A Pawn’s Passage

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had already leapt out before the shrine completely collapsed back into the depths of the earth.

On the way out, Qi Xuansu casually took the now dim and lifeless metal sun disc with him. This instinct to collect spoils of a battle was a habit he had cultivated over the years.

As soon as they departed from the shrine, it sank into the gaping chasm in the earth—in a sense, returning to where it had first emerged.

With a thunderous crash, smoke and dust billowed upward.

With the "sun" setting, the Sonno-joi ronin who had only just glimpsed a sliver of hope now fell into utter despair. Save for a desperate few still struggling like cornered beasts, most of them had lost all will to fight, sitting in place and waiting for death.

The Daoist army marched triumphantly into Hisai Castle, which was now reduced to ruins.

The battle for Hisai Castle had finally drawn to a close.

In terms of elite forces, the Sonno-joi faction had suffered near-total collapse. The esteemed Princess Tamako was captured; one jokai-rank shinkan, two meikai-rank shinkan, and Zen Master Sosen were slain; and the Koga ninja Sarutobi Shosai vanished without a trace. Not to mention, the casualties among the shinkan of the gon-shokai and jikikai ranks and the samurai were beyond count.

All of this was accomplished by Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu alone.

The couple had carved through Hisai Castle's defenses with their twin swords alone.

This single battle was enough to make their names renowned throughout Fenglin.

When the two returned to Spirit Guard Jia Shen's command post, the veteran Spirit Guard could not apologize outright for the sake of his pride, but he still tactfully acknowledged that heroes could indeed emerge from the younger generation. He also admitted that he was far inferior to the Sage Commander in recognizing talent and promised to report the two youngsters' contributions to his superior.

This was, in effect, his way of conceding.

Since this first-rank Spirit Guard had humbled himself voluntarily, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu did not pursue the matter. After all, it was better to resolve enmity than keep a grudge.

Beyond the rout of their elite fighters, the Sonno-joi faction's common troops had fared no better.

On the Daoist side, aside from the losses suffered by the Toyotomi army, casualties had been limited to 50 Black Robes Heavy Cavalry and a little over 200 Black Robes infantry. The greatest expenditure was in munitions.

This showed that without money, lives had to be thrown in to fill the gaps. But with money, casualties could be vastly reduced.

The Sonno-joi ronin were nearly annihilated. Of their 40,000-strong army, more than half perished.

This battle was unlike the traditional clashes. On a normal battlefield with armies drawn up in formation, the dead and wounded were obvious at a glance. One could quickly judge whether the situation was favorable or dire. If casualties mounted and the situation turned grim, the moment a few started fleeing, a mass rout would soon follow.

But this time, there was no head-on clash. The 40,000 ronin were scattered throughout Hisai Castle, hiding within their makeshift cover. They had no way of knowing how their comrades fared elsewhere. All they could hear were endless shrieks of bombs overhead and the ceaseless roar of explosions. All they could see was a sliver of sky above them. They could not follow others blindly, even if they wished to.

Moreover, psychological collapse took time. This battle only lasted for a short span, and most of them were already blasted into pieces before they could reach their mental limit.

This marked a stark departure from wars of the past. The slow, grinding attrition was gone. Against cold steel, one could endure cut after cut. But against firearms, one might be struck down in an instant, killed without warning by a single blow.

The ferocity of the Daoist artillery was only part of the reason that over 20,000 ronin fell in such a brief time. The other reason was due to the Sonno-joi faction's lack of exposure in countering concentrated bombardment. Though they knew to seek cover, they did not disperse themselves enough. They huddled by the dozens and hundreds, only for a single bomb to annihilate them all at once. This blunder handed the Daoists their sweeping victory.

Had it been a Western army, seasoned in using firearms in battles, they would have spread out their defense. If so, each bomb might have killed only one or two men. It would never produce such staggering carnage.

Over 10,000 terrified ronin surrendered and became prisoners of war.

Since the Daoists prided themselves on their civility, they would not massacre surrendered troops. Instead, they established a prisoner camp on site, with Chancellor Toyotomi's Office in charge of screening and placement. Bandit leaders who bore blood debts were executed on the spot. Those dragged into rebellion against their will were either released or absorbed into the Toyotomi army as reinforcements. The uncertain cases, whose guilt could not yet be judged, were punished with labor. They were tasked to clear the battlefield, bury the dead, sweep the ruins, and rebuild fortifications.

The Chancellor's Office would have to hunt some scattered stragglers who fled amidst the chaos.

The Daoist army did not linger. Without even pausing to rest, they advanced into Anno District under the command of Spirit Guard Jia Shen, continuing their pursuit of the fleeing Sonno-joi army. Spirit Guard Jia Shen sought to form a pincer attack by coordinating with Spirit Guard Jia Chen's troops, who had already descended upon Mount Suzuka. They would strive to crush the enemy before they could cross into Mie District.

In this concluding battle of the February offensive, aside from Sage Qingwei commanding the campaign as a whole, the Daoists deployed three first-rank Spirit Guards—Jia Shen, Jia Chen, and Ding Wei—each leading an army. Spirit Guard Ding Wei's command consisted of infantry adept in positional warfare, tasked with blocking reinforcements. Spirit Guard Jia Shen's forces focused on artillery sieges. Spirit Guard Jia Chen's army comprised the bulk of the Black Robes Heavy Cavalry, emphasizing on mobility.

The flying ships were dispatched under the centralized authority of the field headquarters.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu did not accompany the main army in their pursuit of the Sonno-joi forces into Anno District. Instead, they remained in Ichishi District to handle the aftermath.

This "aftermath" did not refer to sorting prisoners or clearing the battlefield. Their true responsibility lay with a special captive—Princess Tamako.

Princess Tamako was a miko of the Ise-jingu and an Imperial Princess of Fenglin's royal family. If properly leveraged, she could serve as a powerful tool for winning over hearts and minds.

Spirit Guard Jia Shen understood this well. But since he had to press forward into Anno District to continue the pursuit, he had no time to oversee Princess Tamako's fate himself.

Thus, Li Zhuyu specifically sought instructions from her adoptive father, Sage Qingwei. His reply was that Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were to escort Princess Tamako to Yoshida Castle, where Sage Qingwei himself would soon arrive and grant her an audience.

Like constables escorting a convict into exile, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu set off with their noble prisoner.

Since the Zhang family had formally established Zhang Yuelu as their next successor, she had suddenly become wealthy. She was no longer the "impoverished" girl scraping by alongside Qi Xuansu but a young lady with deep pockets.

From Qi Xuansu's observations, the Heavenly Preceptor had seemingly given her nothing more than a single magical receptacle—the brocade pouch hanging from her waist. But in truth, the pouch contained far more than it appeared.

Zhang Yuelu drew a tiny boat model from the pouch. Its prow to stern measured just over 3 centimeters, with an open cabin at the center covered by a bamboo canopy.

The moment she tossed the boat out, it swelled with the wind. By the time it landed on the ground, it was indistinguishable from an ordinary boat.

The trio boarded together. Zhang Yuelu sat at the bow, and Qi Xuansu was at the stern, with Princess Tamako between them, facing forward.

There was no boatman aboard, as the vessel could move on its own.

First, it glided across the land. Then, it entered the nearby Ichiyasu River.

Fishermen's lanterns dotted the river. Catching sight of this wonder, some tried to approach for a closer look, but the boat sliced through the waves like an arrow and vanished from sight.

As the little boat darted forward, mist and spray lashed against Zhang Yuelu at the prow, yet not a drop could dampen her Cloud Robe.

When the boat was in the middle of the river, a great wave rose from below and lifted the boat so that it perched atop the crest.

The prow tilted gently upward. The boat then lifted off, leaving the Ichiyasu River and soaring into the night sky with the wind.

The little boat rose ever higher until it was over 300 meters above ground.

With the full moon hung overhead, everything seemed enveloped in a silvery radiance.

The three aboard were bathed in serene moonlight as the boat continued its ascent. Below them, Hisai Castle shrank to a mere dot, and the Ichiyasu River to a single thread of silver. Still, the boat did not stop, drifting upward toward the full moon, until it became nothing more than a tiny black speck against the glowing orb. Then, it vanished into the moonlight.

The boat sailed through the night winds toward Yoshida Castle.

At this point, Princess Tamako was utterly despondent. She had attempted suicide several times, each attempt foiled by Zhang Yuelu. At last, Zhang Yuelu simply slapped a talisman onto the princess's forehead, sealing her cultivation completely and leaving her motionless. It was certainly a comical scene.

Aside from his wife and mother, Qi Xuansu had little concern for women. He felt no pity toward Princess Tamako and left Zhang Yuelu to handle the prisoner.

Instead, he busied himself with examining the sun disc he had taken, hoping to extract some hidden benefit from it.

Such objects usually contained vast reserves of divine power, which was a precious supplement for someone of his humble background. Moreover, this disc was clearly a semi-immortal object.

At dawn, one of the guards atop Yoshida Castle happened to glimpse a small boat drifting through the sky. The news spread like wildfire, and soon the whole garrison rushed to the ramparts, eyes straining upward. Sure enough, they saw a Daoist man and woman, as well as a miko, riding a boat through the heavens.

As the boat passed overhead, these men, used to bellowing orders in thunderous voices, were struck dumb. Not one dared to make a sound. They only gazed in awe at the celestial figures. When the boat finally disappeared into the distance, they looked at each other in stunned disbelief.

Flying ships were common, but they always carried an oppressive weight of power, lacking the grace of celestial beings.

This vision, however, was exactly the kind of transcendent elegance mortals imagined when they dreamed of immortals.

It made them wonder whether those two aboard were the Daoist Order's famed prodigies.