Chapter 949 Akasaka Gate Is Destroyed! Elodie Is in Danger! [5600]
Akasaka-gomon is located to the west of Edo Castle, not far from Yotsuya-gomon.
The French-American coalition came from the west, and Akasaka-gomon was located in such a position... It can be said that it directly ran into the enemy's front!
It is no exaggeration to say that Akasaka-gomon is one of the most important places with the greatest defense pressure and the most intense fighting in the "Thirty-six Mitsuke"!
Such an important position naturally requires a powerful and trustworthy force to guard it.
At this moment, this force is fighting bravely! Drive every enemy soldier out of Akasaka-gomon!
…
…
Edo, Akasaka-gomon——
The two armies fought fiercely around the Goryeo Gate (the first city gate) of Akasaka-gomon.
One side is a tiger and wolf division that rushes forward and swears to break through Akasaka-gomon.
The other side is nailed to the city gate, unwilling to give up a single step.
The inside and outside of the city gate are covered with broken corpses.
A large amount of blood flows to the ground, staining the ground and losing its original color.
The pungent smell of blood filled the air, making it difficult to breathe.
Such a scene and such a view silently announced the intensity of the battle.
In a split second, another wave of enemy soldiers rushed up aggressively.
With the blessing of "Decisive Battle of Yodo", the morale of the enemy army has been in a very strange state.
Even if they suffer extremely heavy casualties, they will not retreat easily.
Even if they retreat temporarily, they will quickly regroup and rush up again.
Facing this vast group of enemies, an old male voice suddenly sounded from the Gaoli Gate of Akasaka Gate:
"Elody! Let's go!"
The girl responded loudly:
"Yes!"
The next breath, an old man and a woman slid forward and collided with the enemy soldiers!
Thanks to Kondo Shusuke's careful grinding, Yamato-no-kami's blade returned to the excellent state of cutting iron like mud, and the fascinating cold light shot into the eyes of the enemy soldiers.
Elodie used her advantages of petite, flexible footsteps and agile movements to the extreme.
Before the enemy soldiers could react, the golden ponytail broke into their sight.
Yamatomori Yasutsu's blade was suspended in mid-air, and it was slightly still - the next moment, it swept out like a hurricane! Cut out a fan-shaped blood arc in one breath!
Before the blood arc completely dissipated, Elodie immediately slashed the second knife, and another blood arc shot out.
The two blood arcs formed a fleeting "X" shape.
The drops of blood fell on her cheeks, making her skin look even whiter.
To be honest, even today, she still feels worried and afraid when she steps on the battlefield.
But after holding Yamatomori Yasutsu tightly and facing the vast enemy group, all these negative emotions dissipated.
Instead, there is a strong sense of responsibility and mission!
With this thought, her eyes became more determined, and her slashing became more sharp.
Her current level of strength is far from being called a swordsman, at most she can only be called a "sword master".
In comparison, the swordsmanship displayed by Kondo Shusuke beside her is the skill of a true swordsman!
The old man tightly grasped the Niou Kiyomi in his palm, and his slender eyes opened a slit, and a ray of brilliance burst out from it.
"Old friend... lend me a hand...!"
After muttering this, he held up the Niou Kiyomi in his hand and took a blue-eyed stance.
Then——
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
Four cutting sounds rang out almost at the same time.
The old man passed through the gap between the four enemy soldiers, leaving four sword lights behind him.
Before the sword light faded, blood had already splashed.
He continued to swing his sword forward with great momentum, and rushed to the next enemy soldier like a mountain pressing down on his head.
Kondo Shusuke at the moment seemed to have changed into a different person.
On weekdays, he always showed himself as "lazy" and "injured".
If he was not explained, people who didn't know him would never think that he was a swordsman.
In fact, it is easy to imagine that a swordsman who could become the head of a school that pursued actual combat would not be a soft persimmon?
Although he was an old man over 70 years old, his life in the first 60 years of his life had been calm and peaceful, and there was almost no place to describe it in detail.
Before the outbreak of the "Black Ship Incident", Japan under the rule of the shogunate was not a prosperous era with peace and prosperity, but fortunately there was no major war.
Without war, there would naturally be no opportunity for swordsmen to show their skills.
No matter how high your swordsmanship was, there was no place to use it. You could only wave bamboo swords in the sword hall and teach skills to your disciples.
Therefore, in terms of actual combat experience, Kondo Shusuke, who has lived a peaceful life for most of his life, is not rich.
To be honest, today is actually his first time on the battlefield.
But from his current performance, he doesn't look like a newcomer at all, but more like a veteran who has been on the battlefield for a long time!
He killed the enemy skillfully when he first entered the battlefield, and his fighting methods are very diverse, not limited to one move or one style.
When there is no time to adjust the blade, he directly hits the enemy's head with the thick blade and smashes his skull.
Seeing an enemy soldier raise a musket with the black muzzle pointing directly at him, he grabbed the corpse at his feet and used it as a meat shield.
He even picked up the musket that others didn't have time to pull the trigger and shot down the enemy soldier in the distance.
After witnessing Kondo Shusuke's various performances, Elodie felt that her horizons were broadened, and she couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that the old man's usual weak appearance was all pretended?
Just when an old man and a young man were taking the lead, Shimada Kui from behind suddenly shouted:
"Come on! The time for revenge has come! Drive the thieves out!"
As soon as he finished speaking with his front legs, a louder roar came out from his back legs:
"Kill, oh, oh, oh, oh!"
"I want to avenge my father!"
"Thieves, go to hell!"
"The Eight Prince's battle is not over yet!"
With his sword in hand, Kui Shimada led a large group of soldiers to rush forward and join the battle.
The addition of new forces began to tilt the balance of the war towards the Tokugawa side.
Most of the sergeants who came to assist in the battle were wounded, wrapped in linen and received simple treatment before going into battle.
It is worth mentioning that when they looked at the enemy soldiers in front of them, their eyes burned with blazing anger, as if they wanted to pounce on them immediately and bite off a few pieces of meat from these guys.
Yes, the soldiers stationed at the Akasaka Gate are none other than Shusuke Kondo, Elodie, Kui Shimada, and the remnants of the Thousand People Together!
The strength of the Edo garrison was always seriously insufficient, with only three thousand men capable of fighting.
Every imperial gate in the "Thirty-Six Visits" had to be guarded by troops.
After all, God knows where the enemy will attack from.
If the entire defense line is not filled, there is no way to ensure the safety of Edo Castle.
In this way, the few troops will be spread over a vast defense line.
Although Katsurin Taro worked hard, deployed his troops to the limit, barely filled the defense line, and ensured that each imperial gate of "Thirty-Six Meters" was garrisoned with a certain amount of troops, but every place was weak!
It’s not an exaggeration to call it “walking a tightrope”.
Even the defenders of Yotsuya Mikado, which is located directly to the west of Edo Castle and is most vulnerable to major attacks, only have 300 elite soldiers... This shows how stretched the strength of the Edo defenders is.
Under such circumstances, any combatants who can be mobilized must be fought for - the remnants of a thousand people who have just retreated from the front line are a good target!
However, under the clear instructions of Tokugawa Iemo, Katsu Rintaro did not force the remnant of the thousands of people to join the battle.
They had just experienced a bloody battle in Hachioji not long ago, and before they had time to rest for a while, they turned around and sent them into an even more intense battlefield... Even in the feudal era full of oppression and exploitation, this kind of approach was too outrageous. …
Therefore, Katsurintaro adopted the "voluntary principle" for the remnants of the thousands of people who were united.
Those who are willing to go into battle will be richly rewarded.
Those who do not want to go into battle will not suffer any punishment.
Everything is based on personal wishes and will never be forced.
At first, both Tokugawa Iemo and Katsu Rintaro believed that there should not be too many people willing to go to the battlefield again.
The ferocity of the enemy and the horror of the battlefield have been deeply imprinted in their minds.
To shrink back due to timidity - this is common sense in the world and cannot be criticized.
Besides, they've done enough.
Their achievements and sacrifices in Hachioji are worthy of forever being remembered by the shogunate and the people of Edo.
Even if they were now retreating to a safe rear far away from the battlefield, no one could say anything.
However, it later proved that both Tokugawa Iemo and Katsu Rintaro underestimated the enthusiasm of thousands of people to participate in the war!
The number of sergeants who volunteered to participate in the war greatly exceeded their pre-estimates!
The reason is not complicated.
The offensive and defensive battle of the Eighth Prince lasted for five full days, causing heavy casualties to thousands of people, and countless homes turning to dust.
The dead are speechless.
But there are still ways for the living to avenge them!
The flagrant invasion of the French and French forces killed so many of them... This hatred was so strong that it was enough to make them forget fatigue, pain and fear.
In this way, the remnant troops of thousands of people enthusiastically signed up to participate in the battle, many of whom were injured.
It is worth mentioning that they made a request: let Elodie and Shimada Kui command them!
Elodie and Shimada Kui's amazing performance in the offensive and defensive battle of Hachioji completely won the hearts of thousands of soldiers who were united.
Before that, thousands of people had always regarded them as "Western women who came to check accounts" and "guards with no sense of existence".
"Comradeship" is indeed a very wonderful emotion.
As long as they have fought side by side, even enemies that were difficult to deal with before will become much more pleasing to the eye.
Now, to the thousands of soldiers united as one, Elodie and Shimada Kui are no longer insignificant little characters, but leaders that they are convinced of!
As a result, the remnants of the thousand-strong unit strongly demanded that Elodie and Kui Shimada continue to command them, and refused to accept any other commanders except them.
This request was not difficult to handle, and Katsurin Taro readily agreed.
He organized Elodie, Shimada Kui, the remnants of Thousand People Together, and Kondo Shusuke, who voluntarily participated in the war, into a temporary army, and then deployed it at the crucial Akasaka Mikado.
In this way, after the Eighth Prince, thousands of people united to start a new bloody battle with the French and French coalition forces at Akasaka Mikado!
In the eyes of Elodie and others, this is undoubtedly the follow-up to the offensive and defensive battle of the Eighth Prince!
…
…
Edo, Yotsuya Tenryuji Temple, Bell of Time——
The clock of time is the clock tower used to tell the time.
Beginning with the installation of a bell tower at Nihon Hashimotoshi 3-chome in the third year of Kan'ei's reign (1626), bell towers were set up in more than a dozen places including Kan'ei-ji Temple, Senso-ji Temple, Ichidani Hachiman, and Yotsuya Tenryu-ji Temple.
Most of these bell towers are built in temples and are one of the tallest buildings in Edo-machi.
At this moment, Shuten Doji stood on the clock of Yotsuya Tenryuji Temple, raised the telescope in his hand, and carefully looked at the whole town of Edo, scanning the battlefields everywhere.
Although most of the direct participants are just wine bags and rice bags, as the population base is large, there will always be some exceptions.
This book was recently updated in ##六x-on:x-on:九x-on:x-on:书x-on:x-on:!! Updated!
There are some Zhishen who are still ambitious and have not lost their courage.
They grasped the weapons in their hands and spontaneously formed a wandering army, wandering around Edo Town, harassing and hunting lone enemy soldiers.
From east to west, from south to north, fierce battles could be heard everywhere, and blood was spilled all over the streets of Edo.
Shuten Douji didn't care at all about these difficult wanderers...or in other words, other areas in Edo Town except "Sansokumitsuke".
The current battle situation is very clear: which side has the "Thirty-Six Views", which side wins!
Therefore, the rest of Edo-machi is irrelevant.
Shuten Doji put all his body and mind into the "Thirty-six Mitsutsu" who kept shouting and fighting.
After a while, he slowly put down the telescope in his hand.
Katsura Kogoro, who was waiting beside him, saw this and immediately asked:
"How about Shuten-douji? Which imperial gate are we going to attack?"
Shuten Dozi curled up the corners of his mouth and did not respond directly, but said quietly:
"Come with me."
…
…
Edo, Akasaka Mitsuke——
If Qingden were here, he would probably be surprised after witnessing Elodie's heroic appearance.
It's just been a while, but her swordsmanship has improved by leaps and bounds!
In the past, she was a typical "dojo swordsman". Every move and every move she makes gives off the air that "she has never been in actual combat".
The path of martial arts is the path of Shura.
Only by experiencing the tension of hanging by a thread and struggling desperately on the boundary between life and death can we take a step further!
The ever-changing and fierce battlefield, where you either die or live, made Elodie grow up rapidly unconsciously.
My steps are becoming more flexible.
Sword skills are gradually perfected and redundant movements are eliminated.
Facing various attacks from the enemy, she slowly accumulated more and more experience in dealing with them.
At the same time, she began to develop the "combat intuition" that every martial arts master has.
Even without looking carefully, she could subconsciously predict which attacks needed to be dodged, which attacks needed to be defended, and which attacks needed to be ignored.
This is the kind of growth you won't get even if you wield the bamboo sword tens of thousands of times in a clean and tidy dojo!
Of course, Elodie is just a woman after all, with inherent and irreparable deficiencies in physical fitness.
Until now, she felt that her lungs were swollen and painful, and her limbs... no, all the muscles in her body were aching, as a silent protest.
She silently moved to a safe area, wiping the sweat off her face, adjusting her breath, and resting for a while.
--Um? strangeness……
At this time, she was surprised to find that the enemy troops had retreated.
The enemy soldiers, who were so brave until just now, are now slowly retreating!
No one climbed up the long ladder to Gaolimen anymore. They left quickly and quickly disappeared into the surrounding streets and alleys.
Looking at the enemy troops retreating quickly, the soldiers did not doubt that they had it. They thought that the enemy troops could not hold on any longer, so they cheered to celebrate the short-term victory.
The enemy has retreated... On the surface, this is certainly a good thing.
But... for some reason, Elodie felt her chest was clogged, and an ominous premonition filled her heart...
Suddenly, she suddenly noticed an unusual sight out of the corner of her eye - she saw eight large trolleys speeding towards them at the end of the street directly opposite the royal gate.
Dozens of enemy soldiers struggled to push these vehicles, and the wheels spun very fast.
It is obvious that every trolley is fully loaded.
However, they were all covered with straw mats, so it was difficult to see what was hidden inside.
Elodie didn't know what these carts were carrying, nor why the enemy soldiers were pushing these carts toward the royal gate.
But at this moment, her heart beat hard and sounded a powerful warning signal: Never let these trolleys get close to the royal gate!
She shouted without thinking:
"Archers and musketeers come forward! Kill those pushing carts!"
Her voice immediately attracted the attention of Kondo Shusuke, Shimada Kui and others.
They followed Elodie's gaze as they looked at the strange "convoy" outside the royal gate, and like Elodie, they all vaguely sensed that these trolleys were unusual!
Shimada Kui raised his voice:
"Quick! Stop them!"
Blah blah blah...
Accompanied by the rapid sound of footsteps, the archers and musketeers quickly stepped forward, and barrages and arrows flew out immediately.
However... shooting has always been a very difficult skill.
It’s not easy just to hit a fixed target, let alone a moving target?
Obviously, none of Akasaka Mikado's defenders had such superb shooting skills.
Most of the projectiles and arrows hit the ground, hitting only a few people.
This level of interception cannot stop the convoy from approaching...
Although they were extremely anxious, Elodie and the others could only watch helplessly as the convoy gradually approached.
The enemy soldiers placed these carts directly under the Goryeo Gate of the Akasaka Imperial Gate, and then fled as if they were running away.
Suddenly, a gust of breeze blew open the loosely covered straw mat on a certain trolley.
At this moment, Elodie and others finally saw clearly what these carts were carrying—large wooden barrels.
Vaguely, Elodie smelled a familiar smell... the stench of gunpowder!
At this moment, on the roof of a house diagonally opposite the Akasaka Imperial Gate, Shuten Doji raised the bow and arrow in his hand.
He slowly drew the bow, tightening the string while aiming at the barrels.
The arrows he used were not ordinary arrows, but flaming rockets.
After stretching the bow string like a full moon, he curled up his mouth with an expectant look on his face and softly recited the cheering slogan that Japanese people often shout when watching fireworks:
"Jade~house~(TA~MA~YA)"
The next moment, he released the bowstring - and the rocket shot out! A red afterimage was drawn in mid-air, hitting a barrel on a cart.
Then--
Boom! ! !
The earth-shattering and terrifying loud noise took away the hearing of everyone at the scene!
The moment the rocket touched the barrel, a terrifying explosion hit the entire city gate with a surging wave of flames.
The Goryeo Gate of Akasaka Mikado shook a few times and then collapsed!
Bricks, stones and wooden tiles fell down... Countless dust and smoke rose upwards...
…
…
Edo, Edo Castle, Ohiroma——
Tokugawa Iemo and Tenjoin sat side by side on the main seat, looking ahead expressionlessly while listening to the sounds coming from the "Thirty-six Mitsuke" and other battlefields.
They know nothing about military matters and would be unable to help even if they wanted to.
Therefore, the only thing they can do now is to wait here, while constantly listening to the latest battle conditions on the battlefields, praying to the gods for victory, and wishing the soldiers good military fortune.
Just then——
Boom! ! !
This sudden explosion was so shocking that even the mother and son in the Ohiro room of Edo Castle could hear its sound, and could vaguely feel the tatami beneath their feet shaking slightly.
Tokugawa Iemo's expression suddenly changed:
"What's going on?"
Soon, the guard sent him accurate news:
"Your Highness! The enemy destroyed the Koryomon Gate of Akasaka Gate!"
Upon hearing this, the pupils of mother and son suddenly shrank into pinhole shapes.
Tokugawa Iemo asked:
"Where are the defenders at Akasaka Mikado? Are they okay?"
"It's not clear yet!"
"..."
Tokugawa Iemo gritted his teeth, and his cheeks were filled with a cloud called "dignity."
"...Iemo."
Tianzhangin suddenly turned his head and cast a firm look at Tokugawa Iemo.
Although she said nothing, Tokugawa Iemo understood the meaning of her eyes.
"..."
Tokugawa Iemo closed his eyes and remained silent.
After a while, he clenched his two fists that were hanging naturally, and then forcefully opened his eyes - a bright light flashed in his eyes, as if he had made some kind of determination.
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