Chapter 916 The Battle of Edo Cage Castle! The 'Swordsman Family' joins the battle! [Leopard Update 7200]
The ministers looked at each other at a loss. You looked at me, and I looked at you.
After a while, someone swallowed hard:
"Yes, if General Tachibana can't come back... what should we do?"
Katsurin Taro responded calmly:
"You don't have to ask me this kind of question with an obvious answer, right? You know the answer clearly, don't you?"
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly changed subtly - the air was filled with panic.
Katsurin Taro’s words continued:
"Because I couldn't accurately estimate the time it would take General Tachibana to come back, that's why I just said to 'hold on'."
"Fight the enemy at all costs and delay as much time as possible."
"The longer it takes, the better it is for us."
"In a word: hold on! Hold on hard!"
At this time, a certain veteran screamed emotionally:
"It's ridiculous! Katsu Rintaro, what kind of bastard tactic are you talking about! In the battlefield of Edo Castle, how many casualties will this cause!"
This man's rebuke was like a switch - in the blink of an eye, a flood of rebuttals and scoldings came to Katsurin Taro from all directions.
"That's right! If Edo Castle is reduced to ruins, what's the point of our struggle? In the end, the shogunate will still suffer heavy losses!"
“We cannot put Edo people at risk!”
"Rather than defend Edo, it would be safer to retreat directly!"
"We can't place our hopes of victory on the illusory 'waiting for Admiral Tachibana to come back'! God knows how long it will take him to come back!"
The officials were fierce and their expressions were ferocious.
Each and every one of them showed compassion for others and hunger for themselves.
Open your mouth "for the sake of Edo" and shut your mouth "to preserve Edo".
Facing these guys' denunciations and rebuttals, Katsurin Taro became more and more impatient as he listened. His whole face sank, and his face turned as dark as if he had been splashed with ink.
He is from a lower-class background and has never been affected by the corrupt practices of the upper class.
Therefore, he dislikes pretentiousness the most, especially the hypocrisy of being full of benevolence and morality but full of men stealing and women prostitutes.
With his upright personality, he sneered directly and mocked unabashedly:
"That's enough, put away your disgusting faces!"
"You are worthy of having been in the officialdom for many years, and you are very comfortable playing the role of 'loyal ministers'!"
"If there are any uninformed people here, I'm afraid they will be deceived by you into thinking that you are some kind of loyal ministers."
"'Don't put Edo people in danger'? Don't do this!"
"Are you caring about the survival of the people of Edo, or are you pitying your own lives? Don't you have a clue in your heart?"
"Are the knives on your waists for good looks?"
"If you don't even have the courage to go into battle and kill the enemy, then you should quickly take off the sword from your waist and sell your samurai's place of origin! Don't tarnish the word 'samurai'!"
His words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire.
"Katsurin Taro, watch your words!"
"You are nakedly insulting us!"
"Even if you are the president of the navy, you can't speak without restraint!"
"Take back what you just said!"
Instantly, all the ministers denounced Katsurin Taro even more crazily.
Amid this wave of louder scoldings, Tokugawa Iemo suddenly asked:
"...Shengjun, let me confirm for the last time, is the 'Cage City War' really the only strategy we have that has a chance of winning at the moment?"
Tokugawa Iemo's sudden voice caused the scene to return to silence.
The ministers, including Katsurin Taro, turned their heads one after another and looked directly at Tokugawa Iemo.
"Yes!"
Katsurin Taro nodded firmly:
"Although it is very risky, although it will cause heavy losses...but if you want to defeat the Changzhou Army, there is no other way!"
"..."
Tokugawa Iemo stopped talking.
He closed his eyes, let out a long breath, and meditated.
Those ministers who opposed Katsurin Taro and did not want to fight a "cage war" all cast hopeful glances at Tokugawa Iemo.
No matter how fiercely they quarrel or argue, in the end the person responsible for making the final decision will only be the General Zhengyi.
They eagerly hope that Tokugawa Iemo's next words will be "I refuse" or "I object".
Under their eager expectation, Tokugawa Iemo allowed them to experience a thrilling roller coaster experience.
After a moment, Tokugawa Iemo opened his eyes suddenly, and light burst out from his eyes.
"... If we start a war in Edo Castle, most of Edo will be reduced to rubble."
When the ministers heard this, they immediately became energetic and their faces showed excitement and excitement.
However, in the next breath, Tokugawa Iemo changed the subject:
"However, my idea coincides with that of Mr. Sheng. If you want to defeat the current menacing enemy army, you can only show your determination to refuse to admit defeat and not be afraid of death."
The excited expressions that appeared on the ministers' faces just now solidified in an instant.
"Now that things have come to an end, I will follow what Lord Shengyi said! Cage the city! Fight to the death with the enemy!"
Tokugawa Iemo's sonorous and powerful voice spread throughout every corner of the vast space.
After "the expressions froze", all the blood in the cheeks of the ministers disappeared.
There was silence for two seconds at first, and then it was like a pot exploding. All the ministers fell to the ground one after another, sincerely, and even cried out to persuade Tokugawa Iemo:
"Lord! Please think twice..."
Before these people could speak, Tokugawa Iemo had already predicted what they wanted to say and interrupted directly:
"You don't need to persuade me any further!"
"I have made up my mind and will never change it!"
"I don't want to surrender to the enemy, let alone give up Edo when I have a chance of winning!"
"There are countless scholars and citizens in Edo Town."
"If the soldiers and people are not evacuated in advance, there will definitely be heavy casualties when the war begins."
"Besides, if there are Doshi people staying in the town, we won't be able to free our hands and feet to fight."
Having said this, Tokugawa Iemo turned to look at his senior adviser, Makino Tadayasu.
"Makino-kun, you are responsible for the 'evacuation of civilians'!"
"From today on, all soldiers and civilians are no longer allowed to stay in Edo unless necessary!"
"If there is a place to go to, you can act independently without interference from the shogunate."
"If you have nowhere to go, you can go to the shrine and report it, and the shogunate will find a place for them!"
Makino Tadayasu kept showing complicated expressions while listening carefully.
He did not agree with the "cage war" in Edo.
But since Tokugawa Iemo has spoken out to this extent, he has no right to say "no" no matter how unwilling he is.
He gritted his teeth and bowed his head and said "yes".
Then, Tokugawa Iemo turned to look at another veteran, Inaba Masakuni:
"Inaba-kun, you are responsible for negotiating with the Ou clans to make them ready to receive refugees!"
"All Edo citizens who have nowhere to go will be transferred to the Ou Domains for resettlement!"
Inaba Masakuni, like Makino Tadayasu, bravely accepted the offer after showing embarrassment.
Tokugawa Iemo turned his attention to the next minister-Katsurin Taro.
"Katsu-kun, I ask you to mobilize all available ships in the navy to take the people of Edo to the Ou Domain."
Katsurin Taro raised his eyebrows:
"Are we going to dispatch all the ships in the Navy?"
Tokugawa Iemo nodded:
"We are going to completely 'empty' Edo Castle this time."
"In order to evacuate all the people in the town before the enemy forces, we must mobilize all the transportation capabilities we can mobilize."
"Also, Mr. Sheng, I appoint you as the deputy governor of this cage city battle, with full authority to command this battle!"
Katsurin Taro had a stern look on his face, sat upright, then bowed respectfully and accepted the appointment.
Deputy Governor——When they heard that Tokugawa Iemo had conferred this position on Rintaro Katsu, many people at the scene couldn't help but look confused.
They all thought that Tokugawa Iemo would directly appoint Katsurin Taro as governor.
In terms of professional title, Katsurin Taro is already the president of the navy. Apart from the general himself, there is almost no official with a greater authority than him.
There is nothing wrong with making him the governor.
Lian Sheng Rintaro is only the deputy governor, so who is the governor?
For a moment, the faces of the other senior middlemen who had not yet received the mission all changed.
When the president of the Navy is only the deputy governor, if there is anyone who can serve as the governor...it is only Lao Zhong.
Tokugawa Iemo saw through their doubts and smiled slightly:
"I will personally serve as the governor of this battle!"
"I will stay in Edo Castle for the entire journey! Until Edo falls or the enemy army is defeated!"
In an instant... really in an instant! The scene was filled with gasps and gasps!
Seeing Tokugawa Iemo who threatened to "conquer personally", all the ministers including Katsurin Taro were shocked.
A minister who was loyal to the Tokugawa family immediately said:
"Lord, no!"
After this man started, the other ministers urged Tokugawa Iemo to take refuge:
"My lord, as a general conquering the barbarians, how can you personally be involved in danger?"
"My lord, please follow the navy and take refuge in Ou!"
"My lord, please listen to my minister's advice on this point!"
After hesitating for a while, Katsurin Taro also changed into a sincere tone:
"Lord, please feel free to go and take refuge. Leave all the matters of defending the city to us!"
Faced with the persuasion of Katsurin Taro and others, Tokugawa Iemo's reaction... can be summed up in one word: unmoved.
It wasn't until all the ministers said they were tired that he said calmly:
"I am the shogun, the 14th head of the Edo shogunate."
"As the co-leader of the Wu family, how can you run away with your tail between your legs?"
"I'll stay here and won't go anywhere!"
"Either life or death!"
…
…
Edo Castle, Ooku——
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The sound of rapid footsteps like a rainstorm dominated the entire Da'ao.
At this moment, the figures of female officials running quickly with anxious faces can be seen everywhere inside Da'ao, completely lacking the graceful appearance of the past.
Not only the scholars and citizens in Edo Town had to evacuate, but all non-combatants in Edo Castle - especially the female officials of Ooku - also had to evacuate.
Perhaps they have stayed in a comfortable and comfortable environment for a long time. Although it is clear that a disaster is imminent, there are still many girls in Da'ao who are confused and ready to run away with all their belongings.
In the past, Tokugawa Iemo and Tenjoin had been helpless to deal with the various chaos within Oku...especially its extravagant style.
In the "Nanki-Ichitsubashi Controversy" that year, the Great Austrian forces overwhelmingly supported the Nanki faction and indeed made contributions.
In other words, Tokugawa Iemo's successful rise to power was partly due to the Oku forces.
From this point of view, the great power is Tokugawa Iemo's own family.
As we all know, if you go under the knife on your own family members at will, it is very easy to suffer uncontrollable serious consequences, which can affect the whole body.
Apart from anything else, if the Da'ao force, who is a hero, is wronged, it will make other heroes feel chilled.
However, now that things are in danger, Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin are no longer used to these vanity-loving, ungrateful women.
"What's going on with this pile of clothes? Do you think we're going for an outing? Throw away all these clothes that are bulky and take up space!"
"Listen to me! Only bring the minimum amount of luggage! Just bring two sets of clothes that are easy to move around! Those bulky and useless dresses and jewelry are not allowed!"
"There is not so much space on the ship! For every extra piece of luggage on the ship, one more person will lose the opportunity to board the ship!"
The person responsible for coordinating this "clearing out the Great Ao" operation was a certain female personal officer of Tianzhang Academy.
Under the instruction of Tokugawa Iemo, she mercilessly scolded those female officials who did not have enough power and were dragging large and small bags of luggage.
Looking at the exquisite jewelry and gorgeous clothes, although these female officers felt distressed, they did not dare to complain even more. They obeyed the instructions and took only the minimum luggage - they were afraid that Tokugawa Iemo would abandon them and not take them with him.
Escaped for life.
At this time when the whole Da'ao was busy, somewhere in Da'ao——
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...
Tokugawa Iemo strode across the corridor.
In the image below, he is no longer dressed in daily attire, but is dressed in military uniform - wearing a black and purple uniform, a folded black hat on his head, and a tachi hanging on his waist - he looks very powerful.
Right in front of him, several women in imperial attire—they were the personal female officials of the Imperial Palace—gathered outside a certain door with anxious faces, shouting into the room:
"Your Highness, Dashu Gong has already told you to evacuate immediately..."
Before the female officer finished speaking, a sharp shout came from the room:
"No! I'm not going anywhere!"
The female officials were about to say something more... At this time, they discovered Tokugawa Iemo who was walking towards here.
Seeing the general coming, these female officers hurriedly fell down on the ground and saluted with fear.
Tokugawa Iemo waved his hand and motioned for them to get up.
"Is the palace inside?"
A certain female officer immediately replied:
"Yes. Your Highness, she...doesn't want to leave at all..."
Hearing this, Tokugawa Iemo smiled bitterly.
Then, he moved to the door and cleared his throat:
"Wamiya, it's me! Iemo!"
"..."
There was silence in the room, no one answered.
"If you don't respond, I will go in directly!"
"..."
Still no one answered.
Seeing this, Tokugawa Iemo no longer hesitated, directly opened the door and stepped inside.
In a slightly dark room, a petite girl in gorgeous clothes sat slumped on the tatami with a dejected posture.
It was none other than Edo Castle's number one love interest... ah, no, it was Tokugawa Iemo's wife, Wakumi.
Looking at Tokugawa Iemo who suddenly appeared, a flash of joy flashed across Wakiya's cheeks.
But in the blink of an eye, she seemed to have remembered something, and turned her head away with a "hum", leaving Tokugawa Iemo with the back of her head, looking like she was being naughty.
Tokugawa Iemo smiled bitterly and walked forward, holding her shoulders with both hands.
"He Gong, let's go, I'll take you away from Da'ao."
"I won't leave!"
While shouting, Wakiya bent down, hugged his bent legs with both hands, and buried his little face between his legs, turning into a "human bowling ball".
"I will go wherever you are!"
"Since you want to stay in Edo City, then I also want to stay in Edo City!"
"As long as you leave Edo Castle, I will leave with you!"
As she spoke, she hugged her legs even harder, as if she "swore to become one with the tatami beneath her".
Tokugawa Iemo blinked, and then showed a smile that was half helpless and half happy.
Wagongiya waited for a long time but did not receive Tokugawa Iemo's comfort or persuasion. Instead, she found Tokugawa Iemo staring at her with a smile, so she couldn't help but ask:
"why are you laughing?"
"It's nothing, I'm just really happy that I have a good wife."
"Compared with previous generals, I am really happy."
"I have a kind and reliable adoptive mother, a virtuous wife who respects me as a guest, and one..."
At this point, his words stopped abruptly.
The second half of his words - "There is also a close friend who is both my brother and my father" - was swallowed back in time without being spoken.
How could Hegong, who had grown up in a deep palace and lacked immunity to matters between men and women, endure such love talk?
In the blink of an eye, her entire little face turned red and she looked away, not daring to look at Tokugawa Iemo again.
Tokugawa Iemo had extraordinarily rich experience in how to comfort and persuade Wagoniya.
He crossed his knees, sat next to He Gong, put his arms around her shoulders, and held her in his arms.
No one knows what he said to her next...the content of their conversation is a mystery.
About half an hour later, the female officials who were waiting quietly outside the door saw Tokugawa Iemo holding Wakiya's little hand and walked out slowly.
"Let's go, Hegong."
Tokugawa Iemo said softly.
"We are only separated for a short time. It won't be long before we meet again."
He Gong lowered his head, nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, and murmured:
"Well...you have to be more careful and don't get hurt..."
Tokugawa Iemo laughed dumbly:
"Don't worry. I'm just sitting in Edo Castle, not fighting on the front lines. I'm very safe."
After saying that, he raised his hand to straighten Wagongiya's hair and clothes, his movements as gentle as his tone.
"Okay, time is tight, let's go quickly."
He Gong opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.
But until she was surrounded by female officials and left, she didn't say a word.
Tokugawa Iemo pursed his lips and stared straight at Wamiya's back, not even blinking, as if he wanted to imprint the other person's figure forever in his eyes and deep in his mind.
At this moment, just when Wagongiya was about to turn the corner of the corridor and disappear from Tokugawa Iemo's field of vision, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and met his eyes.
"General!"
Her face lost the sadness and hesitation just now, and became extremely determined, and she said word by word:
"I wish you good luck in martial arts!"
When Tokugawa Iemo heard this, he was startled at first, and then showed a look of relief and emotion on his face.
After barely calming down his turbulent mood, he nodded vigorously:
"Well! He Gong, we will definitely defeat the bandits and bring you back as soon as possible!"
Smile with Gong Gong.
After the couple looked at each other for a moment, Wagoniya leaned forward slightly and bowed lightly. After that, she didn't stay any longer and turned around the corner of the corridor, preparing to leave Ou and board the ship to Ou.
Although there was no longer a figure of Wanomiya in front of him, Tokugawa Iemo still stared at the position where the other party was standing, fascinated, and he was reluctant to look back.
After a while, a flash of loneliness flashed in his eyes, and he murmured:
"...He Gong, let's meet again if we are destined."
At this moment, a heroic female voice sounded from behind him:
"Jia Mao, I finally found you! So you are here!"
Tokugawa Iemo was startled, then subconsciously turned around to look.
After seeing clearly the appearance of the visitor, he couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise.
"Mother, why are you...dressed like Tomoe Gozen?"
The visitor is none other than Tianzhang Courtyard.
At this time, she was not wearing the light cyan "widow outfit" or the miko costume with white top and purple bottom. Instead, she was wearing white and cyan armor, holding a naginata in her right hand and a bow in her left hand, like a
What a wonderful female military commander who stepped out of ancient war paintings!
"Do you even need to ask?"
Tianzhangyuan smiled and shook the sword and bow in his hand.
"Iemo, I want to fight side by side with you! Defend Edo Castle until the last moment!"
After Tokugawa Iemo heard this, he immediately frowned.
"Mother, please forgive me for my blunt words: I can just stay in Edo for you! There is no need for you to get involved! Please go out of the city with Wamiya!"
Faced with Tokugawa Iemo's sincere persuasion, Tenzouin shrugged disapprovingly:
"Jia Mao, do you think I am the palace? I will coax you a few times and you will be obedient."
"I've heard that Wakomiya won't leave Edo no matter what."
"It seems that you have successfully persuaded her to leave."
After saying that, Tianzhangyuan turned his head and looked at the room where Hegong had just been staying.
"Although I don't have a good compatibility with He Gong, I have to admit that she does have deep affection for you."
Tenzōin's resolute attitude made Tokugawa Iemo at a loss.
After a moment, he clenched his fists and lowered his voice:
"...Mother, haven't you already made up your mind to go to Otsu with Mr. Tachibana after the 'Changzhou Expedition' is over and the world returns to peace?"
"In that case, I beg you, my dear, don't take any risks at this juncture..."
"If anything happens to you...I will go crazy."
"If Jun Ju asks me 'Where did Yu Yi go' someday, I don't know how to answer..."
His words were full of sincere emotions... His concern for Tianzhang Academy was beyond words.
Even Tianzhangyuan couldn't help but feel soft-hearted, and his facial lines relaxed a lot.
However, even so, she still did not change her determination:
"Jia Mao, who do you think I am?"
"Long before I met Shengqing, I was already the Grand Odaisho of the Edo Shogunate and the queen of the samurai family!"
"After being a member of the Wu family, I ran away from the battle. One day, I will be under Jiuquan. I will not be able to see my father!"
Mother and son stared at each other, neither of them willing to give in...
…
…
"Choshu is attacking, evacuate immediately" - under the propaganda of the shogunate, this news quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys of Edo.
Panic and turmoil came as expected.
Fortunately, the shogunate had already anticipated and prepared, so these panics and commotions were limited to a small area and did not spread.
It is true that for a long time, the shogunate has always been characterized by "low administrative efficiency".
But today, faced with the current unprecedented catastrophe, and with the personal supervision of Tokugawa Iemo, it is rare for the shogunate to show amazing efficiency.
Officials at all levels rushed quickly to "empty" Edo step by step.
The biggest goal and the biggest difficulty of this operation is to evacuate the soldiers and people.
Those who had a place to seek refuge would drag their families and families outside the river.
Those who had no place to seek refuge followed the shogunate's arrangements and took refuge in Ou in an orderly manner.
It is worth mentioning that before this, due to the abolition of the "Public Visitor Order", the permanent population of Edo dropped sharply.
This incident would have had a very bad impact on the Edo economy.
Unexpectedly, due to the sudden drop in population, the pressure on the shogunate to evacuate civilians was greatly reduced, which was a blessing in disguise.
…
…
Edo, Okemachi, Little Chiba Sword Hall——
"Father! Father!"
Chiba Jutaro shouted and rushed into his father Chiba Nobuyoshi's room.
"Huh? Jutaro? What's wrong?"
Chiba Jutaro ignored his panting and said quickly:
"Father, have you heard? The Changzhou Army is coming!"
"Oh, this."
Chiba Nobuyoshi said and nodded slightly.
"I've heard about it. It's really surprising that in my lifetime, I can actually experience 'Edo was attacked and troops came to the city'."
When Sanako was in labor, the entire family went to Otsu to take care of Sanako.
It wasn't until a while ago, after Sanako gave birth successfully and recovered well, that they set out to go home.
They never expected that... as soon as they returned to Edo, they would encounter such a big incident!
Chiba Jutaro swallowed hard, and after stabilizing his breath, he hurriedly asked:
"Father, how should we act now? Should we leave Edo, or..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Chiba Nobuyoshi:
"Jutaro, what do you think?"
"Um?"
Chiba Sadaki raised his gaze and looked straight at Chiba Jutaro with deep eyes.
"Do you want to leave Edo, or do you want to... stay?"
"..."
Chiba Jutaro fell silent.
He lowered his head and stared at the tatami in front of his toes, with a look of contemplation on his cheeks.
Chiba Sadaki watched quietly and waited quietly.
About 10 seconds later, he raised his head again - with a magnanimous and eager smile on his face.
"Father, we are the 'Swordsman Family'. We don't even draw our swords and run away with our heads in our arms... This will destroy our 'Qianba' sign!"
Hearing this, Chiba Nobuyoshi raised the corners of his mouth. Although he smiled, he smiled very happily.
Suddenly, a hearty voice sounded from behind Chiba Jutaro:
"Brother Chong, that's well said! This is the answer that 'Qianye' should have!"
Chiba Jutaro was stunned, turned around and looked back - two handsome young men with swords on their waists were standing not far behind him, one on the left and one on the right.
"Brother Dao? Brother Duomen? Why are you here?"
The person who spoke just now was none other than Chiba Tamonshiro.
Chiba Dosaburo smiled:
"We're not the only ones coming."
Having said that, he and Chiba Tamonshiro both stepped back to the left and right to make way for them - a young man walked out from among them, his steps firm and powerful.
Looking at the visitor, Chiba Jutaro subconsciously opened his mouth and showed an excited smile.
After standing still, the person bowed slightly, gave a slight bow, and smiled:
"'Chiba Chiba' Eijiro Chiba is here to help in the battle!"
*******
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Today is another leopard watch day! For the sake of another 7,000 leopards today, please be sure to vote for this book! (Leopard Leopard Head in tears)
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PS: It’s a pity that this book is not fantasy. It would be really cool if Eijiro Chiba emitted a storm of sword energy after saying “come to help in the battle”!