Chapter 927 Okita Souji is betting on his life: Fighting for the Shinsengumi to the last moment! [5300]
"...Captain Okita, when did you develop symptoms?"
"I can't remember clearly."
The general manager said calmly.
"At first it was just a cough. I just thought I had a cold, so I didn't pay much attention."
"I didn't realize something was wrong until...the saliva I coughed out was mixed with faint traces of blood."
"Because I didn't want Tachibana-kun to worry, I secretly went to see the doctor behind his back."
"Then...I knew my condition."
"The doctor prescribed some medicine for me and asked me to take it with water every day. He said it could alleviate the condition."
Hearing this, Nanjo Akizaburo immediately asked:
"What medicine? Take it out and let me see!"
The general manager obediently took out a paper bag from his arms and handed it over.
After Nanjo Akizaburo took it, he opened the paper bag and carefully looked at the medicinal powder inside:
"Well, not bad..."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"You are a very reliable doctor. You don't prescribe medicine randomly. This powder is indeed a good medicine for relieving coughs."
It's no wonder Nanjo Akisaburo is so nervous.
In the feudal era, there were quack doctors everywhere who were seeking money and killing people.
There are even some witch doctors who rely on chanting sutras and dancing to heal diseases.
If you take bad or wrong medicine prescribed by quack doctors, not only will it fail to cure your disease, but it will also damage your body.
"Relying on this medicine, I persisted for a long time, trying hard to pretend that nothing was wrong. What a pity... I persisted until today, and I can no longer persist..."
After saying that, the director gave a self-deprecating wry smile.
Nanjo Akizaburo said solemnly:
"From the sound of your breathing, it sounds like your condition is already very serious."
"If I guessed correctly, you must have been coughing up blood a lot recently, right?"
The general manager nodded:
"Yes, that's exactly it."
"Mr. Nanjo, now that the matter is over, I won't hide it from you anymore."
"The reason why I went out just now was to avoid everyone so I could have a good cough."
Nanjo Akizaburo stopped talking.
After a moment, he said quietly.
"...Anyway, I will report it to the lord first and let you recuperate in the rear and stop going to the front line."
He said, picking up the medicine box and leaving.
"Mr. Nanjo, please stay!"
Before he could take a step, Souji reached out his hand like lightning and grabbed the other person's arm tightly.
How can a doctor who has no power to restrain a chicken defy the grasp of the heavenly sword?
He only felt that his arm was clamped by an iron pliers, unable to move.
"Mr. Nanjo, don't tell Aotobu about my true condition."
Nanjo Akizaburo was startled, with a puzzled look on his face:
"Why?"
The director-general said seriously:
"It's not time to rest yet."
"The current 'Sekigahara Battle' has not yet decided the winner."
"The rebel army is heading straight towards Kanto. Mr. Hijikata is struggling to hold on to Hachioji. Edo is in a hurry."
"I am the captain of the Shinsengumi's First Division, the 'Sky Sword' of the shogunate. If I retreat to the rear to recuperate, it will greatly affect the morale and combat effectiveness of the Shinsengumi."
"So, I can't rest yet...I have to fight!"
Although the words of the general secretary were full of strong determination, Nanjo Akizaburo did not give in easily:
"Captain Okita, you can't do this! Your condition is very serious! You must have a good rest!"
"'have a good rest'?"
As if he heard some funny joke, Souji curled up the corners of his mouth, showing a strange expression that was half a smile but not a smile.
"What's the use of lying in bed and resting? Will I be cured as long as I rest quietly?"
Nanjo Akisaburo opened his mouth, subconsciously wanting to refute.
However... his lips opened and closed repeatedly, and he couldn't say a word.
Blood cough is an incurable disease. Even if you rest quietly, it will only mean you can live a little longer. Even ordinary people know this well, and Nanjo Akizaburo, a famous doctor, knows it even better.
Taking advantage of the other party's long silence, the Souji continued:
"Mr. Nanjo, since 'blood cough' is a terminal disease that cannot be cured by any medicine, then I can't rest even more."
"While I can still move, while I can still wield the sword, I want to help Qingdeng more."
When she said this, she paused slightly, and a calm smile spread across her cheeks.
"It's been a long time now and the situation is turbulent."
"God knows how many hard battles we will have to go through before we can usher in a peaceful world of Haiyanheqing."
"Unfortunately, Mr. Shannan was seriously injured. Even if he saved his life, he would not be able to return to the front line in a short time."
"At this juncture, if I take a back seat like Mr. Shannan, I'm afraid Qingdeng will be scratching his head."
"Qingdeng needs my help."
"While I still have three inches of energy under my nose, I want to help Qingto! I want to help everyone in the Shinsengumi!"
"So, Mr. Nanjo, I'm begging you!"
The Souji raised his gaze and stared firmly at Nanjo Akizaburo.
"If the matter is exposed in the future and Qingdeng wants to blame you, I will try my best to protect you and will never let you be implicated, I promise you!"
"Qingdeng is a sensible person."
"After he learns that I coerced you, he will definitely not blame you, he will only scold me."
As her voice fell, there was only the soft sound of burning candles in the tent.
"..."
Nanjo Akisaburo lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
A strong look of hesitation swam in his eyes.
About half a minute later, his hoarse voice finally broke the silence:
"...Captain Okita, I will prescribe you some medicine."
"This medicine is my unique secret recipe, and it has a miraculous effect on relieving coughs."
"You can eat more pears in the future. Pears have the effect of moistening the lungs and relieving coughs."
"I will do my best to provide treatment and try my best to hide it for you."
"As for the future good or bad...it all depends on your luck."
Looking at it, the director-general smiled gratefully on his cheeks and nodded vigorously:
"Yeah! Thank you very much!"
…
…
Tianman Mountain, this formation, Qingdeng’s tent——
"My lord! Mr. Nanjo, the medical chief, wants to see you!"
After Qingdeng heard this, he immediately said:
"Let him in!"
"yes!"
The guard outside the tent opened the curtain, and Nanjo Akisaburo stepped inside in three steps.
Before the other party could salute and say hello, Qingdeng asked impatiently:
"Mr. Nanjo, how is Xiaoji's illness?"
Facing Aoto's gaze, Nanjo Akizaburo lowered his head slightly - seemingly as a gesture of respect, but actually to avoid Aoto's gaze - and said to his toes:
"Captain Okita is suffering from a common throat disease."
"This disease is very stubborn, but fortunately it is not difficult to treat."
"I have already prescribed some medicine to Captain Okita."
"As long as she takes medicine on time every day and persists for a period of time, she will be cured."
"It's just that it will take longer, not so fast."
After learning that the general secretary was fine, Qingteng breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's it, that's good. Mr. Nanjo, I've really worked hard for you tonight."
Nanjo Akisaburo shook his head:
"These are what I should do."
"Mr. Nanjo, if there is nothing else, please go down and rest first."
"..."
"Huh? Mr. Nanjo, what's wrong?"
Aomori cast a confused look at Nanjo Akizaburo who was standing still.
"No, it's nothing. My lord, I'll take my leave now."
Having said that, Nanjo Akizaburo turned around and left - the shadow caused by the backlight quietly hid a hint of darkness in his eyes.
After watching Nanjo Akizaburo leave, Aomori read the blood-stained letter in his hand before returning to the case.
His eyes quickly scanned every line of words in the letter.
The further he read, the tighter his brows became.
Today is the first day of the "Second Sekigahara Battle" - although it is only one day, it is longer than the "First Sekigahara Battle" which was decided in just half a day.
The war in Sekigahara officially started today.
But the eighth prince's side has been beaten to pieces since several days ago!
For the convenience of naming, Qingdeng privately referred to this army that combined the Fa-Zhu Party and the Qi Force as the "Fa-Qi Alliance Army."
Hijikata Toshiro, Elodie and Shimada Kui led thousands of people to fight against the French-Chinese coalition with the "Slavic Legion" as the main combat force...
Regardless of military strength or individual soldier quality, the former is at an absolute disadvantage...
This is an extremely difficult battle, but one that must be fought.
Qingdeng was always concerned about the Eighth Prince's battle situation.
Finally, just now, he finally received the battle report passed back by Hijikata Toshizo, which is the blood-stained letter he is reading now.
There is not much content in the letter.
Its general meaning can be summed up in one sentence: Thousands of people fought bravely together, and although they succeeded in delaying the enemy's attack, they suffered heavy casualties!
…
…
A few days ago——
Kanto, Hachioji——
Looking down from above, there are black lines stretching across the vast and vast plain.
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If you look carefully, you can see that these black lines are trenches.
Thousands of soldiers squatted in these trenches, staring ahead, their expressions dominated by intense tension and uneasiness.
Hijikata Totsuzo, carrying Izumi Kanesada in his hand, stood in front of the formation, looking straight ahead - the western skyline - with an expressionless face.
Elodie stood beside him, and the two stood side by side.
She tied up both sleeves of light green haori with sleeve belts, held a Yamato Shoudan, and tied her pale blond hair back into a neat high ponytail.
The breeze blew, lifting the hair hanging down from her temples and the tips of her braided hair.
Compared to Hijikata Toshizo, Elodie is not so calm.
Her facial lines were tight, her red lips were tightly pursed, and her nervousness was visible to the naked eye.
Suddenly, Hijikata Toshizo said:
"Elodie, you don't have to force it."
"You are different from me. You are not a warrior who 'lives by the sword and dies by the sword'."
"What's more, you are still a woman."
"Even if you retreat to the rear, no one will blame you..."
Before the other party could finish speaking, Elodie interrupted bluntly:
"Mr. Hijikata, the matter has come to this. Even if I am frightened, I cannot back down."
"You are the deputy chief of the Shinsengumi, and I am the chief of the Shinsengumi. We are both members of the Shinsengumi. How can I run away from the battle?"
"If I run away with my tail between my legs, the reputation of the Shinsengumi will be damaged."
"Besides, I have declared to all of you who are united with thousands of people that I will fight side by side with them until the end."
"I don't want to be a woman who breaks her promise."
Speaking of this, she raised the Yamato Mamoru Anding in her hand, which did not fit her petite body, and raised the corner of her mouth with a confident arc.
"Don't underestimate me."
"After all, I am the disciple of 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden!"
"Having me here can boost morale to some extent."
The deputy chief of the Shinsengumi and the chief of staff are sitting together in charge of Hachioji... This is indeed an exciting thing for the soldiers who have thousands of people working together.
Looking at Elodie, who was determined and unmoved by his persuasion, Toshizo Hijikata burst into laughter:
"Okay, I was so ignorant just now, please forgive me."
At this time, Shimada Kui's shout came from the distance:
"Deputy Chief!"
Hijikata Toisan followed the message and saw Shimada Kui leading several cavalrymen - they were elite knights who were ordered to serve as Elodie's bodyguard - running towards him quickly.
In order to protect Elodie's personal safety, Seito not only dispatched Kui Shimada, but also selected a group of elite soldiers from the cavalry and ordered them to serve as Elodie's personal bodyguards.
His unintentional move really helped Hijikata Toizo a lot.
This cavalry team headed by Kui Shimada has become a very valuable mobile force under his command!
If used well, it might become a decisive force on the battlefield!
Throughout the ages, scouts have been a branch of arms that can only be qualified by the most elite soldiers.
Not to mention anything else, just "clearing the direction in the wilderness" can kill more than 90% of the soldiers.
The training level of the thousands of soldiers who work together is quite limited, and few of them know how to ride a horse.
In this case, it is sheer nonsense to ask them to reconnoiter the enemy's situation.
Therefore, Hijikata Toshizo could only let Shimada Kuirai take on this important task.
Shimada Kui Pegasus came to Hijikata Toizo and said quickly:
"The bandit army has advanced to two miles to the west!"
[Note: In the Edo period, one mile = 924 kilometers, and two miles equals 848 kilometers.]
848 kilometers... Such a distance can almost be said to be "just a stone's throw away"!
Hijikata Suisan heard this and muttered:
"Finally here..."
After finishing speaking, he slowly turned around and faced the thousands of soldiers in the trenches behind him.
Looking up, every one of them had a look of panic on their faces.
There are many people with their cheeks drained of color and their arms fighting.
Although Thousand People Tongxin has the title of "Thousand People", their total military strength is not more than one thousand people.
When Qingdeng took over the post of head of Qianren Tongxin, Qianren Tongxin had a total of 2,000 young and middle-aged people of the right age, that is, 2,000 troops.
In recent days, Toshizo Hijikata has been trying to find out the enemy's intelligence through various channels.
He lacked capable intelligence personnel under his command, so he asked Edo for help.
Under the personal supervision of Tokugawa Iemo, the shogunate showed rare efficiency and changed its previous administrative style of "repeatedly kicking the ball".
Edo immediately responded to Hijikata Tobizo's request and quickly dispatched their ninja unit, the Gowaban, to send Hachioji to help.
Since the formation of the Oniwaban, the shogunate has always relied heavily on it, often sending the ninjas of the Oniwaban to various places to monitor the vassals.
For this reason, the ninjas of Yuteiban have always received excellent training.
Compared to other units such as the Daban Team, Academy Team, and Xiaoxing Team, the Yuting Team is one of the few that has not been completely corrupted and still retains some level of professional capabilities.
However, as the saying goes, "the upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked", even the shogunate itself has been corrupted into this virtue, and Yu Tingfan cannot be alone.
Compared with when it was founded, Yutingban's espionage capabilities have greatly declined, and it is filled with playboys who are just waiting to die on their ancestral merits.
Therefore, in addition to the imperial ban, Tokugawa Iemo also sent out a new imperial ban directly under him.
In this way, Saege, Yae and a large number of elite ninjas from the New Imperial Palace were dispatched one after another to explore the intelligence of the French and Qi coalition forces from different directions and aspects.
Of course, the New Yutingban is a secretive force with a high degree of confidentiality, and only a handful of people know of its existence.
In other words, Hijikata Toshizo had no idea about the support of the new imperial family.
In short, thanks to the unremitting efforts of the ninjas in the Gowaban and the New Gowaban, various types of information were continuously sent to the Hijikata Toizan case.
He learned that the French and French coalition forces were divided into two groups: 1,500 troops from the Western Route Army went to Sekigahara to intercept the Shinsengumi, and 2,500 troops from the Eastern Route Army continued to march toward Kanto.
The enemy's strength has weakened... This is certainly a good thing for Hijikata Tozo.
However, 2000 versus 2500...his military strength is still at a disadvantage.
There is no strength advantage, no terrain advantage, no quality advantage...no advantages at all.
The soldiers who are united by a thousand people are not fools.
A force that quickly captured Nagoya Castle, Sunfu Castle and other important towns with such force was unlikely to be a good enemy.
Next, they will stop this tiger and wolf army on the undefensible plains.
It would be strange if Qianren Tongxin, who has been farming all his life and has never experienced actual combat, doesn't feel scared.
The changes in demeanor of Hijikata Toshizo and the other soldiers were all visible.
After a while, he cleared his throat.
"Everyone!"
He raised his head and shouted, attracting the attention of everyone present.
"The enemy army has arrived!"
"It won't be long before the ferocious faces of the thieves will come into view."
"As I said before, General Tachibana won't be here for a while, and Edo won't be able to send reinforcements."
"In other words, we can only rely on our own strength to survive this current difficulty!"
Shortly after arriving at Hachioji, Toshizo Hijikata received the order from Edo.
Judging from the size of the land area and the complexity of the terrain, Edo is an excellent battlefield for street fighting.
But from another perspective, Edo is the most unsuitable place for street fighting.
The reason is its extremely high density of wooden houses.
A piece of broken sleeve that caught fire could turn two-thirds of Edo into ashes, let alone a single cannonball.
Even if a fire breaks out, there is no need to fight this battle. The terrifying power of Zhurong alone is enough to defeat the defenders of Edo.
Therefore, if you want to keep Edo, it is imperative to carry out a major transformation of Edo!
Katsu Rintaro, who was fully responsible for the "Edo Cage War", quickly launched a large-scale "Edo Transformation Plan."
First, demolish those densely packed houses, widen roads, and increase the number of wide and narrow roads.
[Note·Guangxiaolu: a wide road specially used for fire prevention.]
The samurai and monks, who accounted for only 20% of the total population of Edo, owned nearly 80% of the land in Edo.
Therefore, the buildings in the martial arts area and the temple area are very sparse, so there is no need to move them.
Only civilian land is a big problem and is the focus of the "Edo Transformation Plan".
It would take a lot of time and manpower to completely transform such a large town.
As a result, the defenders of Edo, represented by the Komu Army, are now busy transforming Edo and setting up the battlefield, and are unable to mobilize troops to support Hijikata Tozo.
Not only were they unable to come to aid, Edo also asked thousands of people to unite and defend Hachioji to buy time for the reform of Edo!
If the enemy troops approach the city before Edo completes its transformation, the ensuing Cage Castle battle will become extremely difficult.
There are no reinforcements, and they have to shoulder extremely heavy tasks... Although it is fucked up, there is really no way to blame the shogunate.
After all, the shogunate really tried its best...
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I didn't sleep well last night... Leopard has a headache... (Leopard moans) Because my physical condition is not very good, so the number of words today is less, please forgive me (Leopard's head sheds tears)