Chapter 914 Gathering at Sekigahara! Battle Between the Commanders! [6500]

Whenever people talk about the "Hachioji Thousand Hearts", they always praise their simplicity and loyalty.

"Not bad in combat power", "more reliable than the hatamoto 80,000 cavalry" and so on.

But in fact, even if they are praised to the sky, it cannot change the fact that they are a militia force that is half farmer and half soldier.

Since their establishment, they have never fought a war.

The purpose of the first shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu to form the Thousand Hearts was to deal with the Toyotomi family and prevent the Toyotomi army from going east.

Although Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute (1584), the size gap between the two sides was too large, and the tactical victory could not cover up the strategic decline.

At that time, the Toyotomi family was really in its heyday, and they would fight whoever they caught, and even a strong man like Tokugawa Ieyasu had to admit defeat.

As a last resort, he could only give in and become a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Since then, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu have become a pair of textbook-level "surface brothers".

They smiled on the surface, but secretly wanted to stab each other.

In order to weaken the power of the Tokugawa family, Toyotomi Hideyoshi forcibly changed Tokugawa Ieyasu's territory from Tokaido to Kanto.

At that time, the Kanto Plain was all swamps, extremely poor, and there were remnants of the Hojo clan inside and the Toyotomi family's close lords outside, which was a good place to trap the Tokugawa family.

Tokugawa Ieyasu did not surrender, and one of his countermeasures was to establish the Hachioji Thousand People's Heart.

Although the Kanto Plain is a vast plain with huge economic potential, from a military perspective, this place has no dangers and no defenses, and the national defense pressure is huge - this is also one of the important reasons why Toyotomi Hideyoshi moved Tokugawa Ieyasu to Kanto.

In this case, manpower can only be used to make up for the shortcomings of geographical advantages.

So, the Thousand People's Heart came into being.

Directly forming a non-productive army would easily irritate the Toyotomi family and cause troublesome disputes. Moreover, the Tokugawa family at that time did not have the extra financial resources, so they had to settle for the second best and establish a militia force that was half soldier and half farmer.

The Thousand People's Heart was deployed at the border between Kai Province and Kanto (Hachioji), and it was used to prevent the Toyotomi army from going east.

There is no need to elaborate on the subsequent historical trends.

The Tokugawa family conquered the Toyotomi family, and the country changed hands.

Until the day when the Toyotomi family was destroyed, the Thousand People's Heart did not fight against the Toyotomi army.

Judging from the results, Tokugawa Ieyasu formed the Thousand People's Heart in vain.

After Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power, there was no force in the world that could threaten his position.

In this way, the significance of the existence of the Thousand People's Heart became subtle and dispensable.

However, Tokugawa Ieyasu did not cancel the establishment of the Thousand People's Heart, and this special army has been preserved.

The descendants of the Thousand People's Heart are proud of their duty to "guard the border for the country."

Under the influence of this sense of superiority, they usually say "loyalty to the shogunate" and "destroy the shogunate thieves".

Each of them acted like a loyal minister and a good general, with a heroic spirit of "if the shogunate is in trouble, even if they sell their mothers, wives, and daughters, they will go to the battlefield to kill the enemy".

However... at this moment, with the news that "the Choshu army is coming", the eternal truth is once again confirmed: "Only when the tide recedes can we know who is swimming naked".

These guys who are "loyal and brave" on weekdays have now changed their faces.

Some advocate "fighting hard".

Some threaten to "retreat".

What's worse, some sneaked back home without even saying hello, ready to pack up their belongings and run away.

When there is peace, everyone is a brave soldier who actively participates in military training.

But when it comes to the battlefield... everyone shows their true colors.

Who is a warrior and who is a fool is clear at a glance.

This is different from talking nonsense. Once you go to the battlefield, you will really die...!

When those idiots thought of this, they no longer had the courage to continue to play the role of "loyal ministers and good generals".

Elodie stood quietly by and watched all this expressionlessly.

These noisy and chaotic scenes were all in her sight.

Shimada Kui and other team members closely guarded her side, guarding against irrelevant people approaching her.

Looking at the villagers who were getting more and more noisy, Shimada Kui couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He saw at a glance that the thousands of people at the moment urgently needed a person with high prestige and sufficient ability to inspire and lead them!

Although the "war faction" and the "retreat faction" quarreled fiercely, in fact, most of the villagers were simply panicked and didn't know what to do at the moment. They were neither in favor of war nor in favor of retreat. They were just simply confused.

If there was a strong person to lead them, they would not say that they would "instantly turn into tigers and wolves", but at least they would be able to show their determination to fight.

On the contrary...if this decadent atmosphere of "running away is justified, disobeying orders is not a crime" is allowed to continue to spread, under the influence of the "herd effect", the villagers are afraid that they will scatter like birds and beasts...

Thousands of people with one heart naturally have a unified leader, that is, the head of the thousand people with one heart.

However... Qing Deng, who is the head of the thousand people with one heart, is now far away and has no power to control the thousand people with one heart.

Shimada Kui naturally does not want to see the scene continue to be chaotic, and he is secretly anxious in his heart, but he can't do anything.

After a while, he simply gritted his teeth and thought to himself like he had given up:

-Well! This matter is not my business! I only have one task now, that is to protect the director!

From just now, he has been urging Elodie to leave here quickly.

These guys are quarreling fiercely, and God knows if they will do something radical next.

If Elodie was involved and got hurt or had a more serious accident, he, the "Captain of the Guards", would be blamed!

However, no matter how he persuaded Elodie, she turned a deaf ear.

Then, he heard Elodie's three "quiet" words.

Then... he saw her suddenly slashing with the sword!

Although Elodie was a pure civil servant, as Qing Deng's apprentice and swordsmanship enthusiast, she always kept the habit of carrying a sword.

Qing Deng's preference for his apprentice has reached a level that is obvious to all.

In order to let Elodie have a good sword that suits her, he spent a lot of thought.

After asking all the sword merchants, he finally found this excellent quality sword - Ryogyemono Yamatomori Yasutsu!

Yamatomori Yasutsu - one of the fifty Ryogyemono.

The four levels of "Most Great Gyeomono", "Great Gyeomono", "Ryogyemono" and "Gyeomono" are divided according to the sharpness.

Swords that can cut through 50% to 60% of the thickness of a human body are considered good swords.

Since it can be listed as good swords, the sharpness of Yamato-no-kami Yasudasa is naturally needless to say.

Holding a good sword, it is not difficult to split a tree trunk - the premise is that your sword is straight and the force is sufficient

Elody did not draw the sword with both hands, but drew it with her right hand! Then she chopped it with a cassock slash, hitting the tree trunk next to her!

The next moment, a long and deep smooth cut was slanted on the tree trunk!

With a single-handed sword, it can still cut such a straight sword and such a strong force...

Such a sharp sword, even Shimada Kai, who has a very high level of swordsmanship, couldn't help but be stunned.

Although Elody has joined the Shinsengumi for some time, she rarely draws her sword in front of others.

Most of the Shinsengumi have only a vague understanding of her true strength.

All I know is that she is the only disciple of the King, and it is said that her swordsmanship is good - that's all.

It was not until this moment that Shimada Kai finally saw Elodie's swordsmanship with his own eyes.

He looked at the huge cut on the tree trunk, and then looked at Elodie beside him, and his heart trembled: this little girl looks thin and thin, but she is also a person who cannot be judged by appearance!

Elodie's sudden sword drawing and the huge slashing sound that followed instantly attracted the attention of everyone at the scene.

In an instant, no matter who it was, whether they were fighting or retreating, they all turned their heads and looked at Elodie in confusion and surprise.

Elodie glanced at the whole scene, looked at the villagers who finally quieted down, and let out a long breath.

"Everyone, what are you arguing about?"

As she spoke, she lowered her eyelids, and a sharp light burst out of her eyes.

"Who are you?"

"You are the 'Hachioji Thousands of People', aren't you?"

"Since 280 years ago, you have only one duty, that is, 'when foreign enemies invade Kanto from the west, turn into a barrier and bravely stop the enemy', isn't it?"

At the end of the conversation, she suddenly raised her voice, with an amazing momentum, making everyone present silent.

The silence was only temporary.

After a moment, someone stiffened his neck and retorted:

"But, but, this is too sudden! We are asked to go to the battlefield out of the blue! This will kill people!"

After this person started, many people immediately followed and echoed.

Elody squinted her eyes and glanced at the speaker.

"'Too sudden'? What's so strange about that?"

"Do you expect the enemy to send someone to notify you before they attack?"

"'Always deal with the unexpected' is the norm on the battlefield, there's nothing to be wronged about!"

"As for what you said, 'This can kill people'... Is there any problem with that?"

"Aren't you 'one heart and one mind'?"

"Isn't fighting the enemy what you should do?"

"The shogunate has allowed you to live in this fertile land for generations and given you so many benefits."

"Isn't it so that you can help the shogunate when it is in trouble?"

"Or do you only want to take advantage and not give?"

"Now that the crisis has come, you want to pat your butt and leave?"

"Even a blond, blue-eyed, and weird-looking Westerner like me knows the word 'loyalty'."

"Are you not as good as a Westerner like me?"

This last sentence contains great lethality.

As soon as this was said, many people on the scene blushed and looked indignant.

Elodie's voice has not stopped:

"I know that many of you are afraid."

"It's ridiculous for me, who has never been on the battlefield, to speak here and shout something like 'It is your duty to fight and kill the enemy, and you cannot retreat'."

"Therefore, I will hold this knife tightly and fight shoulder to shoulder with you!"

As soon as these words came out, let alone the villagers at the scene, the guards led by Shimada Kui beside her couldn't hold back.

Shimada Kui's expression changed drastically, and he said in a hurry:

"Director...!"

Elodie raised her hand first, signaling him not to say more.

"Maybe some of you know, and some don't know, I, Elodie de Angoulême, am the apprentice of 'Niwang' Tachibana Aoto!"

In the rural area where information is blocked, this is indeed the first time many people have heard of it.

In a blink of an eye, there was a commotion of some size at the scene.

Elodie ignored the commotion and continued slowly:

"As the head of the Shinsengumi and the disciple of 'Niou' Tachibana Aoto, how can I be a coward who flees from the battlefield?"

"I will fulfill my duty! Stop the Choshu army at all costs!"

"It is true that it is extremely difficult to defeat this aggressive Choshu army with our combat power."

"But we don't have to defeat them!"

"Everyone, there is one thing I can guarantee you."

"At this moment, Master... General Tachibana must be marching to support at full speed!"

"May I ask everyone, if General Tachibana is here, would you still be afraid of the enemy in front of you?"

"As long as General Tachibana arrives, Choshu will be nothing but a piece of shit!"

"Therefore, we just need to hold on until General Tachibana arrives!"

"If you have the guts, pick up your weapons and fight with me!"

"If you think you are not as good as a Western girl, please do as you please!"

Elody finished.

Although her speech was not passionate, every word was heart-wrenching.

Especially the last sentence, "Those who feel that they are not as good as a Western girl, please do as you please", made many people at the scene look pale.

For a long time, because they are descendants of the Thousand People of One Heart, the local villagers have always regarded themselves as "half warriors".

A Westerner... and a Western girl, is not afraid of war and death. If I retreat, am I still a human being?

Not long after Elodie finished speaking, someone stood up and shouted:

"Damn it! What are you still hesitating about? This little girl is right! We are descendants of the Thousand People of One Heart! Anyone can escape, but we can't!"

This sentence is like a spark falling into a gasoline barrel.

Instantly, the whole audience was extremely enthusiastic!

"Fight the Choshu people!"

"Let the Choshu people see the loyalty and bravery of our thousands of people!"

"Our ancestors made a promise with Tosho Daigongen to protect Kanto! Now, it's our turn to fulfill our promise!"

[Note: Tosho Daigongen: Tokugawa Ieyasu's divine title. 】

More and more people responded.

The atmosphere in the air changed fundamentally, and excitement completely replaced depression.

Those who were at a loss were now all affected by this atmosphere. One by one, they stood up, waved their fists vigorously, and vowed to join the war.

Shimada Kui blinked and stared at all this in a daze, with a look of surprise in his eyes.

Although he was not a good speaker, he saw another powerful point of Elodie's speech just now-she clearly explained what the current task was.

Just hold on until Qingdeng came to help!

For this task, everyone felt difficult, but they did not think it was impossible.

With a clear and achievable goal, rather than a broad "fight the enemy", it is easy to gather people's hearts!

"Shimada-kun."

The sudden call made Shimada Kui stunned for a moment.

The next breath, he hurriedly responded:

"I'm here!"

Elodie turned her head, looked at him, and said solemnly:

"Shimada-kun, you are the only one among us with rich combat experience."

"So, I'll have to trouble you to do more next time."

"Please!"

Looking at Elodie's sincere expression, Shimada Kui was stunned for only a moment before he said loudly with excitement:

"Director, you are too kind! I am also a member of the Shinsengumi! I will also do my due duties!"

...

...

Time goes back to the present -

After passing through the vast nameless forest, Hijikata Toshizo suddenly felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

In front of him was an endless plain with green grass.

"Vice-captain! There! Our main force is there!"

Hijikata Toshizo looked in the direction of the voice and saw many figures swaying on the horizon across from him.

He immediately turned his horse's head and ran straight over.

After getting closer, he gradually saw what these figures were doing - they were digging trenches.

Hoes were raised high and swung down heavily.

The sounds of digging the ground came one after another.

Among the people who were working hard to dig trenches, Hijikata Toshizo found two old acquaintances - the director Elodie and the deputy captain of the first team, Shimada Kai!

Shimada Kai took off his clothes, revealing his strong upper body, and personally demonstrated to everyone the correct way to dig trenches.

"Listen carefully! The so-called trench is a passage used to protect oneself, slow down the enemy's attack speed, and facilitate the mobilization of troops during combat! It is both a 'city wall' and a 'corridor'! Remember this! It is not just about digging a trench!"

He looked just like Tokugawa Ieyasu in Osaka Castle.

According to legend, when Tokugawa Ieyasu launched the Winter Campaign of Osaka (1614) and prepared to destroy the Toyotomi family in one fell swoop, because it had been 14 years since the last major battle, the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), the veterans retired or died, so there were only some new recruits left in the army who could not even dig trenches.

Tokugawa Ieyasu felt helpless when he saw this.

He, an old man in his seventies, showed the new recruits the correct way to dig trenches in person, regardless of his aging body, with a shovel, and became a legend.

The reason why Shimada Kai was promoted to the deputy captain of the first squadron was not just because of his bravery.

As a veteran who followed Qing Deng to fight in the Iga War (suppressing the Ise Rebellion), the Yamato War (suppressing the Tenchu ​​Group), the Kyoto Summer Campaign, etc., he had seen pigs run even if he had never eaten pork.

Whenever there was a war, how Qing Deng dug trenches, how he built fortifications, and how he arranged the camp, Shimada Kui watched it all and remembered it firmly in his heart.

Although he did not dare to call himself a "tactical master", he was more than enough to teach these guys who had never experienced war how to dig trenches.

Elodie stood beside Shimada Kui, swinging the hoe meticulously to loosen the soil.

In order to facilitate movement, she tied her sleeves with a cuff, tied her long hair with a thin rope, and tied a high ponytail behind her head.

It is not difficult to see from her movements that she must have not touched the hoe much before.

However, she relied on her extraordinary physical strength and arm strength to swing the hoe vigorously.

In terms of efficiency, she was no worse than those people beside her who had been working with hoes all their lives.

The high ponytail behind her head swayed with her movements.

In a moment, the rapid sound of hooves reached their ears.

They all put down their work and looked up - against the blue sky and green land, the flag with the word "sincerity" in Hijikata Toshizo's hand was particularly dazzling.

Shimada Kai's eyes widened instantly, and his face was full of disbelief.

After confirming that he was not dazzled, he shouted excitedly:

"Director, look! Look who's here!"

He was so happy that he almost jumped up.

After a while, Hijikata Toshizo tightened the reins in his hand, drove the horse to stop, and stopped steadily in front of Elodie and others.

Most of the people at the scene did not know Hijikata Toshizo.

However, looking at his heroic style in strange clothes (suit, leather boots, long windbreaker) and holding the flag of sincerity, they instinctively felt that this man was an important person.

Someone bravely stepped forward and asked:

"Who is coming?"

Hijikata Toshizo smiled and held his head high:

"Vice-chief of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata Toshizo!"

"I'm sorry, I'm late."

"Although I'm late, I'm here to meet you!"

...

...

Nobi Plain, Sekigahara——

"Gah! Gah! Gah! Gah! Gah! Gah!"

A crow cried across the sky, climbed over several hills, and flew over an inconspicuous plain.

This plain is by no means vast.

Standing anywhere on the plain and looking in any direction, the view will be blocked by the towering mountains.

This basin, which is 4 kilometers from east to west and 2 kilometers from north to south, is surrounded by Mt. Ibuki in the north, Mt. Sasao and Mt. Tenman in the west, Mt. Matsuo in the southwest, and Mt. Nangu in the southeast. It is the key that divides Japan into two - Sekigahara!

"Moo, moo, moo, moo...!"

The radish pawed the soil with its hooves, making engine-like noises, and seemed to be in high spirits.

"..."

Qing Deng sat silently on its back, looking at Mt. Nangu in the distance.

At this moment, one man and one cow stood on the top of Mt. Tenman, letting the mountain breeze blow.

Although Qing Deng ordered Harada Sanosuke to lead the cavalry to Sekigahara at the fastest speed to seize the favorable terrain.

But... unfortunately, the Choshu army that cooperated with the Fazhu Party was not easy to deal with!

When Harada Sanosuke led his troops to Sekigahara, the top of Mt. Nangu in the east had already been planted with the three-star flag representing the Choshu Mori family!

Fortunately, Mt. Sasao and Mt. Tenman to the west, and Mt. Matsuo to the southwest were still "unowned land".

Harada Sanosuke immediately occupied these three mountains, and finally did not let the battle fall into the worst situation before it even started.

With Mt. Sasao, Mt. Tenman and Mt. Matsuo, but Mt. Nangong was lost... Such a start is neither "good" nor "bad", but generally "flat".

After receiving the report from Harada Sanosuke, Qing Deng happened to have finished all the political and military affairs at hand, and explained everything that should be explained.

So, he immediately led some of the soldiers who had completed the rest and officially went to Sekigahara!

Today, he successfully arrived at this unique battlefield chosen by nature.

At this moment, Qing Deng, who was on the high ground, overlooked the entire Sekigahara effortlessly.

The panoramic view of Mt. Nangong opposite was in his sight.

With his extraordinary eyesight, he vaguely saw a series of figures shuttling through the forests of Nangong Mountain. They must be the soldiers of the Choshu Army setting up defense lines and building fortresses.

"..."

After staring at Nangong Mountain for a while, he suddenly turned his eyes and looked left and right.

Sometimes he looked at Mount Ibuki in the north, and sometimes he glanced at Mount Matsuo in the southwest.

He was not admiring the scenery, but putting the terrain of Sekigahara into his mind, and then building a "virtual army" in his mind, constantly changing formations and tactics on the virtual battlefield of Sekigahara, and launching a heroic war!

Coincidentally, at the same time, the general and military advisor of the opposing army were doing the same thing.

Takasugi Shinsaku stood at the highest point of Nangong Mountain, looking around, observing, and remembering the terrain of Sekigahara.

Suddenly, he asked a short, plain-looking guy beside him:

"Omura-kun, what do you think?"

The ugly guy called "Omura-kun" said indifferently:

"I feel my blood boiling now. It's so exciting to fight the famous Shinsengumi on such a great battlefield."

Takasugi Shinsaku grinned:

"I agree!"

Although the battle is still brewing, the battle between the coaches has already begun!

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PS: Some book friends asked me if this book is about to be finished. It’s not finished so soon! The story of Nioh is still very long, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to end now.