeyasu looked generous, patted Sukeraburo's shoulder hard, and pulled down the flag of the Kakizaki clan. Then, he got on his horse again, waved his finger, and pointed to the south of Ezo.

"Disband the spear formation, march in columns! Within two days, we must rush back to the strong camp under Mount Yotei! Within five days, we must return to our family's Katsuyama Pavilion!"

"Hurry up! Those who fall behind should go south!..."

The setting sun fell on the coast of Ezo, the fleet of the Tendai clan disappeared in the southwest sky, and the spear team of the Kakizaki clan sank into the hills in the south. The three Jurchen riders galloped towards the Kitayu Hanbin tribe eighty miles away. The kingdom camp on the coast was still flickering with fire. This time, the gold trade brought too many goods and craftsmen, which needed to be properly sorted and transported, but it could not be done in a hurry.

The reeds swayed by the river, high above the head. Before the first ray of moonlight arrived, the distraught Sukerazaburo finally emerged from the reeds. He knelt down by the river and washed his face with the icy cold water. Then he gritted his teeth and ran towards the mountain Tartar camp, the terrifying and unknown fire...