A Pawn's Passage

The fall of Kobe meant that the gateway to Mie District was wide open, allowing the Daoist army to march straight in and press on to the gates of Komono Castle.

For the Daoists, Komono Castle itself was not of great importance, but the Ise-jingu located right beside it was of tremendous significance.

In past wars on Fenglin, the Ise-jingu had always maintained a detached stance. Even if someone attacked Komono Castle, it would not be implicated. But this time was different. The Daoists had come precisely for the Ise-jingu. The ultimate goal of the entire February offensive was this grand shrine, and only by capturing it would their mission be considered complete.

The Daoists raised their rallying cry and advanced toward the Ise-jingu.

But before that, some of the Daoist high command boarded flying ships back to the Xiujing encampment to attend the Imperial Preceptor’s welcome banquet.

The banquet was not held at the field camp but in Xiujing City itself, at the Fenglin Daoist Mansion.

Central Plains banquets tended to be overly formal. Since the Imperial Preceptor did not wish to create too tense an atmosphere before the great battle, he chose a Western-style banquet with a lighter and livelier tone. Among the invited guests were the new Kampaku, Toyotomi Hidemochi, the swordmaster Yagyu Sosei, Lady Fukimiya, Princess Tamako, as well as other senior ministers of the Chancellor’s Office.

Princess Tamako had not yet relented, but her attitude had wavered somewhat. At the very least, she no longer harbored the thought of committing seppuku. Moreover, since her cultivation was sealed, she was also asked to attend this banquet.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, the two rising stars who had shone brightly on the Ise battlefield, were naturally invited as well. Not only that, but they also had the honor of accompanying Sage Qingwei, Great Sage Zhang, the Fenglin Daoist Mansion Master, the Chief Deputy, and the Second Deputy to welcome the Imperial Preceptor’s flagship.

The massive Yinglong Warship slowly descended upon the sea, lowering its ramp to connect with the jetty extending into the waters.

Since the jetty had limited space, only a select few could step onto it to greet the Imperial Preceptor. This represented a special mark of status. The order of positions on the jetty was just like the ranks of civil and military officials at court. The higher one’s standing, the closer to the front.

Of course, Sage Qingwei stood in the first position on the left, while the first position on the right was taken by Great Sage Zhang Qihan.