Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1834 - 1321: The Buddha’s Enlightenment Revealed Their Origins to Me

The blue smoke dissipated, and the pine incense had already burned out. The gold talisman on the table shone with a golden light, yet the three seated around it paid no attention to it, instead maintaining a deep and contemplative silence. After a long pause, Kaozaki Mitsuhiro finally looked at his father, Takeda Nobuhiro, bowed low, and said in a deep voice.

"Lord Nobuhiro! Your divine light has illuminated the Bodhi tree in my heart, greatly benefiting me... May Buddha protect us! I do not wish for warehouses full of gold, only for your increased fortune and longevity, so that you may continue to lead our main family forward!…"

Having said that, Kaozaki Mitsuhiro bowed again. Hearing his son's words of blessing, Takeda Nobuhiro felt some comfort in his heart, but only nodded slightly.

"Rise! There's no need for so much formality. My son, both fortune and longevity are destined, and cannot be sought after."

"Yes!…"

Kaozaki Yoshihiro respectfully rose, observing his father's expression, pondering a little, then spoke in a low voice.

"Father... I negotiated trade with the chieftain of the Shandan Tribe for a whole day. His speech and knowledge directly hit the key points, and he understands poetry and Buddhist principles, can calculate the prices of goods... he does not seem like an ordinary Shandan chieftain, but rather resembles a Martial Family who has been educated by renowned teachers and has extensive experience. More importantly, he can write in Chinese and can correspond in writing with Chief Retainer Kudo!... "

"Hmm?! Able to write in Chinese, understand poetry and Buddhist principles, and knowledgeable about calculations?"

Upon hearing this, Takeda Nobuhiro was obviously taken aback. He frowned and looked at Shigeyasu Kudo, only to see him solemnly nodding. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Family Head, this Shandan Great Chief is definitely not someone that could be cultivated by an ordinary barbaric Shandan tribe!"

At that moment, Takeda Nobuhiro's expression became stern, and his visage carried much gravity.

"Do you mean to say... behind the Shandan chieftain, there are traces of some other Japanese Martial Family?…"

"No, no! Father, he doesn't look like any Japanese Martial Family! There's no other Martial Family clan intervening in Ezo land!…"

Kaozaki Nobuhiro shook his head repeatedly, eagerly explaining.

"Chief Retainer Kudo and I have discussed this repeatedly, and we have also made some estimates about the origins of this Shandan tribe. Their noble origins might exceed everyone's expectations! And with such noble origins, their ambitions probably do not lie in this domain of Ezo land... they have no conflicts with our main family. Their schemes would be in a much broader place!…"

"Chief Retainer Kudo, let it be you, the one who discovered this great secret, explain it to Father!…"

"Hai!…"

Veteran Shigeyasu Kudo bowed his head low in a salute. Then, he raised his head, looking at the focused Takeda Nobuhiro, and his face already showed excitement.

"Family Head, I was captured by this Shandan tribe for nearly a month. Under Buddha's protection, I discovered many cobweb-like clues…"

"This Shandan tribe can write in Chinese and can correspond in writing with me, possessing ancient tribal heritage! They inquired about the southern Ming Dynasty and Korea, showing great concern for the south…"

"They possess Yuan Invasion's firearms, Tang people's large ships, solid heavy armor, and a small but extremely elite number of warriors!... And such equipment, such elite forces, cannot be possessed by ordinary Shandan tribes!"

"They possess an unspecified but certainly astonishingly large amount of gold reserves! Yet I have never known any Shandan tribe capable of having the manpower and resources to smelt so much gold, not even if there's truly a gold mine…"

"They do not value goods favored by Shandan tribes but instead seek craftsmen, livestock, and population, willing even to trade gold for them. But ordinary Shandan tribes would likely not lack livestock, nor have such long-term ambitions…"

"They worship the Heavenly Divine of the sky, guided by a noble Shaman. When I inquired about their origins, they referred to themselves as 'descendants of the Sun and sky,' and mentioned being one family with the western Shandan tribes long ago…"

"And most crucially! The emblem of their venerated ancestors is a 'Flying Eagle' clutching a snake, engraved as 'Flying Bird' on the gold talismans, and is the soaring 'Divine Eagle'! A family emblem bearing 'Divine Eagle' and matching all these traits, could only be…"

Saying this, veteran Shigeyasu Kudo paused, took a deep breath. Then, under the grave gaze of Takeda Nobuhiro, he shouted with excitement.

"Witnessed by Hachiman Mahasattva! They are Yuan Invasion forces! A Yuan Invasion force worshipping Shaman, able to write in Chinese, possessing firearms, heavy armor, and large ships, an elite Yuan Invasion force!…"

"And their noble identity has already quietly revealed itself from the immense amount of gold in their possession and the marks on those gold talismans!…"

"Buddha enlightened me, and I've realized their origins!… They are the legendary most noble Golden Clan of the Yuan Invasion, with bloodline flowing with gold! And the emblem on their gold talismans is the legendary emblem and symbol of the Yuan Invasion royal family, the flying 'Divine Eagle'!…"

"!…"

Takeda Nobuhiro's entire body trembled and couldn't stay seated any longer. He stood up abruptly, his old eyes sparkling like lightning. He pressed his lips tightly, walked to a dark box behind the sleeping mat, and tremblingly took out several rolls of yellowed 'Takeda Ancestors Records'. Quickly flipping through these records of past ancestors, he finally found a record of the Yuan Invasion.

"The sixth year of Bun'ei (1268), the Yuan Invasion sent envoys to Capital City to present the 'Mongolian State Document'. The document was entirely in 'Chinese', claiming to be the 'Emperor of the Great Mongol State', demanding the 'King of Japan' to submit…"

"In November of the same year, Ancestor 'Shinji' led the house retainers to the Western Country, preparing for the Yuan Invasion…"

"In the second year of Kenji (1276), Ancestor Shinji, accumulating merits in battle, was promoted to Aki Guardian. Among many battle exploits, the most notable was defeating the Yuan Invasion's main clan and capturing a Mongolian army flag! On the flag was a 'Flying Eagle' soaring. According to captured Yuan Invasion troops, this was the emblem of the Golden Family, the 'Divine Eagle' reared after Beiduan Cha'er of the Mongol tribes was exiled!…"

Takeda Nobuhiro's fingers trembled, lingering for a long time on this last sentence. Veteran Shigeyasu Kudo and Young Master Kaozaki Yoshihiro exchanged a glance, together offering a gold talisman of the Kingdom to the Family Head. Takeda Nobuhiro turned to see the 'Hummingbird' emblem on the talisman. His pupils contracted instantly, and his hand pressed on the Chief Divine's emblem, trembling as he caressed it.

After a moment, Takeda Nobuhiro spoke in a low and dry, aged voice.

"Kudo, Yoshihiro... are you saying…"

"The flying bird on this emblem... is that 'Divine Eagle'?… the Golden Family's Divine Eagle?…

"And this wealthy in gold, obscure Shandan tribe… is a branch of the Golden Family within the Yuan Invasion? They fled to the Far North Snow Plains? Then came to Ezo land?…"

"This is merely the conjecture of the Young Master and I… Family Head!…"

Veteran Shigeyasu Kudo once more knelt and saluted respectfully. However, he did not use a speculative tone, but with suppressed excitement at discovering an absolute secret, affirmed.

"Witnessed by Buddha! Family Head, besides the Golden Clan of the Yuan Invasion, which Shandan tribe could possess such massive amounts of gold! It can only be the hidden golden treasure taken from Tang Land during the peak of the Yuan Invasion!… I suspect they are one of the many Golden Clans from over a hundred years ago, pursued by the Ming Dynasty, thus forced to flee to the far north, fleeing beyond the Far North Sea to the colder snow plains further north…"

"Not only do those firearms, large ships, and armored troops verify this point… even their knowledge of Chinese… except for the truly noble Golden Clan, which Shandan people would master the difficult Chinese script?…"

"And they have hidden for so long in the Far North Snow Plains to avoid pursuit by the Ming Dynasty. It was only when the strength of the Ming people fully retracted from the western Land of Shandan did they suddenly emerge... they have once again uncovered immense hidden stores of gold, urgently trading for craftsmen, collecting tribes everywhere... their actions are fundamentally different from ordinary Shandan tribes, their ambitions are by no means trivial!…"

"Buddha! In the opinion of the Young Master, Elder Hougai, and myself, the origins of this 'Shandan Clan' are indeed the Golden Clan of the Yuan Invasion! And their scheme in contacting us is also easy to guess... that is to draw craftsmen and farmers from our country, thus re-establishing a kingdom in the western Land of Shandan, a kingdom belonging to the Golden Clan of the Yuan Invasion!…"

Note: Easter egg chapter one is the 'Mongolian State Document' sent by the Yuan Dynasty to the Muromachi shogunate, entirely in Chinese, and preserved to this day. Among the two Yuan campaigns against Japan, there were many Southern Song surrendered troops, all using Chinese. This left a deep impression on the Japanese.

Easter egg chapter two is the emblem of the Golden Family of Mongolia, also the most important Mongolian army flag. Upon it, a 'Divine Eagle' is painted, and when the flag hangs, it resembles the Chief Divine 'Hummingbird'.