【6200】
Ever since he witnessed Aoto's feat of "showing off his power in less than half a year of swordsmanship" at the Aizu Hou Swordsman Competition a few months ago, Saito Yakuro had developed a strong interest in Aoto.
Saito Yakuro didn't know until yesterday evening that the Imperial Guard Hall and the Xuanbu Hall were going to hold a "red and white battle" together today.
After learning that Aoto would also participate in the competition, Yakuro Saito decided to come to watch the competition without hesitation.
Because it was a last-minute idea, Saito Yakuro originally wanted to come alone.
But the current teacher in their training hall, his beloved disciple Gui, after learning about his today's schedule, said to him very enthusiastically: "Master! I have admired the name of the 'Benevolent King' for a long time! I have always regretted that I didn't have the opportunity.
If you want to meet him, can you also take me to watch the game?"
Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to have one more person by your side. Yakuro Saito nodded in agreement without thinking too much.
"The title of 'Nioh' is really not in vain..." Katsura said softly, "A strong man like Chiba Tamon Shiro, there is nothing he can do against him."
"Hehehe. Although this trial defense hall is small, it is really a hidden dragon and a crouching tiger."
Saito Yakuro smiled and tugged at the long beard on his chin.
"Gui, have you seen that doll with her hair tied up high on the back of her head with a purple ribbon?"
Katsura looked in the direction pointed by Saito Yakuro's finger... The "doll" Saito Yakuro mentioned was none other than Souji.
"That doll is also very powerful..." Saito Yakuro murmured, "Obviously he is neither tall nor strong, but he has amazing strength and speed... He is really a good material for practicing swordsmanship. I didn't know he practiced swordsmanship.
How long has it been..."
…
…
"Audience Hall", the other end——
"Hey, Zhouzhu."
A Bi, who frowned, asked Zhou Zhu beside him in a worried tone:
"Is this style of play... really expected to defeat Xuanwu Hall?"
Abi's hands, which were placed on his legs, had been subconsciously clenched because of nervousness.
Zhouzhu, who was suddenly asked this question, smiled dryly and touched his chin.
"Well... there is no 'sure-fire way' to defeat your opponent in this world."
"But Isamu and his team's idea of 'leaving Chiba Doisaburo until the end to deal with him' is correct."
"As for whether they can succeed...it depends on how Yong and the others perform."
…
…
On the playing field——
"……I see."
Chiba Michizaburo rolled his eyes and glanced around the marshal and others who were surrounding him from four directions. A faint smile appeared on Chang Dun's usually taciturn cheeks.
"Do you want to defeat us in this way..."
He could tell at a glance what the Director-General and the others were planning.
As soon as he finished speaking, Chiba Doisaburo was seen holding a sword, and the shadow of his naturally hanging right arm was blurred - the sword tip was raised from bottom to top, and struck fiercely at Inoue who was standing on his right!
Inoue groaned, raised his sword in defense, and deflected the blow.
Hijikata, who was standing next to Inoue, took a big step forward, taking advantage of the opportunity for Chiba Michizaburo to attack Inoue with the sword in his right hand.
At the same time as the sound of treading on the ground, there was the sound of Hijikata waving his sword in the wind.
Hijikata was also greedy. He slashed his sword against the cassock and whizzed straight towards the porcelain bowl on Chiba Doisaburo's forehead!
At the same time, Souji, who was confronting Chiba Michisaburo, also started taking action.
She was half a beat behind Hijikata in getting closer and launching her sword, so the target she chose to attack was Chiba Michizaburo's lower body.
The two swords used one to attack and the other to attack, with tricky angles and both strength and speed. Unfortunately, they failed to achieve any results.
Chiba Michizaburo took a step back and quickly swung his wakizashi with his left hand to hit Hijikata's bamboo sword.
He retreated, avoiding the sweep of the Souji.
The wakizashi swung upwards, accurately sealing Hijikata's sword tip in mid-air.
At this time, a majestic qi sound and a thick aura that reminded people of "big mountains" came from behind Chiba Michizaburo.
Kondo, who had a strong physique, was like a moving mountain of meat. He stepped on powerful and loud footsteps and slammed the sword in his hand and his body into Chiba Michizaburo.
Chiba Michizaburo calmly changed his position, turned his body to one side, raised the katana in his right hand and the wakizashi in his left hand to his chest, and crossed them in an "X" shape to block.
The shadow of the sword flashed.
Suddenly, the three handles of Kondo and Michizaburo Chiba were twisted together.
Then in the next moment, there was only a "click, click, click" sound like fingernails grinding bamboo flakes. Chiba Michizaburo's two swords slid open, and with delicate skills, he deflected Kondo's attack to the side. At the same time, his left hand
Wakizashi thrust out in the air! He took the porcelain bowl on Kondo's forehead at an angle!
Kondo hurriedly dodged sideways, then jumped back hard, pulling away from Chiba Michizaburo.
Kondo jumped back and landed right next to Hijikata.
"Akatsu." Dokata said with no expression and forcefully twisted the right wrist that held the sword, "'Hold Chiba Michizaburo'... This task seems to be much more difficult than we expected."
"No matter how difficult it is, you have to persevere." A smug smile appeared on Kondo's cheeks, "Asui, you don't like the feeling of losing, right?"
"Hey..." Hijikata grinned and said nothing.
…
…
7 days ago, afternoon——
Trial Guard Hall, Dojo——
"Gentlemen, I won't say anything too complicated!"
Kondo's resonant voice spread throughout every corner of the dojo.
All the disciples who will represent the Kaiwei Hall in the competition the day after tomorrow are gathered in the dojo to listen to Kondo's "mobilization order".
Kondo, who was sitting at the front seat, had an extremely straight waist. His extremely serious tone made everyone present unconsciously focus their attention on him.
"Some people may find it strange that the game after 7 days is not a life-and-death battle where you win or die, so why should it be so solemn."
As soon as Kondo said this, the expressions of a small number of people present immediately became unnatural.
He has a strange expression and his eyes are evasive.
Kondo paused for a moment as if he was brewing emotions.
"Indeed, this match between us and the Xuanwu Hall is just a very ordinary swordsmanship match for the purpose of 'exchanging sword skills'. There is neither money on the line nor lives on the line."
"but--"
As the conversation changed, Kondo's tone and facial expression softened.
"A swordsman who competes with others but doesn't want to win is not a good swordsman!"
"Even if it's just a game where I don't have any big losses, I don't want to lose!"
"I want to win! Do you want to win?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the dojo was filled with loud and emotional shouts:
"Want to win! Want to win!"
"Let the Xuanwu Hall see how powerful our trial defense hall is!"
"Beat them!"
…
Kondo's sonorous voice has a special affinity.
His simple words brought excitement and pride to the atmosphere of the dojo and to the faces of many people.
"Kondo-san is starting to look more and more like a big shot," Souji said with a smile.
However, at this moment, a deep male voice suddenly sounded, causing the expressions of Kondo and others who were originally full of excitement to suddenly freeze.
"So - Asheng, have you made up your mind?" Hijikata sat cross-legged on the cold wooden floor, with his right elbow touching his right knee, raising his right arm to support his head, and said expressionlessly, "In seven days, we will
What tactics should we use to deal with the Xuanwu Hall?"
"Ahahahaha..." Kondo looked embarrassed and scratched the hair on his temples, "I... haven't made up my mind yet..."
"Haven't made up your mind yet?" Hijikata was stunned.
"Ahahahaha..." Kondo laughed a few more times, "The reason I called you all together today is just to hear your thoughts again."
In an instant, everyone in the venue was talking with different expressions.
Since it was decided to play against Xuanwu Hall, the Triwei Hall has held meetings to discuss game strategies almost every day.
However... the meeting has been going back and forth for more than half a month, and as a result, until now, no solution has been discussed.
The reason is not difficult to explain in detail - it's just because the Xuanwu Hall is too strong.
Even though most of the members of the Trial Guard Hall don't want to admit it... the overall strength of the Xuanwu Hall is indeed far superior to theirs. This is an indisputable fact.
Although the Trial Guard Hall has developed rapidly in recent months by absorbing many new apprentices, the gap between it and the Xuanwu Hall, which has a very profound foundation, is obviously impossible to close in such a short period of time.
Got it.
The difference in strength level among the people in the Trial Guard Hall is a very standard "pyramid shape".
Those who stand at the top of the tower, such as Qingden and the General Secretary, can become star-level swordsmen even if they go to famous sword halls such as the Xuanwu Hall and the Training Hall.
As for the people at the bottom of the tower... they are really the best.
The gap in strength among disciples is too large, and only a few are lucky enough to stand at the top of the pyramid, while the rest are wandering in the middle and bottom of the pyramid - this is the dilemma currently faced by the Imperial Guard Hall.
At the same time, it is precisely this dilemma that Qingdeng and the others have not yet decided what strategy to adopt to deal with the upcoming competition.
A clever woman can't make a meal without rice. The "soldiers" are not strong enough, and there are too few fighting methods to choose from.
From the convening of the first "Military Council" to the present, they have worked together to come up with many tactics...but so far, none of them has been convincing to everyone.
"How about... just use the same tactics we used to defeat the Little Chiba Sword Hall before?" Someone said timidly, "Select a small number of elites..."
"No way."
Before this person could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Qing Deng, who had designed this tactic in the first place.
"One of the keys to the success of the tactics you mentioned is surprise."
"Only when used for the first time can the best enemy-defeating effect be achieved."
"I don't think anyone at the Xuanwu Hall has ever seriously studied how the Chiba Sword Hall suffered a disastrous defeat at the Plum Blossom Festival half a year ago."
"All in all, this tactic, which has most likely been thoroughly studied by our opponents, must never be used again."
Qingdeng was about to finish his words when he heard a tall, thick man shout loudly:
"Then just don't use any tactics or strategies! Just rush forward and have a head-on confrontation with the people from Xuanwu Hall!"
"I agree!" Another strong man sitting next to this strong man agreed, "Half a year ago, when Hijikata-kun and Uncle Minamoto were not around, we were still able to beat the little Chiba Sword Hall to pieces! Now,
All the masters from my Imperial Guard Hall are here! Why should we be afraid of the Xuanwu Hall?"
"Hahaha, that's not possible."
Inoue smiled helplessly, shook his head slightly, and continued:
"You don't know how scary Chiba Michizaburo is... If Chiba Michizaburo doesn't participate, we can try to use what you call the 'direct pig sudden advance' style of play."
"Is that Chiba Dosaburo so powerful?" A young man sitting opposite Inoue tilted his head in confusion.
"This...how should I put it..." Inoue reached out and picked at his scalp, which was extra smooth due to his shaved Tsukiyo head.
While Inoue was still thinking, the director smiled and answered for him first:
"Let me tell you this - Mr. Hijikata, who is not afraid of anything, when he learned that Chiba Michizaburo was sure to come to participate in this competition, his expression changed drastically and he said in a solemn voice: 'This battle is not going to be good.
Hit it'."
"Is that Chiba Doisaburo so powerful?" Souji's easy-to-understand explanation made the person who just asked the question widen his eyes in shock.
Hijikata's personal image of being eccentric and wild, as if he didn't even know what "fear" was, has already penetrated into the hearts of the disciples of the Imperial Guard Hall.
"General Secretary, you guy..."
Hijikata glared at Souji angrily, and then said slowly as if he wanted to save face for himself:
"Don't talk about me like I'm an idiot."
"'Beyond the mountains there are mountains, higher than the mountains are the sky, and higher than the sky are the galaxies. You must not be arrogant' - I still understand this truth."
"I don't know if you have ever witnessed Chiba Michizaburo's strength."
"I've been lucky enough to meet him a few times."
There was a faint trace of reminiscence between Hijikata's brows, and his expression was solemn.
"Chiba Dosaburo's sword... has reached a level that ordinary people would never be able to achieve even if they study hard throughout their lives."
"Tsk... think about it carefully... it feels so unfair." The young man who had just asked "Is Chiba Michosaburo strong?" lowered his head at this time, "Chiba Michosaburo is a member of the Xuanwu Hall.
The owner of the stadium actually went to the game in person... This is too much to bully the small..."
"You can't say that." Inoue said softly, "The owner of the Xuanwu Hall came to the competition in person, and the owner of our trial defense hall also went to the competition in person."
"Although the old master is still the master of our swordsmanship hall in name, he has entrusted most of the operations of the swordsmanship hall to the young master since a long time ago."
"Therefore, young master, he has long been the de facto new owner of our Trial Guard Hall."
"So there is no such thing as 'the big one bullies the small', and there is no obvious difference in the level of the contestants on both sides."
"I feel like the topic has strayed!" Hijikata tapped his fingers on the floor impatiently, "Let's get back to the topic quickly! How are we going to compete in the game in seven days?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
…
Everyone, look at me, and I'll look at you.
No one made a sound, and the spacious dojo was surrounded by boundless silence.
"Tachibana-kun!"
At this time, the director-general suddenly cast his eyes full of hope on Qingden.
"Do you have any good ideas?"
As soon as the Souji finished speaking, many people imitated the Souji and looked at Qingden expectantly.
Last time, it was your ingenious strategy that helped us defeat the small Chiba Sword Hall with the weak and the strong! Can you repeat such a feat again? The words and deeds of the Souji and others at this moment reveal such meaning.
It's a pity that Qingdeng let them down.
"Sorry..." Qingden smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I don't have any good ideas at the moment."
Qingdeng was not familiar with the Xuanwu Hall at all. He had never played against anyone from the Xuanwu Hall, and he didn't know a few people from the Xuanwu Hall.
The scarcity of information left Qingdeng's head empty.
Suddenly, Kondo, who had been silent since just now, suddenly spoke:
"Ah, speaking of... Mr. Tachibana, there is something I almost forgot to tell you. This morning, I received a very credible rumor."
After Qingto's attention was attracted by his words, Kondo, who was folding his arms in front of his chest, said in a deep voice.
"Tachibana-kun, I'm afraid the competition in seven days will be very hard for you."
"Hard work? Why?" Qingdeng asked.
"It is said that when Chiba Michisaburo was recruiting candidates to participate in this competition, a large number of masters who had not been interested in this type of swordsmanship trial before, or were not interested in sparring with our trial gym, actively signed up. You
Guess why they are like that?"
"Ha..." Qingden reacted and smiled lightly, "Is it... so that you can compete with me?"
"That's right."
Kondo nodded vigorously.
"According to what I heard: In order to test the skills of the 'Nioh', a large number of masters from the Xuanwu Hall came to the competition enthusiastically."
"So after 7 days... it is very likely that many people will attack you desperately."
Having said this, Kondo raised the corner of his mouth and showed a plain smile towards Aoden.
"You have to be mentally prepared."
After Qingdeng heard this, he smiled boldly:
"Let them just come over! I can take this opportunity to see how capable the swordsmen of Xuanwu Hall are!"
Many masters from Xuanwu Hall participate in the competition just to compete with him? This is exactly what Qingto wants!
Why wouldn't Qingden take advantage of this opportunity to copy a large number of useful talents?
"Ha ha ha ha."
The director-general turned his face to Qingteng and showed a smile with strong teasing color.
"If you, Tachibana-kun, can repeat the deeds you performed at the Little Chiba Sword Hall a while ago on the field seven days later, then the name 'Nioh' will be even more awe-inspiring."
Qingto defeated 18 disciples of Xiao Qianba Sword Hall in a row until no one dared to fight again in Xiao Qianba Sword Hall - this kind of thing that cannot be concealed has been spread for a long time.
Compared with various achievements that Aoshinobu has achieved before, his consecutive defeats against the masters of the Little Chiba Sword Hall seem a bit too insignificant.
Therefore, after Aoshito's new deeds spread, it did not cause any big waves in the market or the swordsmanship community in Edo. It only made the name of "Nioh" a little louder, and made the people of Edo even more famous.
We have more things to talk about after dinner.
Faced with the ridicule from the General Secretary, Qingteng did not respond in any way.
Because at this moment... to be more precise, after listening to Kondo's reminder just now, Qingto suddenly felt a flash of inspiration in his mind.
Inspiration is such a wonderful thing. When you intentionally pursue it, it never appears; when you don't intend to possess it, it often appears suddenly without warning.
"Tangerine-kun?"
The director-general noticed something strange about Qingteng and whispered Qingteng's name in confusion.
But at this moment, Qingdeng could no longer hear any outside sounds.
His whole mind was immersed in thinking.
The chaotic thoughts in my mind were like pieces of a puzzle, suddenly piecing together a brand new strategy.
Although it is quite risky, if you operate it properly, you will be able to successfully defeat Xuanwukan's strategy!
What a coincidence - at almost the same time, Hijikata also showed an expression that seemed like he had suddenly realized something.
"...Orange."
"Huh?" Qingden, who had gradually recovered from his deep thoughts, turned to look at Hijikata who suddenly called him.
"Suddenly... I had a new idea." Hijikata raised his head and met Aitobo's eyes seriously, "Are you willing to serve as our general in the competition in seven days' time?"
"What a coincidence..." Qingden said with a smile, "It seems that we thought of going together..."
…
…
Time returns to the present——
"ha……"
Qingdeng exhaled a breath of air and smiled self-deprecatingly.
"We are really reckless..."
The tactics that Seito and Hijikata jointly formulated seven days ago are quite simple——
Souji, Kondo, Hijikata and Inoue were responsible for holding Chiba Michizaburo back, and allowed Aoto, who had extensive experience in fighting more with less, to lead the remaining people to "annihilate" all opponents except Chiba Michizaburo.
Finally, all combat power was concentrated to attack Chiba Doisaburo.
To put it simply, this tactic takes advantage of the small thinking of many players in the Xuanwu Hall who only go to the competition just to compete with Qingdeng.
Chiba Doisaburo's strength is unfathomable, so don't fight him first, use a small number of elites to entangle him first.
Let Qingto, who has the attribute of being "vulnerable to the opponent's attack", lead a large force to launch a fierce attack until Chiba Michizaburo becomes a "smooth commander", and then turn around and slowly deal with this big man who uses the two-sword style.
Swordsman!
The reason why Qingdeng was selected as the general was simply to better "attract firepower" and attract more people to fight Qingdeng.
The entire combat plan sounds beautiful and feasible, but it is too risky, and many people are strongly opposed to this radical strategy.
After discussing it intermittently until the night before yesterday, everyone finally finalized it - we can't come up with any better strategy! Let's take the risk with the tactics jointly formulated by Ayoto and Hijikata!
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
Just as Qingdeng was secretly sighing at the boldness of their actions, a loud shout from behind him suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Someone relied on superb footwork to approach Qingdeng's side and rear, and slashed the bamboo sword held above Qingdeng's head from the air, like the tip of a snake emerging from a cave, directly to Qingdeng's forehead.
porcelain bowl.
Seeing this, Qingdeng used a reverse-crown slash from below.
The attacks of the two seemed to be indistinguishable in speed, but in fact Qingdeng's sword struck last—
"Crack".
Another person's porcelain bowl was smashed.
The Xuanwu Hall, which is famous all over the world, was attacked by Qingdeng for two "heads" in the blink of an eye.
A look of anxiety began to appear on the face of the proud Chiba Tamonshiro.
On the other hand, Chiba Michizaburo remained quite calm and composed.
*******
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This chapter has been completed!