Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1488 1160. Spirit Division

Not to mention, the temple where he was ordained as a lord must have a more far-reaching significance.

During the Warring States Period in Japan, it was a common practice for daimyo and military commanders to become monks.

On the one hand, they knew that they had committed serious sins of killing, and converted to Buddhism to seek peace for themselves.

On the other hand, this was also a political means.

Buddhism has a far-reaching influence in Japan, even to the extent of religious wars. Converting to Buddhism can show one's piety and win over believers.

Becoming a monk at the time of power transfer can, on the one hand, help the successor stabilize the situation without causing fear. On the other hand, after becoming a monk, most of the enemies who were in power at the time will not pester him anymore.

After all, after becoming a monk, one has cut off worldly ties, which is equivalent to being a dead person in religious views.

Of course, having said that, there are many daimyo who still hold power after becoming a monk. To say that they don't touch power is just to play around and fool people.

But in general, ordination is such an important political means. As the temple that presided over the ordination of Saito Dosan, its status in Mino must be unusual.

"The abbot of the Jōzai-ji Temple is Higo Shonin."

The local samurai Takenaka Hanbei whispered a brief introduction to the two outsiders.

"Higo Shonin was a powerful figure in Mino many years ago, the younger brother of Nagai Bungo no Kami Toshitaka."

In ancient Japan, common people did not have surnames, and among the nobles with names, in addition to being more prominent than the family name, they also had to highlight their official positions.

Therefore, the official position must be added between the surname and the given name.

Nagai Bungo no Kami Toshitaka, where "Bungo no Kami" is the official position, official position, and Nagai Toshitaka is the original name.

Takenaka Hanbei looked embarrassed and taboo.

He continued hesitantly: "When Higo-sensei was young, he and Dosan-sensei practiced together at the Myokaku-ji Daihonzan, and they were close friends."

"Later, Dosan-sensei sneaked into Mino, and it was through Higo-sensei that he became a samurai of the Mino Nagai family."

"Then he rose straight up."

Wu Ming and Lan En's faces remained unchanged.

What they call 'entering Mino and rising straight up' is actually the process of Saito Dosan's success in becoming the lord of the country.

Dosan was recommended by Higo-sensei to become a samurai of the Nagai family, but in the end he inherited the family name of the main family by trickery and changed his name to Nagai Norihide.

Afterwards, he surrendered to the Saito family under the name of Nagai Norihide, and then climbed up all the way, inherited the family name of the Saito family by trickery, and changed his name to Saito Toshimasa.

The change of the name is the history of Saito Dosan's rise to fame.

As a Mino samurai, Takenaka Hanbei naturally had to avoid the taboos of the venerable.

But at this point, why is the abbot of the Jōzai-ji Temple still Higo Shonin?

As the person who introduced Saito Dosan, an ambitious figure, to Mino, and introduced Saito Dosan to serve the Nagai family, the family was finally annexed by the lower class.

Higo Shonin, the younger brother of Nagai Toshitaka, should hate Saito Dosan to the core and regret his actions.

But he is still the abbot of the Jōzai-ji Temple.

Saito Dosan also specially chose this temple as the place for tonsure, which is equivalent to adding another layer of gold to the Jōzai-ji Temple.

"Perhaps." Takenaka Hanbei lowered his head, as if he could guess the thoughts of the two people in the room, "Even a poisonous viper would still have a tiny bit of compassion and nostalgia."

That's why he let go of his old friend who had become an enemy after successfully stealing the country.

Humans are complex creatures. Perhaps in the process of climbing up at all costs, there was only the flame of ambition burning in their eyes.

But when everything is settled, those eyes may be able to accommodate something else.

"Okay." In the complex thoughts caused by the complex situation, Lan En ended the silence with a calm voice. "Now that we know the general direction, let's get ready to start."

"What?!"

Hanbei was dumbfounded at this sudden change of emotions.

Wuming seemed to have thought much less than him, but he just nodded honestly after a moment of surprise.

"Your Excellency! Your Excellency Lan En!"

The sound of the buckles on [Smaug]'s armor being tightened one by one became more and more urgent. Takenaka Hanbei was shocked and his originally peaceful kneeling posture suddenly leaned forward.

With his hands on the ground, he almost became a kneeling posture similar to pleading.

His gentle face was now serious.

"I've said so much, don't you understand? The key to Changzai Temple now is not the temple itself, but the attitude of Master Dao San! He still misses the old times!"

"So what, Hanbei?" Lan En asked him curiously, "What does Saito Dao San's attitude have to do with my desire to remove [filth] and prevent that thing from harming people?"

"Oh, are you worried about our safety and that we can't stay in Mino in the future? It doesn't matter, Qilin runs very fast, we won't have a conflict, we can finish the work quickly and leave quickly, and no more people will die because of it."

Of course I'm not worried about your safety!

Takenaka Hanbei was already weak, and now his head was so crazy that it was about to split.

Since Qilin showed its extraordinary figure last night, Takenaka Hanbei had no doubt that this was the world's number one divine horse.

No matter how many troops there are, ordinary people can never stop it. But, but.

"You will be at odds with Master Dosan." Hanbei Takenaka said solemnly in a warning and reminding tone, "Doesn't it matter even if this is the case? Don't you care?"

Ever since his teacher hinted in his words how respected Lan En's unformed guardian spirit was, the words "people of the world" have always lingered in the minds of Hanbei and his father-in-law.

The eighty-eight years of continuous war have tortured the world for too long.

For so long, a gentle person like Hanbei subconsciously hoped that someone from the world would suddenly appear and make the world peaceful.

For a long time, traditional samurai like Ando Mamoru really hoped to meet a man of the world who could dominate the world and achieve world-famous achievements under his command.

So when Lan En called out the name of 'Kirin', Hanbei had already subconsciously divided two possibilities for this action.

One: This is truly destiny.

Two: This is just a means for careerists to build momentum.

And it was obvious that the second possibility occupied a large proportion in his mind.

In fact, from a personal perspective, Takenaka Hanbei does not reject careerists. Since ancient times, who has been able to achieve great things in the world, who can say that he has no ambition?

As long as he can bring about the world of benevolence and peace that his teacher said, Takenaka Hanbei doesn't care if the person who brings this world is a careerist.

However, if Lan En's actions in Merion so far are viewed as a careerist, then there is a ready-made success case that can be used as a benchmark.

That is Saito Dozo.

Meinong Country has more than a dozen counties under its jurisdiction, and its rice output is 650,000 koku. This is not surprising.

Check out the 16-9 book bar to see the correct version!

But it is far from Kyoto, with roads extending in all directions. Neighboring Owari is directly connected to the Tokaido. From the vicinity of Sekigahara, it can be connected to the Hokoku Street, Higashiyama Road and the Ise Corridor. It is a transportation hub in the world.

Anyone who uses military force will never ignore the battlegrounds of the past for military strategists!

Saito Dōsan chose this place for a reason, and in Hanbei's view, Lan En's reasons should be exactly the same as Dōsan's!

But when Saito Douzan first entered Mino, he also looked like a humble gentleman, and everyone praised him.

After establishing a good relationship with the local wealthy family and even integrating into them, he climbed up the original system of the local wealthy family step by step until he became the master of a country.

And if Lan En directly attacks Changzai Temple now, let alone establishing a good relationship with the largest wealthy family in the area, the Saito family may directly become hostile to him!

Is this something a careerist can accept?

unless

"It doesn't matter, Hanbei."

Lan En finally tightened the buckle on his boots, patted them with a bang, and then said with a smile.

"Aren't you trying to save people? What do the Saito family and Saito Dozo think of me? What do I think about him?"

"To be honest, if the source of this [defilement] is really a temple, I'm afraid many people who have been contaminated without realizing it, those who I want to save, will also spurn me and slander Buddhism, right?"

"But that doesn't matter."

Lan En shrugged and put the Lake Lady's Sword on his left waist.

"It is my will to save people. If just anyone's gossip and hostility can affect me, then my will is too cheap."

Hanbei still put his hands on the ground and faced the demon hunter in the room in a kneeling position, but his eyes slowly widened unconsciously at Lan En's response.

Unless the person in front of me is not just a careerist who is no different from others.

He really thought that in order to save people, even Saito Douzan! Does the hostility of the leader of a country not matter at all?

The teacher who knows the world well and can know the future talks about the so-called "a world of benevolence, virtue and peace".

"I understand."

Somehow, Lan En suddenly felt that the young warrior in front of him seemed many, many times more serious than anything he had seen before!

Even at the end of the banquet last night, he never looked so serious and solemn.

The hands that were originally propped on the ground in a moment of impatience now changed their posture slightly and gently.

Paired with the kneeling figure, it silently turned into a formal and solemn kneeling posture.

This gesture is often seen when samurai pledge their allegiance to their master's family.

A burst of dreamy brilliance emerged from behind Hanbei, Shirasawa flapped his ears and floated in the air.

"Oh, you already have something in mind, Hanbei?"

The young samurai did not raise his head, but just begged in a low voice.

"Please help me, teacher."

Then, Hanbei raised his head and looked sincerely at the witcher who was confused about the situation.

"Please also accept this meager strength!"

With that said, Bai Ze flew straight towards Lan En in mid-air.

Different from the previous close inspection, this time the old goat guardian spirit was about to hit Lan En's body without any intention of changing its floating trajectory.

Lan En didn't panic much, but his [body light] appeared on its own.

Bai Ze ran straight into it and disappeared immediately as if melting in the light.

On top of Lan En's perfect [body light], in addition to the lines that are still so messy that no outline can be seen, suddenly there is a glimmering image like a rubbing.

The appearance is exactly like Bai Ze's.

"Oh! It turns out that this is the process of possessing you! No wonder!"

With the vibrato characteristic of a goat, Bai Ze emerged on Lan En's shoulder.

At the same time, Lan En felt very strange that he was possessed by another guardian spirit besides the guardian spirit that had not yet taken shape.

"Is this the [Split Spirit]?"

Wu Ming looked around at Lan En and Bai Ze in surprise.

"I've heard of it, but this is the first time I've seen it!"