Chapter 727: This King Is Extremely Brave but Overly Cautious! [5500]

Kyogi, Nara, Nara Magistrate's Office, a room——

This room, provided by Yamaoka Keikyo and used as a "command room" for Qing Deng and others, was crowded with people.

Qing Deng sat on a small stool with his legs crossed.

Behind him hung a flag with the word "成" (the symbol of the Shinsengumi) and a flag with two lines of characters "It is honor to die, and it is shame to live" (the two characters are written in large letters) .

In front of him, there was a long table.

On the long table was a map of the Kyogi region.

Hijikata Toshizo, Kondo Isami, Yamanami Keisuke, Kiyokawa Hachiro, and captains headed by Souji sat on the left and right sides of the long table in order according to their status and positions.

Qing Deng was in the north, and his generals were in the east and west, and the door of the room happened to be on the south side.

If someone pushed the door in now, it would be like looking up at a mountain, facing the "all-star lineup" of the Shinsengumi!

They were holding a military meeting to discuss the troops' next move and strategies to defeat the enemy.

Meetings of this level could not tolerate carelessness or playfulness.

As a result, everyone present sat in awe, holding their breath.

Even Soji and Harada Sanosuke, who were always smiling on weekdays, had a rare serious expression on their faces.

For this reason, the command room was filled with a skin-piercing tension.

If an outsider came here, he would definitely feel a great pressure coming towards him!

Looking around, everyone was sitting, only Yamanami Keisuke was standing.

He held a scroll in his hand and read the latest rebel intelligence and front-line battle reports to everyone in the audience in a clear and loud voice.

"The bandit leader Yoshimura Toratarou persuaded the samurai corps of Totsukawa."

"It is reported that a total of 960 samurai of Totsukawa joined the rebels."

"As a result, the total strength of the rebels has expanded to more than a thousand people."

"In addition, the sonjo patriots from all over Yamato responded to the call of the rebels and went to join the war in an endless stream."

"As time goes by, more and more people will surely go to join the rebels."

"After incorporating the samurai corps of Totsukawa, the rebels with greatly increased strength began to move eastward and rushed towards Takatori Castle with great momentum."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the rebels will be able to reach Takatori Castle tomorrow morning."

After speaking, Yamanami Keisuke put away the scroll in his hand, turned his head to look at Qing Deng, and said "that's all".

Qing Deng gave him a look of "thank you for your hard work".

Yamanami Keisuke nodded slightly in response, then pulled the small stool behind him and sat down slowly.

As soon as he sat down, Serizawa Kame snorted coldly:

"It's just the samurai army of Totsukawa!"

"What's there to be afraid of just samurai?"

"Even if their strength increases five times, they are still no match for us!"

As soon as Serizawa Kame finished speaking, Hijikata Toshizo, who was sitting not far from him, suddenly poured him a basin of cold water:

"Don't underestimate the samurai of Totsukō. They are definitely not soft persimmons that can be easily manipulated."

"Let alone their bravery and loyalty to the emperor, we cannot underestimate them."

Totsukō - located in the inland of the Kii Peninsula (south of the Yamato region), a place surrounded by nature full of mystery.

The so-called "samurai" is a type of samurai.

Samurai in the Edo period usually lived in castle towns and were called "castle samurai".

In contrast, samurai living in the countryside were called "samurai".

However, the samurai of Totsukō were not like that.

Although they were called "country samurai", most of them were just ordinary farmers.

The villagers of Totsukawa had been hunting for a living since ancient times, so they were good at bows and arrows, and they also supported Emperor Tenmu during the Jinshin Rebellion in 672.

According to local myths, the villagers of Totsukawa once brought Emperor Jimmu to Yamato as the sacred bird Yasakura.

When they went on a long journey, they would dress like samurai, wearing samurai clothes, with katana and wakizashi on their waists, looking very stylish.

Logically speaking, they were ordinary people, but they learned to wear swords like samurai, so they should be punished by the government.

However... the villagers of Totsukawa had such privileges.

Since the Jinshin Rebellion in the 7th century, Totsukawa has long been a semi-independent area exempt from rent and taxes because they often cooperated with the authorities to send troops, including the Heiji Rebellion in the 12th century, the Nanbokucho period in the 14th century, and the Battle of Osaka in the 17th century, and made many military achievements.

Because it is located in a mountainous area with many peaks and ridges, it has been isolated from the outside world for a long time, and even has its own "Hyōju-in" flag, which is like a semi-independent feudal state!

They are good at fighting and have made many military achievements. At the same time, they have the advantage of being easy to defend and difficult to attack. Neither the imperial court nor the shogunate is willing to provoke them easily.

Therefore, the government has always adopted a negative attitude of turning a blind eye to their "pretending to be samurai".

Everyone in Totsukawa has a knife and a spear, and everyone will participate in the battle in an emergency.

In short, the villagers in the area are all a group of hot-blooded fighters!

Over time, the villagers of Totsukawa were given the reputation of "Totsukawa Village Warriors".

They are proud of their heroic deeds of suppressing the rebellion for the court several times, and respect the emperor.

In this case, it is not surprising that they would join the Tenchu ​​Combined Soldiers who raised the slogan of "Support the Imperial Court and Annihilate the Shogunate".

Hijikata Toshizo's rebuttal made Serizawa Kame 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 is the only one who refutes others, so no one else can refute his reasoning!

He leaned forward, supported his knees with his hands, and glared at Hijikata Toshizo viciously, 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' in your mouth 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 ferocious 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, with a look of "What? Are you not convinced?"

"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.

After a while, he smacked his lips vigorously, and then silently retracted his forward leaning body without saying a word.

Only Aonto could subdue the rebellious Serizawa Duck.

After calming Serizawa Duck, Aoto turned his head and looked at Kondo Isamu beside him.

"Yong, is there any news from the Takatori clan?"

Kondo Isamu shook his head gently.

"No news, just silence."

"However, I think no matter how slow and stupid they are, it is impossible not to know that a rebel army that is gaining momentum is attacking them."

At this time, the general manager suddenly interrupted:

"Tachibana-kun, can the Takatori clan stop the rebels?"

This time it’s Hachiro Qinghe who answers:

"It's hard to say... Takatori Domain is a small domain with a height of only 25,000 koku."

"We need money but not money, we need soldiers but not soldiers, we need weapons but not weapons."

"There is nothing more to it than a fortified city towering into the sky."

"As far as I know, the military strength of Takatori Domain is extremely weak."

"There are only a handful of 200 vassal soldiers in the entire vassal who can be mobilized immediately."

200 people... When they heard this number, everyone present dropped their faces.

Everyone had no hope for Gao Qijun's overall quality.

With the army's meager combat effectiveness, and the size of the army being far smaller than that of the rebels... No matter how you look at it, Takatori Fan is now in a critical situation.

Toudo Heisuke pursed his lips slightly, thinking.

After a moment, he suggested to Qingdeng:

"Mr. Tachibana, in my opinion, Takatori Domain is in grave danger right now."

"If Gaotori City is captured, the consequences will be disastrous."

"How about... we send reinforcements to it immediately?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qingden shook his head without thinking.

"No, we can't send reinforcements now."

"The vast majority of our soldiers are still on their way to Nara."

"At present, there are only a handful of 300 soldiers who have successfully arrived in Nara."

"With this small force alone, let alone the rescue mission, we might even lose the troops who went to the rescue."

"What's more important is that the baggage has not yet been fully arrived."

"It's too risky to rush into it hastily."

"Once you fail to win quickly, you will be in a dilemma."

"I don't fight uncertain battles."

"Now... we can only hope that the monarchs and ministers of the Takatori Domain can withstand the onslaught of the rebels."

"At least until we arrive."

I thought this battle was just to seal the imperial gate.

When fighting in the cities and towns of Kyoto, there is naturally no need to deploy supplies.

After expelling Changzhou from Kyoto, he returned directly to the camp for dinner.

As a result...the sudden rebellion fully explained what it means that plans cannot keep up with changes.

Yataro Iwasaki, who stayed in Kyoto, was working at full capacity to arrange the supplies.

Be prepared for war at any time - this is Aomori's only requirement for the Shinsengumi's material reserves.

Yataro Iwasaki and others have been stocking up on supplies based on Aoto's guiding ideology.

For this reason, the Shinsengumi's warehouses were always stocked with adequate supplies of food and grass.

It was precisely thanks to Ayoto's precautions that even though the "Yamato Rebellion" came suddenly, the Shinsengumi's logistics system responded quickly and completed preparations for the march in a few days.

Since the position of "head" of the Finance Office is still vacant, Yataro Iwasaki is basically serving as the head of the Shinsengumi now.

Under the orderly arrangements of Yataro Iwasaki, the appraisers in the Finance Office worked hard.

[Note: Appraisal: Grassroots staff in the Finance Office]

Looking back at the previous Iga offensive and defensive battles, the Shinsengumi at that time only had about a hundred people, so the logistical pressure was not heavy.

Now, the Shinsengumi has grown into an army of three thousand people.

An army of this size needs an equally large transport team to ensure its supply.

The people who were responsible for transporting the baggage for the Shinsengumi were all "temporary workers" recruited temporarily.

Iwasaki Yataro posted notices inside and outside Kyoto: Recruiting civilians, vehicles and animal power!

Those with money contribute money, and those with strength contribute strength!

Those who have a lot of strength will be rewarded with 1 tael for each trip of baggage delivered to the front line!

Those who lend vehicles and animal power will directly receive a rental fee of 2 taels to 10 taels of gold according to their quality! If there is any accident with the vehicles and animal power, they will be compensated directly at the price!

The recent years have been very bad. Even in Kyoto, which is listed as one of the "three capitals", many people's lives have become difficult.

Poor people are not afraid of hard work or death, but they are afraid of having no money!

The Shinsengumi announced such generous conditions, and naturally there were many people who responded.

In a blink of an eye, a transport team of considerable size and increasing number of people took shape.

There are supplies and people to transport them, and everything is ready.

The next thing is easy to say.

Bags of rice, bundles of hay, and packages of weapons were transported out of the warehouse in an orderly manner, arranged in a long line, and sent to Nara one after another.

In order to protect the supply line and prevent sabotage by hostile forces - mainly to guard against Choshu, which is still stationed in Kyoto - Qing Deng sent the highly mobile 7th and 10th squads, that is, the cavalry team, to escort the whole way.

In addition, Nara Magistrate Yamaoka Kagekyo also spared no effort to support.

He mobilized the supplies in the city to supply the Shinsengumi.

Nara has a longer history than Kyoto and was called Heijo-kyo in ancient times.

Although it cannot be compared with Edo, Kyoto and Osaka, it is also one of the largest cities in Japan.

For this reason, Nara's material reserves are rich.

Qing Deng really likes Yamaoka Kagekyo more and more!

Since he became the governor of the capital, Qing Deng has been suffering from an increasingly serious "thirst for talents".

The governor's office has a huge talent gap.

If we use a figurative metaphor... Qing Deng's governor's office is like a lame man with one thick leg and one thin leg. The thick leg is a "fierce general" and the thin leg is a "civil official".

Let alone the fierce general, Qing Deng himself is the most powerful one.

Looking at the entire governor's office, the only people who have the talent to start a business and govern are Yamanami Keisuke, Fujido Heisuke and Sanako.

It is rare to find a civil official like Yamaoka Jinggong who is fearless in the face of danger and calm in the face of change.

Qing Deng secretly made up his mind:

- I have to find a way to poach Yamaoka Jinggong later!

From Kyoto to Yamato, the combat distance is not long.

If measured by the Chinese scale, such a short combat distance does not even leave the province!

From the currently known intelligence, although the rebels are gradually gaining strength, they are ultimately a mob.

After the two armies meet, it is highly unlikely that it will turn into a war of attrition, and the outcome will be decided in a short time.

But... who told Qing Deng not to fight a battle without confidence!

With Li Shimin as his teacher, he deeply implemented the combat concept of "first make yourself invincible, and then wait for the enemy to be defeated".

Even if this is just a short war that "starts suddenly and ends quickly", he must be fully prepared to deal with any sudden situation that may occur.

According to his predetermined plan... if he wants him to formally lead the army to the south to quell the rebellion, at least enough supplies must be raised for the entire Shinsengumi army to fight continuously for 1 month!

At this time, an urgent shout suddenly came from outside the room:

"Lord Niou! Lord Higo sent an urgent letter!"

Qing Deng immediately said loudly:

"Bring it in."

"Yes!"

The messenger pushed open the door and slipped in.

After seeing the oppressive meeting scene inside, his body shuddered several times.

He swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and walked to Qing Deng's side in two steps, handing over a sealed letter.

Qing Deng took the letter and waved his hand, indicating that the messenger could leave.

After the messenger left, he opened the seal, pulled out the letter, spread it out, and read it quickly.

Then, his facial expression changed slightly.

About 10 seconds later, he put away the letter in his hand and said with a smile:

"... Everyone, I have good news for you."

"The blockade of the Imperial Palace by the Kaisatsu coalition was a complete success!"

"The people of Choshu and the sonnōjō faction were blocked outside."

"The emperor issued an imperial decree to make it clear to the world, publicly disclosed the wolfish ambitions of the sonnōjō faction, and issued a trigger order, denouncing the Tenchu ​​Group as a rebel army that was causing chaos in Yamato, and requiring the princes of the world to fight against it together!"

After hearing Qing Deng's words, the atmosphere on the scene suddenly lifted!

Everyone looked at each other, and found excitement on each other's faces.

Anyone with a little bit of brains can understand how much the emperor's series of political declarations will benefit their subsequent counter-insurgency operations!

Qing Deng raised his head and chest and continued:

"We have achieved the great cause of destroying the Tianzhu Group!"

"How can we not win?"

"It won't be long before the rebels will learn that the court they respect has demoted them to rebels."

"By then, their morale will be shaken and they will no longer have the same spirit as now."

"In other words, time is on our side!"

"The longer the time drags on, the more uneasy and anxious they will feel."

"It won't be long before they collapse without a fight!"

At this point, Qing Deng suddenly raised his voice.

"Everyone, listen carefully!"

When everyone heard this, they knew that Qing Deng was about to give important instructions, and they all straightened their backs, looked at Qing Deng, and listened attentively.

"Next, we will use 5 days to gather supplies."

"After 5 days, we will go south to fight the enemy!"

Qing Deng said this in a rhythmic tone.

Everyone answered in unison:

"Yes!"

...

...

Kyoto, Takashi Residence——

Sanjo Sanemi and others who could not enter the Imperial Palace were escorted by the Choshu Army to Takashi Residence, which was closer to the Imperial Palace, to discuss strategies.

Ta-ta! Ta-ta! Ta-ta! Ta-ta! Ta-ta! Ta-ta! Ta-ta! Ta-ta!

A handsome man in a helmet and armor walked quickly in the corridor, making loud footsteps.

Looking closely——it was Kusaka Genzui, who currently controlled the real power of the Choshu domain.

After the disastrous defeat in the Shimonoseki War, Kusaka Genzui returned to Kyoto.

At this moment, the Takagi residence was filled with Choshu soldiers who were either depressed, terrified, or angry, like frightened birds.

Suddenly, a burly man jumped out from the side, ran to Kusaka Genzui, and grabbed his shoulders.

"Kusaka-kun, if this continues, we will..."

Before he finished speaking, he was rudely interrupted by Kusaka Genzui:

"I understand! So I'm thinking of a way!"

After that, he pushed the burly man away and continued to move forward.

In a moment, he came to the room where Sanjo Sane and others were.

"Sanjo-sama!"

He knelt on one knee with a determined look on his face.

"Please rest assured!"

"Although we were defeated by the Huisa Alliance, we are not helpless!"

"Even if we are crushed to pieces, we will fight to the death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sanjo Sanemi waved his hands in panic and said:

"No, no, no! Wait a minute!"

"If we become enemies with the Huisa Alliance, it will be against the imperial decree!"

"We will become traitors and enemies of the court!"

After hearing this, Kusaka Genzui was immediately furious:

"Sanjo-sama! That being said, as long as we defeat the Huisa Alliance and take back the Imperial Palace, it will not be us who will become enemies of the court, but them!"

"We will become heroes who repel treacherous ministers!"

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