different warring states of japan

Chapter 2093: The Aftermath of Hachimangu Heavenly Punishment

After completing the process of three bows and three relinquishes, it is easy to invite the gods but difficult to send them away.

Just as the lyrics say, it was you who asked me to come, so I came. Now you say I am a bad person and tell me to get out.

Love is not a business, and politics is not a game. Behind seemingly ridiculous actions, there must be deep-seated needs.

As the ancients said, if the name is not right, the words will not flow.

But on the other hand, once you have the right to do so, it will be difficult to oust you from power.

The ancients also said that propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame are the four pillars of a country. If the four pillars are not strengthened, the country will perish.

The island nation has been learning from the Celestial Empire for 800 years, from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, and has brought back countless cultures.

There are many etiquettes, and the righteousness has its own interpretation in the island country's own way, but the words "integrity and shame" seem to have been forgotten completely.

The Shining Nine Virtues Armor enshrined in the Tsudaden Hall of Tamonyama Castle represents the nine virtues of the island nation, namely benevolence, righteousness, propriety, faith, wisdom, loyalty, filial piety, fraternity, and forbearance, but the only virtue missing is shame.

Therefore, even Buddhism, which occupies the core right of interpreting the island nation’s culture, knows that the island nation has no shame.

The island nation is poor and has a harsh environment. Coupled with the islanders' unique small-group and small-holder mentality, it is indeed difficult to form a moral foundation of integrity and shame.

  In this place where everyone reads the air and sticks to groups, how can you play with your friends if you are upright, honest, and have a sense of shame?

Bad money drives out good money, thus forming a unique culture of shame in the island nation.

If China's sense of shame is more inclined towards self-discipline and self-reflection, then the island nation's culture of shame is that one should not bring shame to one's own family or small group, and it is more heteronomous.

In a society where everyone is oppressed, everyone is bound to be abnormal.

The result of the lack of the four virtues is that the justice of the military regime is very poor, and the only thing that constrains the relationship between the monarch and his subjects is the contractual spirit of serving the public and rewarding the subjects.

You give me benefits and I work hard for you. How can there be long-term stability with just this moral foundation?

Therefore, the most urgent thing for Yiyin now is to legitimize himself and use his identity as a living god to do his best to consolidate the foundation for the Sōma world and strive to meet the expectations of the people.

When integrity is lacking, it can only be filled with divinity, and a stable theocracy can be built with the noble race revered by the island society as the core.

Before that, Yoshigin first had to obtain the orthodox lineage of the Kawachi Genji in order to gain legitimacy.

Although Ashikaga Yoshiaki was struck by lightning, the Ashikaga White Flag, the Shogun Sword, and the Golden Seal of the King of Japan were all crushed into powder, the Ashikaga family still had a close branch, the Kanto Shogun.

The Ashikaga family has not yet died out, and Yoshigin has taken the initiative to replace them now, which is somewhat inappropriate and destroys his own image.

He shook his head.

"All world affairs are discussed by the world. When the Ashikaga Shogunate's family dies out, a close relative will take over.

The Sasaki family has been separated from the orthodox lineage for hundreds of years, and now suddenly inherits the orthodox lineage of the Kawachi Genji. This is bound to cause criticism. It is better to let the grand council discuss it first, and then ask the Kanto Shogun for his opinion.

"To work together is in line with the principles of the samurai family and the spirit of the samurai family to achieve common prosperity through consultation."

Akechi Mitsuhide smiled and bowed.

"The saint is wise."

---

A divine punishment flattened the Nanshan Mountain by three feet, burning all the trees on the mountain, and the 600-year-old Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine was reduced to ashes in the thunder and lightning. The Ashikaga generals who participated in the sacrifice died along with the high-ranking officials of the shogunate. The imperial white flag, imperial sword, and golden seal representing the Ashikaga world were all destroyed in this divine punishment.

The Ashikaga reconciliation, which had originally attracted much attention, ended in a way that left all the samurai families dumbfounded.

All the people outside Nanshan who were concerned about this matter quickly spread the news.

The legend that Sasaki Yoshigane is the present god who descended from Bishamonten was vigorously promoted by the New Shintoism headed by the Takata sisters, and its influence expanded greatly.

Some conspiracy theorists secretly speculated that this was arranged by Sasaki Yoshikin, who took the opportunity to massacre the entire shogunate's high-level officials.

However, this statement not only failed to interrupt the boiling of the legend of the present god, but instead added fuel to the fire.

If a person looks like a god, has a god-like temperament, is eternally youthful, and can call the wind and rain, you can say whether he is a god or not!

No matter how conspiracy theorists denigrate the character of Yoshigin Sasaki and regard the destruction of Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine as a deliberate murder, they cannot avoid one reality.

  Are those thunders that fall from the sky a punishment from God?

If so, then what is the point of distinguishing whether this matter was deliberately arranged by Yoshikin Sasaki?

No matter whether the thunder and lightning were brought by the gods in heaven or by Yoshigin Sasaki, the living god on earth, it was all a punishment from heaven.

  If Yoshikane Sasaki really had such ability to call the wind and rain, which military family in the world would dare to be an enemy of the Sasaki family?

Then, an interesting scene occurred.

The first people to jump out and deny the conspiracy theory were the enemies of the Sōma family.

Whether it was the Ichijo family or the Mori family, they all believed that it was God who disliked the Ashikaga Shogun and that this was the punishment from heaven that destroyed the Ashikaga shogunate.

As long as Hideyoshi Ichijo and the Mori family are not crazy, they will never admit that this matter was deliberately arranged by Yoshikin Sasaki.

If it is acknowledged that Sasaki Yoshikane is really able to call the shots, Hideyoshi Ichijo and the samurai under the Mori family will immediately become unsettled and fall apart.

  Who would be willing to follow Hideyoshi Ichijo and go against a living god who can call the wind and rain?

While in Nishikuni Ichijo and the Mori clan were desperately trying to deny the divinity of Sasaki Yoshikin and were intent on turning the Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine incident into a punishment from heaven, someone in Kanto was even more terrified.

---

Koga Castle, Imperial Palace.

Ashikaga Yoshiuji paced back and forth in the room, as panicked as a headless fly.

Sitting below her, Ieda Harusuke also had white hair. Things had not gone well for the past two years, and she was too worried, so she looked like she had aged by ten years.

Back then, Harusuke Ieda could still influence the northern part of Shimosa Province, headed by Furukawa.

As a result, she was deceived by Yoshishige Satake by mistake, and accepted bribes from the Eastern people, inviting the saint to come to Koga to enjoy the spring.

However, they did not expect that the Eastern people led by Satake Yoshishige would rebel and try to capture the saint who came to visit Koga Castle as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Kanto Samurai.

But the saint was such a powerful figure that after hearing the news of the rebellion in the east, he went south alone, gathered the defeated Hojo army, defeated the Satomi rebels on the southern front, and turned back to force Satake Yoshishige to surrender.

The Battle of Shimoussa lasted only more than 20 days, but the intensity was fierce, leaving Shimoussa Province devastated. As a result, the Shimoussa samurai hated Ieda Harusuke for starting the war.

Ashikaga Yoshiuji, the Kanto Shogun, was originally unworthy of his position, and after this battle he was deemed to be a puppet of Ieda Harusuke, and his influence became increasingly weak.

After the Battle of Shimotsu, the sage enfeoffed Kai-kun, who had made great contributions, in Sekijuku Castle.

This move not only successfully took away the water transportation hub in the middle and lower reaches of the Tone River, but also took away the hereditary territory of the Koda family, breaking Koda Harusuke's backbone and making her never recover.

Even Ashikaga Yoshiuji was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with her and was about to get out of her control.