The Aizu clan was a close clan of the Tokugawa shogunate. It stood at a height of 230,000 stone and had a standing army of 6,000. Its strength was superior throughout the Edo period. The 3,000 troops dispatched to quell the rebellion this time included the elite. The number of Hatamoto samurai has exceeded 300. Together with the iron artillery team and the cavalry team, they can ensure good efficiency in pursuit, defense or attack. It can be said that the equipment is quite complete.
Although the two hundred years of peaceful peace in the Edo period led to a depletion of armaments, which cannot be compared with the Warring States period, it refers to the confrontation between the two armies. If it is used to encircle and suppress the single-handedly resisting barbarian ronin, there is no reason why any accidents will occur.
In addition to defending the imperial palace, besieging the Choshu feudal residence, stationing at the city gate, and maintaining public order, these three thousand feudal soldiers also sent at least five hundred troops to completely surround the Sanjo area where Ikedaya is located!
Since it is surrounded by the Kamogawa River, as long as a few bridges are guarded, boats on the river are driven away, and cavalry patrol support is provided, it is almost guaranteed that no suspected ronin will escape.
If Sana and Kenshin were in good condition, they could find a place with weak defenses to break out, blend into the lively crowds of Gion Festival and escape Kyoto, but Sana was completely unable to engage in strenuous exercise, let alone fight with a sword.
Kenshin even has difficulty walking, and Sorayama Kazuha cannot really leave him alone, so the best way is to let him attract all the attention while the siege is not complete, and let others slip away in the chaos. With Kiriko's protection, individual feudal soldiers and ronin could not even think of posing any threat.
As for whether he can attract troops, he is not worried at all. As he said just now, he is the man named Sorayama Kazuyo!
At Sanjo Bridge, two teams of ashigaru armed with iron cannons and spears were stationed on the river bank under the leadership of Hatamoto Banto, and there were several Kyoto town officials to help check identities. In this era, those rogue faces with fierce faces mingled among the residents like fireflies in the night. They are fierce, unless they throw away their swords and disguise themselves as beggars and homeless people, but what do they have to fear from the ronin who have lost their weapons? Even if they get out, they still have the ability to rush into the palace with their teeth and kidnap the emperor!
There were raging fires in the commercial houses near the bridge, and the residents who fled outside were noisy and noisy. However, the closer they got to the bridge, the quieter they seemed. Almost everyone waited with bated breath for inspection.
The firelight shone, and the scattered blood puddles were particularly dazzling. The corpses of several ronin with swords were thrown in conspicuous positions. It was obvious that they wanted to forcefully break through the blockade. Unfortunately, they were surrounded and killed before they even reached the bridge. From the bridge From the traces of fighting, occasionally there were ronin with strong martial arts skills who broke through the first layer of blockade, but the bridge deck only allowed two riders to ride side by side and faced the iron cannon fire. There was no room for escape before they were shot to death.
"This mission is really simple and easy, don't you think so, Master Iteng?" A samurai wearing an ashigaru-gutou uniform showed no nervousness, pointing at the fire lit by an unknown ronin and said: "New The selection team is really a bunch of losers, they just surrounded and suppressed a few ronin, but many of them got away."
This hatamoto, named Iteng, was dressed in vermillion lacquer and a black haori outer cover. The blue collar and stone folded family crest showed that he must be a third-class superior samurai of the Aizu clan from a proud family. Compared with the new ones, The status of the fourteenth-level last-level samurai who was selected from everyone is unknown.
The Hatamoto general did not speak, but carefully wiped the blood on the Jumonjigun with a piece of white paper. Just now, at least three ronin were killed by him. Unlike most people in this era who like to hang out in brothels. Unlike the high-ranking samurai in the casino, An Teng has practiced the skillful Takada style spearmanship of the Hohoin style, and his martial arts is very good.
"Don't relax. According to the Shinsengumi's information, the rebels led by the Choshu clan plan to burn Kyoto and kidnap the Holy Lord! It is impossible to do such a treasonous and unethical thing without preparation. The Shoping Temple strictly orders not to escape." Iteng put away.
Daqian shook his head and continued: "Although the Shinsengumi come from a lowly background, it is said that there are still a few masters of swordsmanship, such as the swordsman named Okita Souji. I wonder if there will be a chance to compete... Huh?!
"
An Teng pushed away the group leader in front of him, and suddenly he saw a large gun with a flat end, and the tip of the large jimonji gun was pointed directly at the middle-aged man who was slowly walking out.
There was no room for him not to pay attention. After this person appeared, the crowd automatically moved away from this guy who exuded a scary aura. Although the scene was bustling, the area within 10 meters around him was as clean as white paper.
Following An Teng's actions as if he were facing a formidable enemy, at least fifty ashigaru around him immediately formed a formation and surrounded Ichiyo Sorayama. An enemy who could alarm his general like this appeared for the first time tonight. You must know that even if
Just now, a dozen ronin howled and charged without making this man with strong martial arts show any fear, but now...
The skin on An Teng's face stung like needles, and cold sweat condensed on his forehead! Maybe those ashigaru with low martial arts skills couldn't feel too much fear, but in his opinion, the moment the middle-aged man in front of him stared at him,
He was controlled by the other person's eyes like a puppet on strings!
When he stood upright with the big gun in his left hand, the opponent stared at his left armpit, which was the weakest part of the armor and the most difficult to change moves. He had no choice but to flat-end the big gun to protect it; and as he moved, the opponent's eyes kept looking at him.
He glanced over his neck, wrists, and legs. Everywhere he looked was a weak point. It seemed that one movement could seriously injure him and kill him, but he had no doubt in his heart that the other party could do it!
It wasn't until the vassal soldiers formed a siege that the opponent's eyes passed over him and glanced around him. If he faced this kind of opponent alone, I'm afraid he wouldn't even have the courage to resist... This kind of person could suppress him with just his eyes.
Who is the figure who is unable to move? How could he appear here? Where is the Shinsengumi inside? Could it be that they have been completely wiped out...
"Who is your Excellency? Please tell me. If you are not a traitor, you can cross the bridge safely. The actions of the Aizu domain were ordered to protect Kyoto and were not to disturb the people." Itang never believed that the person in front of him was a skilled swordsman.
The hermit in the mountains has no intention of becoming an enemy!
The middle-aged man coughed slightly, retracted his glance around, stared at An Teng, and said slowly in a special low and hoarse voice: "One leaf in the empty mountain."
Such a familiar name... An Teng was stunned, as if he was searching for the memory buried deep in his brain, Ichiyo Kuyama... Ah! Impossible, hasn't he been dead for ten years? Could it be... wrong,
There will never be anyone pretending to be someone like this at this moment, or who can pretend to be such a scary person... Yes, it must be those idiots in Edo...
Anyone who has practiced martial arts or has some status in recent years almost all knows the meaning of this name. This is an unparalleled evil name fed by mountains of corpses, seas of blood and countless dead souls!
An Teng's body trembled visibly, and he struggled to put away the big gun. Under everyone's gaze, he bowed his head and said: "It's actually the sword master in front of you. I would like to ask you to cross the bridge, An Teng Zhengsheng."
After saying this, the people who were stunned were not only those Ashigaru and residents who didn't know what happened, but also Kazuha Sorayama himself.
Never expected that this situation would arise!
He was a bit dumbfounded. He had disappeared for ten years. It was really helpless for someone to remember his name and act so fearlessly. His purpose was not to cross the bridge! But no matter how ruthless he was, he couldn't do anything about it.
The other party has already ordered them to lay down their weapons and then they start killing people!
"Aren't you checking for rebellion? Maybe I'm one of them," Kazuyo Sorayama reminded him with an expressionless expression.
"I believe that as a Sword Master, how could you collaborate with these rebellious people to commit such a despicable act?" It seems that it is not so troublesome to mess up or destroy Kyoto with your ability... An Teng said he was respectful, but in his heart he was
Muttering silently.
Anyway, he made up his mind, no matter whether the person in front of him was involved in this incident or not, he would never rely on the dozens of people around him to stop him. Those legends that have gradually become myths have proved how stupid this is.
"Humph, a bunch of gutless waste! Has the shogunate fallen into this state? No wonder everyone wants to overthrow it. From this point of view, the emperor is useless in your hands. It is better to hand it over to the Choshu clan and let them take it back to Ogi City for enshrinement.
."
Kazuyo Sorayama had no scruples, and what he said was extremely treasonous. No samurai representing the shogunate could remain indifferent. Otherwise, not only would he be ordered to have his belly broken, but his family name would also be stripped away, and he would be completely expelled from the ranks of samurai. This
It is something more difficult to accept than death.