"I have dealt with the "one-armed gang" the most times among all the thieves."
Kimura shook his head and talked eloquently.
"I have participated in a total of 3 operations to encircle and suppress the "One-Armed Party". Counting tonight, that's 4 times."
"Apart from the fact that the 'One-Armed Party' is a little cunning and can run a little, there's nothing special about it."
"Whenever we launch a siege against the One-Armed Party, the traitors of the One-Armed Party will collapse like snow poured into boiling water."
Kimura sneered "ha".
When he made this sneer, he looked directly at Qingdeng - it was unclear whether he was mocking the weakness of the "one-armed party" or ridiculing Qingdeng's ignorance.
"You said that the 'one-armed party' occupies a favorable geographical location? Well, then have you heard this old saying: 'The weather is not as good as the favorable location, and the favorable geographical location is not as good as the people'."
"Admittedly, I admit that what you said is right. The 'one-armed party' fighting in its own stronghold does have a geographical advantage."
"But we have the right time and the right harmony at the same time!"
Kimura raised his finger to the sky... to be precise, he pointed to the full moon above his head.
"Tonight is the night of the bright moon. Every place in Edo is as bright as day. Even if you don't carry a lantern, you can still walk on the streets as usual."
"Without the obstructive lantern that is extremely conspicuous at night, it will be difficult for the traitors of the 'One-Armed Party' to discover our traces."
"This will be of great benefit to us in completing the siege of the 'One-Armed Party' stronghold!"
"This is the right time."
"Each squad in our Huo Fu Thieves Reform is an elite division that has been well-trained and battle-hardened."
"Looking at the 'One-Armed Party' - I have just described their incompetence in detail. Any one of our squads is enough to defeat them!"
"What's more, we also have a series of sophisticated weapons such as armor, bows and arrows, and iron cannons."
"This is harmony."
"Besides, our battle tonight is still a surprise attack! Huh, those rebels must be sleeping now! They have no idea that their doom is approaching!"
"If I am prepared to attack the unprepared, I have the right time, the right people, and the best troops, and I am fighting at the end of my rope, how can I not guarantee victory?"
As soon as Kimura finished speaking, Tsuchida on the side quickly echoed:
"That's right! Mr. Kimura is right! As long as I send my seventh squad, it will be enough to defeat the traitors of the 'One-Armed Party'! There is no need to send two squads!"
Speaking of this, Tsuchida paused as if he thought of something.
After a moment, he sneered and sneered "ha":
"Tachibana, you proposed to send out two divisions. Could it be that you are greedy for the achievement of "defeating the one-armed party", want a share of the pie, and want to ask Mr. Kimura to send your third division to join the attack?"
After finishing speaking, Tsuchida did not forget to show a smug expression - his pride in being able to monopolize the achievement of destroying the "one-armed party" was beyond words.
In essence, anyone with a discerning eye can see the purpose of Kimura's battle plan of "the third division, the fifth division is responsible for encircling the enemy's stronghold, and the seventh division is responsible for the surprise attack."
To put it bluntly, he was giving the opportunity to make meritorious deeds to his lackey Tsuchida Masaichi.
Organizing his subordinates to surround a long house consisting of only more than thirty houses - such a task has basically no technical content, so naturally there is no merit to speak of, it is just a hard job with no benefits.
But rushing into the enemy's stronghold and annihilating the bandits is completely different.
The "One-Armed Party" has caused headaches for the government for a long time. Otherwise, Kurosawa and Okubo would not have impatiently organized an encirclement and suppression operation on the same day after determining where the base of the "One-Armed Party" was, and sent out three squadrons at once.
Team.
If the "one-armed party" can be wiped out neatly, then the credit will definitely be considerable.
Moreover, the longhouse is not so big that it requires two squads to surround it. It is more than enough to allocate one squad or half a squad to participate in the attack on the "one-armed party".
Therefore, the purpose of Kimura's combat arrangement of "supporting the dog's legs and squeezing out Aoto" is obvious.
Qingden tilted his eyes indifferently and glanced at Tsuchida.
Tsuchida, who was caught by Qingto's eyes, suddenly felt his neck tighten.
The scene where Aoto directly drew his sword to threaten Kimura this morning flashed quickly in front of Tsuchida's eyes.
Tsuchida, who was so arrogant a second ago, now died down like a defeated rooster.
Although he tried his best to put on an expression of "I'm not afraid of you," as if he still refused to admit defeat, but even though he thought so in his heart, his body was very honest - his head was buried low, and he didn't dare to look at Qingdeng again.
"An achievement of the level of 'annihilating the remnants of the rebel group' is not big enough for me to fight for."
When Qingdeng read the words "remnant party", he slowed down and emphasized his tone.
Kimura and Tsuchida's expressions immediately became a little ugly.
How could they not hear the implication of Qingdeng's words - I once sought credit from the anti-barbarian group in its heyday! I haven't paid any attention to the remnants of the anti-barbarian group!
As soon as Qingden said this, Tsuchida's situation immediately became embarrassing.
Tachibana Aoden has defeated the anti-barbarian group in its heyday more than once, and even the leader of the bandit Kamino was beheaded under his sword, but he is proud of his ability to monopolize the achievements of annihilating the "remnants" of the anti-barbarian group...
…Compared between the two, Tsuchida looks like a clown who doesn’t know the heights of the world.
Kimura stood up and broke the deadlock in the argument with an unquestionable tough word.
"Okay, let's stop the unnecessary discussion! In short - there will be no changes to the plan! Let's all go down and go to your places!"
After saying that, Kimura turned around and left without any hesitation.
As soon as Kimura left, Tsuchida glanced at Qingto with a resentful look, and then left angrily.
Qingden glanced around the formation where he was the only one left, and raised his hand to scratch his hair.
——Forget it, since Kimura insists on giving Tsuchida the opportunity to make meritorious deeds and will not give me any merit, then let him go.
Kimura is the "frontline commander-in-chief" and all military orders come from him. He has the absolute power to do what he says and others must obey his orders unconditionally.
Kimura had already given up his harsh words of "the plan will not change", so Aoto could no longer persuade him.
What's more, based on the current relationship between Qingnobo and Kimura, it's hard to believe that Kimura would listen to Qingnobo.
Moreover, from the perspective of "making the best use of people", there is no problem with Kimura's plan and arrangement.
Qingteng is a newcomer who is not even familiar with the series of operational affairs of Huofu Thief Kai, so it is very reasonable to send Qingteng to do simpler tasks, and there is no way to criticize him.
Even if Aoto appeals to the superiors and accuses Kimura of not leveling the bowl of water and favoring Tsuchida, Kurosawa and Okubo will definitely not pay attention to Aoto's request.
Anyway, it's not an important task that is so great that it cannot be given away. If it is given to Tsuchida, it will be given to Tsuchida.
After briefly calming down, Qingdeng turned back the way he came and met up with his subordinates.
About 20 minutes later, Kimura stood on a simple high platform made of wooden boxes and announced the gathering of the entire army.
The three divisions, with a total of 180 people, plus two division captains, Qingnobo and Tsuchida, formed a neat square formation in front of Kimura.
"Everyone! You must also know what we are going to do tonight!"
Kimura's pre-war mobilization was quite impassioned.
After listening to Kimura's speech, many people were refreshed and in high spirits.
After the simple mobilization speech ended, with Kimura's words "Attack!", the three squadrons were divided into six groups, heading towards Cheng Town along different directions and streets, towards the base of the "One-Armed Party".
When Qingteng led the generals of the Third Division out of the camp, the pointer of his pocket watch happened to point to 10:30.
At this time, Edo, except for the "city that never sleeps" Yoshiwara, has long been as quiet as if it had sunk into the dark sea.
Every street has a similar scene: quiet and quiet, the low whistling brought by the autumn wind blowing from time to time has become the only sound on the street. The streets of every street are covered with white frost.
Bright moonlight.
Under Xiaohui's guidance, Qingto and others were galloping, and their rapidly shaking figures projected on the ground added a shadowy scene to the silent Edo.
In a short time, the three squadrons successfully arrived at their destination.
The soldiers of the Third Division and the Fifth Division advanced from the east and west directions respectively. In less than 5 minutes, they worked together to completely surround the entire long house.
As for the members of Division 7, they gathered in front of the wagashi shop and were ready to attack at any time.
Tonight's battle focuses on the word "quick".
With a sharp and fast attack like a raging storm, the enemies have no time to react, and they are stunned and taken away in one go.
Therefore, after all the divisions were in their respective positions and prepared for battle, Kimura nodded slightly to Tsuchida beside him.
Tsuchida, who understood the situation, nodded to Kimura, took a step forward and drew the sword from his waist.
To be continued...