Chapter 909 Qingden Shuten Doji: 'Go to the place where the world is divided into two parts!' [7100]
Chapter 909 Qingden/Shuten Doji: "Go to the place where the world is divided into two parts!" [7100]
Of course, Qingdeng couldn't say it so straightforwardly, but that's the general meaning.
Qingdeng did not want someone to jump out and cause trouble from behind when he led his army to attack the Changzhou Army.
Although most of the vassals in Gyeonggi were called to the Western Expedition, and they were powerless even if they wanted to cause trouble, it was always right to be more vigilant.
After dealing with the Gyeonggi vassals for so long, Qingdeng finally understood that one by one, they were all a group of guys who were good at riding on the wall!
Gyeonggi is the main battlefield where the "Zunbang Sect" and the "Samu Sect" fight each other. Over time, all the vassals in Gyeonggi have developed a "flexible" body.
When the "Zunping Faction" gained momentum, they rushed to flatter the imperial court.
When the "Samu faction" became powerful, they all became loyal ministers of the shogunate.
If they said that after learning about the fall of Nongwei, they did not have the idea of "submitting to Changzhou" or the urge to "make flirtations with Changzhou", then Qingdeng would never believe it!
Therefore, as early as halfway back to Ojin, Qingteng had already sent a large number of envoys to the Gyeonggi vassals to inform them that "Ju Qingteng is about to return to Ojin."
The benevolent king has returned - this sentence can not only boost the morale of one's own soldiers and civilians, but can also be used to intimidate the young people on both sides!
Sure enough, as soon as Qingdeng sent envoys, the feudal vassals in Gyeonggi Province immediately sent people to Tianjin to express their loyalty.
"We are sworn in with Choshu!" and "We swear to advance and retreat together with the shogunate!"... In short, they are all clichés.
Some vassal states took the initiative and requested to send troops to help.
Although they were very enthusiastic and had a "If you don't agree, I won't go back" attitude, all their requests for assistance were politely declined by Qingdeng.
Qingdeng did not expect them to send troops to fight, as long as they obediently guard their one-third of an acre of land and do not cause trouble.
Furthermore, even if they mobilized troops to assist in the war, it would not have much effect.
According to all the information known so far, the Choshu Army, which successively captured Nagoya and Sunfu Cities with overwhelming force, possesses quite advanced guns and artillery, and there is no obvious generation difference compared with the equipment of the Shinsengumi.
In other words, the next battle will be a modern war with guns and artillery bombarding each other!
In a battle of this level, there is absolutely no room for feudal troops to intervene.
If the armies of the Gyeonggi vassals were thrown into such a battlefield, they would be beaten into pieces if they could not hold out for even half an hour.
By then, Qingdeng will have to work harder to gather the remaining soldiers to prevent morale from falling and the gain outweighing the loss.
…
…
Just three days after Aoto rushed back to Otsu, the "Second Army" led by Hijikata Toshizo arrived safely in Otsu!
That afternoon, Isamu Kondo's "Third Army" arrived in Otsu.
The next morning, Shannan Keisuke's "Fourth Army" arrived in Otsu.
At this point, this "Second China Return", which lasted for 13 days in total, has officially come to an end!
Such achievements have already surpassed Yu Chaijun’s “First Great Return of China”!
At that time, the marching speed of Yu Chai's army back to Gyeonggi was only 20-25 kilometers.
Of course, if you think about it, you know that such amazing results come at a high price.
In order to boost morale, Hijikata Toizan and others did not ride horses, but used two legs to travel like ordinary sergeants!
The superior officials did not just speak out, and did not order them to work hard and fight desperately, but actually ate the same food and suffered the same suffering as them... In this way, how could the three armies not die?
After Shannan Keisuke led the "Fourth Army" to Otsu, Aoto immediately summoned him, Hijikata Toshizo and Kondo Isamu.
At this moment, looking at the three people sitting side by side in front of him, Qingden pursed his lips and sighed with mixed emotions:
"Suisan, Yong, Jingzhu, thank you for your hard work...!"
Hijikata Toshizo smiled and spread his hands:
"I don't think it's hard. To me, this level is nothing. Those team members with average physique are the ones who work the hardest. It's really hard for them to persist until now..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kondo Isamu and Shannan Keisuke both nodded in agreement.
The three of them are all swordsmen who can match a hundred swordsmen, so naturally they will not lack physical strength.
On the other hand, ordinary people... they don't have such ability.
Qingdeng naturally knew everything about the current situation of the infantry team.
After Hijikata Toshizo's "Second Army" successfully arrived in Otsu, he couldn't wait to check it out.
Although he had been mentally prepared in advance, he still couldn't help but feel sad after witnessing the tragic situation of the infantry.
With only two legs, he ran 350 kilometers in 13 days... Just looking at these numbers, it is not difficult to imagine what a painful march this was.
There was very little rest time, and they were not even allowed to take a break to eat... It is difficult to use specific words to describe the physical exertion and mental devastation this caused to people.
Many people even run while sleeping - with their eyes half-closed, they fall into a state of half-dream and half-awake, and move forward based on instinct.
The sergeants of the Shinsengumi were able to withstand this tremendous suffering and successfully complete the arduous task of the "Second Great Return of China" mainly due to two things-discipline and physical fitness.
There is no need to say much about the former.
The first article of the "Shinsengumi Code" is "all actions must be directed."
For a long time, the Metropolitan Police Bureau has proven one thing to all members of the Shinsengumi with its solid and powerful achievements: their swords will never be merciful due to any external conditions!
[Note: Metropolitan Police Bureau: The military police force of the Shinsengumi, led by Isamu Kondo]
It is certainly tiring and painful to keep running forward.
But if you stop and disobey the military order to "return to Dajin quickly", the Inspector General's sword will come to you!
It's not difficult to decide which one to choose.
In order to save their lives, they can only grit their teeth and use perseverance and desire to survive to make up for their lack of physical fitness.
As we all know, the desire to survive has extremely strong energy and can stimulate the hidden potential in the human body.
If strict military discipline plays a decisive role, then the latter... that is, strong physique, plays an important role.
Since the establishment of the Shinsengumi, Seito has spared no effort to improve the food standards of the sergeants.
If you have enough rice, you can eat oily meat, fish, and eggs from time to time.
Although looking at it from a modern perspective, meals of this level are nothing, but compared with the meals of other armies of the same era, just "rice and rice for free" is enough to make countless people envious.
Facts have proved that the real money Qingdeng spent on this was not in vain.
With a strong body nourished by rich nutrients, most of the team members successfully survived this arduous journey home.
But even so, after arriving in Dajin, many soldiers were still so exhausted that they almost died suddenly.
Many people took off their leggings and found that their legs were as red and swollen as legs and they were basically unconscious.
As for the number of people who faint from exhaustion on their back legs as soon as their front legs stop.
However, the number of people who couldn’t persevere and fell behind midway was far less than Qingdeng expected.
Such an achievement is really unexpected.
In response to Hijikata Toshizo's words, Seito gently nodded and sighed:
"Yes, you are right, everyone has worked hard."
"This time, everyone has made a contribution!"
"I will definitely reward you all vigorously in the future!"
After hearing this, Hijikata Tosei grinned and said half-jokingly:
"Reward you all? If you want to reward all the sergeants who participated in the 'Second China Return', the cost will not be low."
Qingdeng smiled slightly:
“Isn’t it that I have earned so much money just to spend it happily in one go when it’s time to spend it?”
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the scene became a little more relaxed.
However, in just a moment, Qingdeng restored the solemn atmosphere in the room.
"We will discuss the specific rewards later."
"Now, let's talk about the current war."
Hearing this, Hijikata Toshizo and others knew that the topic was about to come next, so they all calmed down their moods, lowered their expressions, and stared at Qingden attentively.
Shannan Keisuke couldn't help but asked first:
"Qingden, what's the current situation of Nobi?"
Because he had just returned and his body was still stained with dust that had not had time to be washed away, he did not yet know the current situation of the war.
Qingdeng said concisely and solemnly:
"They looted the entire Nagoya City, then mobilized all their troops and supplies and marched eastward."
"Four days ago, they captured Sunfu Castle without any effort."
"After a brief rest, they abandoned Sunpu Castle the day before yesterday and continued to march eastward towards Edo."
Before Qingdeng finished speaking, Shannan Keisuke could not help but froze on the spot, his expression dominated by strong shock.
Fortunately, he is the chief of the Shinsengumi and the patriarch of the Qinjin clan. He has a strong heart because of going through countless ups and downs.
In just a few breaths, he stabilized his mind and muttered:
"...Their goal is very clear, they are here to capture Edo and eliminate the shogunate!"
Hijikata Toshizo curled his lips, his cheeks filled with disdain.
"Nagoya Castle aside, what happened to Sunpu Castle?"
"Siting in such a fortified city, and knowing in advance that the Changzhou Army was about to attack, how come it didn't last even half a day?"
"What a waste!"
Isamu Kondo smiled bitterly to smooth things over:
"There's nothing you can do about it. It's not like you don't know about the lax military preparedness of the shogunate."
"Since the opening of Edo, Sunpu Castle has not experienced war."
"It is inevitable that if you have not heard of war for a long time, your fighting power will be reduced."
"Honestly, the fact that the defenders of Sunfu Castle dared to go into battle instead of simply abandoning the city and fleeing has exceeded my expectations."
"You really can't be too demanding on others."
Shannan Keisuke took over:
"It only took such a short time to march from Nagoya Castle in Owari to Sunfu Castle in Suruga... The speed of the Choshu Army cannot be underestimated...!"
The venomous Hijikata Suisan added at the right moment:
"A traffic road that is too good can sometimes have the opposite effect..."
The "excellent traffic roads" he refers to naturally refer to Donghai Street.
The difference between the "Five Streets" headed by Donghai Street and other roads of the same era is like the difference between expressways and ordinary roads.
The size of the Choshu Army, which went straight to Edo, was not large.
According to currently known information, its size will not exceed 5,000 people.
Smaller scale means flexibility.
On this basis, coupled with the extremely superior road conditions of Donghai Street... it is not surprising that the Changzhou Army can march at such a fast speed.
If you open the map, it is not difficult to find that the current Changshu Army is very close to Edo!
Further east from Sunpu Castle is Sagami Province, Musashi Province... and further east from Musashi Province is Edo!
Isamu Kondo sighed:
"There is no need to delay..."
"Their good days are over!"
Qingden's sudden shout attracted the attention of Hijikata Toizan and others.
"What are we gathered here for?"
"Now, all troops have successfully returned to Dajin."
"Now that the personnel are here, we can finally hold a formal military meeting!"
As he spoke, he turned his eyes and let his gaze pass over the faces of the three people in front of him one by one.
"Suisan, go summon the generals of deputy captain and above!"
"I will hold the first military meeting of this war!"
…
…
Donghai Street, somewhere——
Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!
Muskets, chainmail and other metal equipment collided with each other, making crisp and harsh sounds.
Looking around, a huge military column of thousands of people was slowly marching forward on the streets of Donghai.
The strange army with two thousand soldiers, the "Slavic Legion" with two thousand soldiers, a total of four thousand soldiers and horses - they marched towards Kanto with their heads high and their chests high, their eyebrows dancing, and their momentum was like a rainbow!
They successively conquered the two cities of Nagoya and Sunfu, and were invincible, with no single enemy... So, it is no wonder that their morale was high.
If you look down from above, this army attacking Edo really looks like a spear piercing the heart of the shogunate!
"Amanuma Spear" - the code name of this battle was taken from this.
In that legendary mythological era, Izanagi and Izanami, on the orders of the God of Farewell, stirred up the chaos of the earthly world with the Amanuma Spear. A drop of water dripping from the tip of the spear became the Yuneng Gero Island, completing the project.
Creation.
And now, the Pazhu Party and the Choshu Domain are also going to use their "Amanuma Spear" to create a new world!
At this moment, at the main formation of the Chinese army, Shuten Boy was riding majestically on a tall horse.
What's interesting is that he is not wearing the popular chain mail that is easier to move around, but is wearing a large set of dark red armor in the style of the Heian period.
The spade-shaped front stand on the front of the helmet is raised high, reflecting little bits of light under the sunlight.
The large armor... not to mention the current era, even in the Warring States Period three hundred years ago, this was already an outdated armor.
The armor that was popular during the Warring States Period was full-length armor. Its typical feature was that the breastplate had a slight arc, which could effectively reduce the lethality of bullets.
The distinguishing feature of the large armor is that it is boxy and box-like. The breastplate, back armor and shoulder armor are all flat and cannot prevent bullets at all.
In a word, this armor is not suitable for the current battlefield environment at all.
Regarding why Shuten-douji wore such outdated and bulky armor, Katsura Kogoro once found an opportunity to specifically ask the person involved.
Yes, the other party responded like this:
"There's no special reason, it's just personal preference. Don't you think I look very brave wearing this armor?"
But a normal army can only have one head.
The nominal general of this "United Legion" is none other than Shuten Doji.
Let Shuten Douji be the boss... Katsura Kogoro and others of the "Changshu Clan" were quite critical of this.
However, no matter how dissatisfied they are, they can only endure it and avoid relapse.
After all, the "Amanuma Spear" was planned by the Fa Zhu Party, and the three warships used to carry the troops were also obtained by them with great efforts. They took great credit and let someone be the general of the "United Legion".
Plan to suppress Changzhou.
Just when Shuten Doji was sitting on the horse, looking high-spiritedly at the eastern horizon, a deep male voice came from beside him:
"Shuten Doji-sama, urgent letter!"
I saw a kappa riding a fast horse, panting and handing out the letter in his hand.
"Kappa, thank you for your hard work."
Shuten Doji reached out to take it, pulled out the letter, and read it quickly.
After a while, he seemed to have seen something interesting. He raised his brows slightly, his eyes flashed with excitement, and he grinned to the left and right, almost to the ears.
"...Kappa, help me send an order to the entire army - stop advancing and rest on the spot!"
Katsura Kogoro happened to be next to Shuten Doji at this time.
Hearing Shuten Doji's order to stop the march, he immediately asked:
"Shuten Doji, what happened?"
Shuten Doji closed the corners of his raised lips, pursed his lips and smiled. He slowly put down the letter in his hand and turned to look at the west behind him. At this moment, the excitement in his eyes became even more intense.
"The Shinsengumi...Nioh is here!"
…
…
Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi, military conference room——
General, three commanders (deputy commander, director, general commander), three assistants (deputy commander assistant, director assistant, general commander assistant), captain of each team, deputy captain of each team... the senior members of the newly-selected group
The generals are all here!
Qingdeng Da Ma Jin Dao sat on the main seat, and the rest of the people took their seats in order in front of him according to their status.
Some of them were so busy that they had just arrived in Dajin and were called to a meeting without even having time to change their clothes.
Although their faces were stained with fatigue, they all cheered up and stared at the map in front of them attentively.
They saw a detailed map in front of them, which mapped the topography from Gyeonggi to Edo, as well as the important locations of various places.
"...The above is the current battle situation."
Yamanan Keisuke said as he took back the thin stick in his hand that was used to indicate various places on the map and sat back down.
Just now, he summarized the current situation in a concise way, cutting out the complexities.
After learning that Suruga Castle had fallen and that the Choshu Army had penetrated deep into the hinterland of Suruga Kingdom, many people present were astonished.
Sanosuke Harada scratched his hair:
"Hey... isn't this very bad? From the map, the Choshu Army is almost reaching Edo!"
Nagakura Shinpachi said solemnly:
"There is no other way... we can only rush on as fast as we can."
Todo Heisuke twitched the corner of his mouth:
"Are you kidding me... We have just completed the 'Second Return of China' and are we going to start the 'Great Pursuit of Tokaido' again?"
Genzaburo Inoue shook his head:
"It's impossible. The sergeants are all tired. They have tried their best to get back to Otsu as soon as possible! In a short period of time, they are no longer able to launch any more 'Tokaido Pursuit'..."
Harada Sanosuke said urgently:
"Even so, we can only fight hard! Master Kondo, Aunt Pen... they are still in Edo! Once Edo falls, won't they be in trouble?!"
Everyone is arguing.
The originally quiet military conference room gradually became noisy.
"..."
Abruptly, Qingdeng silently stretched out his hand and pressed it a few times.
When everyone saw this, they shut their mouths and stopped arguing.
The military conference room that was noisy one second ago became audible again this second.
"Be patient and don't be impatient."
Qingdeng said slowly while retracting his outstretched hand.
"Before thinking about 'pursuing', we must first consider 'how to defeat the enemy troops who come to intercept us.'"
As soon as this statement came out, many people immediately cast confused glances at Qingdeng.
Todo Heisuke tilted his head:
"'The enemy troops who came to intercept us'? Mr. Tachibana, haven't the Choshu Army already penetrated deep into the hinterland of Suruga Country? How could they come to intercept us?"
Qingdeng smiled slightly:
"No, they will definitely divide their forces into two groups. One group will continue to attack Edo, and the other group will return to the east to block our westward advance!"
His tone was sonorous and powerful, making people unconsciously convinced.
Nagakura Shinpachi asked intermittently:
"This...Mr. Orange, is it possible that you have received relevant information?"
Qingdeng shook his head:
"No, this is my personal judgment - if I were the general of the Changshu Army, I would definitely divide the troops into two groups! If I don't try to block the front of the Shinsengumi and try to delay time, I will never dare to let go
Those who attack Edo violently with all their hands and feet!"
…
…
Suruga Kingdom, the main formation and main camp of the Choshu Army——
"...To sum up, that's what happened. Ayoto has led the Shinsengumi back to Otsu."
The kappa, who was standing next to Shuten Doji, briefly described in a calm tone the information he had just learned about "Nioh's Return".
Suddenly, the air inside and outside the camp was filled with panic!
Nioh is coming!
The impact of these words on the generals in the camp was no less than "a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers suddenly descended on their heads"!
The faces of the "Changzhou clique" generals who had never been defeated by Qingdeng and had never been defeated by Qingdeng's sword all changed color.
Even Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku could not help but frown and clenched their fists as if facing a formidable enemy.
Although the cadres of the Punishment Party could barely maintain their composure, the expressions on their cheeks also became very ugly—except, of course, Shuten Doji, who had a calm smile on his face from just now, which was very disturbing.
I can't see through what he is thinking right now.
"This, this is impossible...!"
Ru Nu took a deep breath and turned pale.
"From the hinterland of Changzhou to Dajin...it only took them 13 days to cover such a long distance?! This is impossible!"
Yunyeo expressed the sentiments of many people present - they could not imagine that the Shinsengumi would rush back to Gyeonggi in such a short time!
"Runu, don't panic."
Suddenly, the drunk boy turned his eyes and cast a reproachful look at Ru Nu.
"Although you are new here, you are a cadre of our party who has been punished by law. How can you be so frivolous?"
"Yes, yes...I'm sorry to make you laugh..."
Ru Nu lowered her head with guilt on her face.
Faced with Shuten Doji's rebuke, she did not dare to refute at all, just like a good baby, she silently acquiesced in his mistakes.
The next breath, Shuten Doji sat up slightly and said in a clear voice:
"As you all heard just now, King Ni is back."
"This is wartime, and wasting time is a serious crime, so I'll put it bluntly - I plan to divide the troops into two groups! One group will be commanded by me and continue to attack Edo eastward! The other group will be commanded by others and return to the division.
Head west and set up a defensive line to block the Shinsengumi's advance!"
In an instant, shocked eyes wandered around the camp.
Niu Gui clicked his tongue:
"Divide, divide the troops? Shutendouji-sama, isn't this right? Now that Nioh is back, we should concentrate our efforts now and strive to capture Edo as soon as possible? Why should we disperse the small number of troops?"
Shuten Doji said calmly:
"At this moment, Nioh is behind us - under such circumstances, can we concentrate on attacking Edo?"
This sentence directly made those who looked puzzled speechless.
Shuten Doji continued:
"It only took the Shinsengumi 13 days to rush back to Otsu from the hinterland of Choshu - this shows that they have extremely strong marching capabilities."
"Since they can use such speed to rush back to Ojin, there is no guarantee that they can use the same speed to pursue us."
“Don’t underestimate Edo Castle!”
"Edo Castle is a copper and iron wall built by the Tokugawa family at a great expense!"
"What's more, there are unknown combat powers such as Tan Seiichiro and Chiba Sadakichi in Edo Town."
"Once we are unable to attack Edo for a long time, let the Shinsengumi take this opportunity to pursue us and hit us in the butt... At that time, what should we do?"
Everyone: "..."
No one refuted.
After a moment, Master Haifang said quietly:
"But... we need to both attack Edo and intercept the Shinsengumi. Do we have enough troops?"
Shuten Doji smiled slightly:
"Don't worry! As long as we hold on to that place, we can hold back the Shinsengumi with only a very small number of troops!"
…
…
Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi, military conference room——
"In my opinion, the Changzhou army that turned back to stop us will definitely set up defenses here."
After saying that, Qingdeng leaned down and pointed on the map in front of him.
After everyone saw clearly where he was pointing, they all showed playful expressions, and their facial expressions changed wonderfully.
Nagakura Shinpachi took a breath:
"Hey...isn't this place...?!"
Todo Heisuke blinked blankly:
"Starting a war here? Real or fake..."
Harada Sanosuke looked confused:
"What's going on? What's going on here? Is this a barrel room?"
Shannan Keisuke smiled slightly:
"It's not Okehazama. It's more famous than Okehazama!"
Hijikata Toshizo sneered:
“After the ‘Great Return of China’, are we going to imitate the famous scenes of the Warring States Period again?”
Qingdeng ignored everyone's complicated emotions and said calmly:
"The Changzhou Army will definitely set up defenses here! So we must prepare early!"
…
Aoden/Shuten Doji:
"Immediately go to the place where the world is divided into two parts - Sekigahara!"
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PS: I suddenly want to write an imaginary modern novel with shrine maidens, female ghosts, female warriors, and female ninjas, just like "A Thousand Loves of Flowers". I'll start writing it when I get a chance in the future.