00】
Gyeonggi, Nara, Nara Administrative Office, a certain room——
This room, provided by Yamaoka Kageyoshi and used as a "control room" for Ayoto and others, was crowded with people.
Qingdeng's big horse was sitting on a small pony.
Behind him hung a flag with the word "honesty" as "the symbol of the Shinsengumi" and a flag with two lines of large characters as "honor in death, shame in life".
In front of him, there is a long table.
A map of the Gyeonggi region is spread on the long table.
Toshizo Hijikata, Isamu Kondo, Keisuke Yamanan, Hachiro Kiyokawa, and the captains headed by Souji sat on the left and right sides of the long table in order according to their status and position.
Qingdeng lives in the north, the generals live in the east and west, and the door of the room is located on the south side.
If someone opens the door and walks in now, they will be facing the Shinsengumi's "all-star lineup" as if they were looking up at a mountain!
They are currently holding a military meeting to discuss the next actions of the troops and strategies for defeating the enemy.
A meeting of this level has no room for carelessness or joking.
As a result, everyone present sat in solemn silence, their faces grimacing and holding their breath.
Even Souji and Harada Sanosuke, who were always smiling on weekdays, rarely had serious expressions on their faces at this time.
For this reason, there was a skin-tingling tension inside and outside the command room.
If an outsider comes here, they will definitely feel great pressure coming towards them!
Looking around, everyone was sitting, only Shannan Keisuke was standing.
He held a scroll in his hand and read out the latest rebel intelligence and frontline battle reports to the audience in a clear and loud voice.
"The thief chief Yoshimura Torataro persuaded the Totsugawa army of warriors."
"It is reported that a total of 960 Totsukawago warriors joined the rebels."
"As a result, the total strength of the rebels has expanded to more than a thousand people."
"In addition, people with lofty ideals from all over Yamato responded to the rebels' call and went to fight in a steady stream."
"As time goes by, more and more people will definitely go to join the rebels."
"After incorporating Totsugawa's country warriors, the rebels, whose strength had greatly increased, began to move eastward and rushed towards Takatori Castle with great force."
"If nothing else happens, early tomorrow morning, the rebels will be able to attack the city and capture the city."
After finishing speaking, Shannan Keisuke put away the scroll in his hand, turned to look at Qingden, and said "more than that".
Qingdeng gave him a "Thank you for your hard work" look.
Shannan Keisuke nodded slightly in response, then pulled the small horse behind him and sat down slowly.
As soon as he sat down on his front legs, Serizawa snorted coldly on his back legs:
"Isn't it the Totsugawa Roshi Corps?"
"What do you have to fear from a mere countryman?"
"Even if their strength increases five times, they are still no match for us!"
As soon as Serizawa Kamo finished speaking, Hijikata Toshizo, who was sitting not far from him, poured him a basin of cold water without hesitation:
"Don't underestimate the people of Totsu Township. They are by no means soft persimmons who can be manipulated by others."
"Not to mention anything else, their bravery and proficiency in fighting and their loyalty to the emperor cannot be underestimated."
Totsu-go—located in the inland of the Kii Peninsula (south of the Yamato region), a place full of mystery and surrounded by nature.
The so-called "country scholar" is a type of warrior.
Samurai in the Edo period usually lived in castle towns and were called "castle corporals".
In contrast, samurai who lived in the countryside were called "country warriors".
However, this is not the case for the villagers of Totsu Township.
Although they are called "countryside scholars", the vast majority of them are just ordinary farmers.
The villagers of Totsugawa have made a living by hunting since ancient times, so they are good at bows and arrows. They also supported Emperor Tenmu during the Imshin Rebellion in 672.
According to local mythology, the villagers of the Totsu River once brought Emperor Jimmu to Yamato as the sacred bird Hachiku Crow.
When they go to distant places, they will wear samurai uniforms like samurai, with katana and wakizashi on their waists, looking very stylish.
Logically speaking, if he is an ordinary citizen but imitates a samurai and wears a sword, he should be punished by the government.
However...the villagers of Totsugawa just have such privileges.
Since the Imshin Rebellion in the 7th century, the Totsu River has often cooperated with those in power to send troops, including the Heiji Rebellion in the 12th century, the Northern and Southern Dynasties era in the 14th century, and the Battle of Osaka in the 17th century. Therefore, the Totsu River has long been a tax-free area.
Semi-independent region.
Because it is located in a mountainous area with many mountains, it has been isolated from the outside world for a long time. It even has its own "Lingshiyin" flag, making it seem like a semi-independent vassal state!
Not only are they good at fighting and have numerous military exploits, but they also have a convenient location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Neither the imperial court nor the shogunate are willing to provoke them easily.
Therefore, the government has always adopted a negative attitude of turning a blind eye to their behavior of "pretending to be samurai".
Everyone in Totsugawa has a knife and a spear, and in an emergency everyone will join in the fight.
To put it simply, the villagers in this place are all a bunch of bloody fighting sects!
Over time, the villagers of Totsugawa became known as the "Totsugawa Country Soldiers Corps".
They were proud of their heroic deeds in fighting for the imperial court several times, and were honored by the emperor.
In this way, it is not surprising that they would join forces with Tenchu, who had a slogan of "support the imperial court and annihilate the shogunate".
Hijikata Toshizo's retort made Serizawa Kamo change his expression.
Although what the other party said is reasonable, but... who is Serizawa Kamo?
Hijikata Toshizo refuted him in public, how could he bear it?
He has always been the only one to refute others, how can anyone else refute his reasoning!
He leaned forward, supported his knees with his hands, and glared at Hijikata Toshizo fiercely, like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey at any time.
"Ah? So what?"
he said.
"The so-called 'brave and good at fighting' you talk about is just that he is better at fighting than the average villager."
"A bunch of stupid people, how strong can their fighting power be?"
His fierce and horrified look might make ordinary people tremble, but it would certainly not frighten Toshizo Hijikata.
Who is Hijikata Toshizo?
He is a dissolute "wicked boy of thorns"!
Faced with Serizawa Kamo's retaliation, he raised his upper body, raised his chin, crossed his arms across his chest, and stared back at the opponent without showing any weakness, showing a "What? You are not convinced?" look.
"I'm just reminding you not to underestimate the enemy."
"If you are killed by a mere idiot because of your carelessness and underestimation of the enemy, then I will laugh in front of your grave."
When talking about the words "grass and wood fool" and "grave", Toshizo Hijikata emphasized his tone.
Hijikata Tobizo's tit-for-tat confrontation made Serizawa Kamo's face look even more ugly.
Just when he was about to have an attack, a male voice floated over softly:
"quiet."
Qingdeng continued expressionlessly:
"If you want to quarrel, go to a place where no one is around."
Serizawa Duck was suddenly startled.
He glanced at Qingdeng not far away with a complicated expression.
For a few moments, he smacked his lips vigorously, and then silently retracted his forward leaning body without saying a word.
To be continued...