Chapter 740 Ju Qingden is like a famous name! 5600
Gyeonggi region, Seongsang County, Shinsengumi camp——
The weather is quite mild today.
Satin-like sunlight drifted down from the eastern sky.
Gradually the dawn clouds turned into bright colors, as gorgeous as ribbons.
Looking up, the wilderness is filled with light blue mist, full of lingering night air.
Light green feather fabric, chainmail, arm armor, leg armor... neatly dressed, Qingden slowly walked out of the tent where he lived, stood with his sword in hand, and looked at the rising sun in the distance.
The pale golden morning light illuminated his thoughtful expression.
"Ji Jun, you got up really early."
Before the words were spoken, people had arrived.
Kondo Isamu slowly walked up to Qingto and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, while yawning widely. His gorilla-like mouth was so wide that it seemed like he could fit two fists in it.
"I just got up."
"Huh? Mr. Tachibana, what are you thinking about? Why do you look so worried?"
Qingdeng laughed dumbly:
"It's nothing, just... a little emotional."
Before Isamu Kondo could ask any further questions, Aoto continued on his own:
"Somehow, after seeing this endless wilderness, I can't help but feel sad for spring and autumn."
"Looking back three years ago, I was just a nobody."
"And now... just three years later, I have become the general of the shogunate with an army of three thousand."
“This journey along the way...has been really emotional.”
After hearing this, Isamu Kondo nodded solemnly, with a serious look on his cheeks.
"Well, Mr. Ju, I understand how you feel."
"I feel the same way."
"Three years ago, I was just a teacher at the 'Taro Dojo' where there were few apprentices."
"Who would have thought that someone like me would become the director of the world-famous Shinsengumi."
Having said this, Kondo Isamu paused.
Suddenly, he let out a sigh of relief:
"Tachibana-kun, after this battle, you should... no, you will definitely be promoted to daimyo! Become the master of a city and a land!"
Speaking of this, Isamu Kondo's eyes showed a look of explicit envy.
"Daimyo... Daimyo... so wonderful! This is the highest ideal of many samurai!"
"If you can become a daimyo, you will be truly successful!"
"Ju Jun, Ah Sui and I have discussed your enfeoffment location."
"We all think that you will most likely be enfeoffed in the Gyeonggi area."
"You shoulder the important responsibility of guarding the capital and guarding the western border for the shogunate."
"In this case, there is no reason to entrust you to a remote and remote rural area."
Isamu Kondo said with excitement.
Qingdeng was stunned for a moment, then slowly showed a mixture of emotions and murmured:
"The lord of one city and one land..."
In the Edo period, anyone with a little common sense knew what "becoming a daimyo" meant.
It means owning your own land.
It means that it will have its own subjects.
It means becoming the de facto monarch!
It means that you will receive the supreme honor that everyone envies!
Of course, Qingdeng pays more attention to the tangible and tangible benefits than to those superficial things.
In Qingto's view, the biggest benefit of becoming a daimyo is that you will have more abundant resources to achieve your goals!
To be honest, the current development of the Shinsengumi has reached a bottleneck...or in other words: the Shinsengumi Chamber of Commerce's ability to generate revenue has reached its limit.
Although silver mirror is a hugely profitable industry that occupies a monopoly position, no matter how huge profits it makes, it will eventually have its limit.
The army is one of the few gold-eating behemoths in human history.
According to Yataro Iwasaki's reliable calculations, based on the current revenue-generating ability of the Shinseng Chamber of Commerce, maintaining a cold weapon force of 3,000 people is already its limit.
In order to increase his income, Yataro Iwasaki has already tried his best to expand financial resources and continuously enrich the profit-making methods of the newly selected chamber of commerce.
For example: I purchased land on the outskirts of Kyoto and dammed the river to create farmland.
Another example: purchasing ships to develop ocean trade.
However, these are very slow ways to generate income.
It will be 1 or 2 years before rice seedlings grow in these new fields.
But... everything will be completely different once you have your own fiefdom!
First of all, Thanh Deng will be able to increase revenue through traditional means, that is, by collecting agricultural taxes, tariffs and other taxes.
Secondly, Qingdeng can transform the Sinseng Chamber of Commerce into a "state-owned enterprise" of the feudal state and do larger and more profitable business.
All in all, becoming a daimyo means having more stable and abundant financial resources!
By then, he will be able to further expand the size of the Shinsengumi! And transform it into a truly modern army!
Due to limited financial resources and the lack of reliable and stable purchasing channels, Qingdeng has been slow to install firearms in the new group.
Moreover, continuing to purchase firearms from Western arms dealers is not a long-term solution after all.
There is a saying that “Buying is worse than making”.
Western arms dealers have taken advantage of your lack of industrial technology, so they have raised the price of guns extremely high. A flintlock gun can be sold for several taels of gold, and the premium is extremely serious.
Once he has his own fiefdom, Qingden can build a military factory in his territory like Satsuma, introduce advanced technology from the Western world, and vigorously develop industrial capabilities!
At that time, not only will the Shinsengumi be able to use "domestic guns", but the Shinseng Chamber of Commerce will also be able to sell industrial products to all of Japan and make a lot of money!
Thinking of this, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel excited! He couldn't help but imagine his future "farming life".
Of course, lustful thoughts return to lustful thoughts.
After a short period of "fantasy time", Qingdeng's thoughts gradually returned to reality.
He smiled, and then half-jokingly said to Isamu Kondo:
"Yong, let's leave these distant things to the future and think about them slowly."
"Now...let us focus on the current war first."
As he spoke, he turned back handsomely, raising his light green feathers high!
"Gaochei City is still in enemy hands, it's time to recover it."
"Pass my order - break up the camp! Go out into battle! Take back Gaotori Castle!"
…
…
At this moment, Shishi County south of Chengshang County——
"Ha...ha...ha...ha...ha...ha..."
"I can't do it anymore...I really can't walk anymore..."
"Mr. Yoshimura, please take a rest!"
Yoshimura Tontaro licked his dry lips and turned to look at his comrades... Correction, the only remaining comrades.
Looking around, it's a miserable scene...
In order to escape the pursuit of the Shinsengumi, Yoshimura Torataro and others escaped selflessly and ran with all their lives...
It vividly demonstrates what is "a rat scurrying around" and what is a "crawling in the wind".
He accidentally fell down and didn't bother to check his bruised legs and feet. He hurriedly got up and continued to run away.
Seeing the comrades beside them gradually falling behind due to lack of physical strength, they did not bother to give them a hand - in fact, after encountering this situation, many people would secretly feel lucky in their hearts.
The companions have fallen behind, which means that the Shinsengumi's pursuit troops will be busy killing these slow guys, and their chances of escaping will be greatly increased.
In this way, Yoshimura Tontaro and others ran all night, from night to dawn... God knows how they did it.
This is probably what is called the desire to survive.
Driven by the desire to survive, everyone burst out with extraordinary physical strength and ran from Seongshang County to Shishi County in the south.
After running wildly for a whole night, these lucky survivors all became extremely embarrassed.
Not to mention sweating profusely, the clothes on his body were stained by sweat and blood and lost their original color.
In addition, due to the intense consumption of physical strength and the long period of not eating rice or water, everyone including Yoshimura Torataro was visibly weak, their complexions were extremely pale, and their dry lips looked like they had been for a long time.
Drought-cracked fields.
Several people were even on the verge of collapse, as if they would fall to the ground at any time.
At first glance, they no longer look like a group of warriors who have dedicated their lives to the Zunzheng Movement. Instead, they look more like a group of pitiful beggars. When people see them, they can't help but throw a few copper plates to reward them.
Yoshimura Torataro stretched his neck and looked to the north with trepidation.
The light green haori is not visible.
No rapid hooves or footsteps could be heard.
——It seems that we should be safe for now...
Yoshimura Tontaro thought for a while and nodded:
"Well... let's rest for a while."
As soon as these words came out, everyone at the scene was immediately relieved, and in the next breath, they fell to the ground in confusion.
"Hey, do you have water?"
"I drank it all long ago."
"So thirsty..."
"Well... I'm so hungry..."
Yoshimura Tontaro found a flat stone at random and sat down with a dejected look on his face.
Suddenly, Matsumoto Kuitou's voice sounded from beside him:
"Yoshimura-kun, I still have some water left... take it and drink it."
Matsumoto Kuitou held an old gourd in his hand and limped towards Yoshimura Torataro.
Although he suffered a disastrous defeat in which he even lost his underpants, fortunately, his two closest confidants - Teishi Fujimoto and Keitou Matsumoto - are still alive.
Yoshimura Tontaro glanced at Matsumoto Kuitou's dry, white lips, and shook his head gently:
"No, I'm not thirsty yet. You can drink it yourself."
"This, how can this be done! Yoshimura-kun, don't refuse, drink now!"
The two of them just declined back and forth.
In the end, Matsumoto Keitou couldn't defeat Yoshimura Torataro.
He licked his lips vigorously, then his eyes glowed green, and he drank the few sips of water left in the bottle with a "gurgling, gurgling" sound.
His ferocious posture is like that of a whale sucking cattle, as if even if Lake Baikal is in front of him, he can still drink it all.
While the other party was drinking water, Yoshimura Tontaro asked aloud:
"Matsumoto-kun, how many troops do we have left?"
When he finished speaking, Matsumoto Kuitou just put down the empty gourd.
"Including the two of us, there are only 86 people left who can move freely..."
Although he had been mentally prepared accordingly, after hearing these harsh numbers, Yoshimura Tontaro couldn't help but feel his heart trembling violently.
Within half a day, there were only 86 people left in the 3,000-strong army...
Basically... no, the entire army was completely wiped out!
Yoshimura Tontaro closed his eyes in pain, turned his back to the sky, and took several deep breaths.
Looking like this, it seems that he is holding back his tears and forcing them to flow back.
Matsumoto Kuitang hesitated for a while, then stammered and asked:
"Yoshimura-kun... we... what should we do next?"
"..."
Mr. Yoshimura remained silent and did not respond for a long time.
At this moment, a loud shout came from not far away.
"What should we do? Is there any need to say that? Of course we have to fight to the end!"
Yoshimura Tontaro opened his eyes suddenly and turned to look at the speaker.
The person who came was a tall, thick-set man with messy hair and dark skin, about 35 years old.
This man's name is Nasu Shingo, a native of Tosa.
To describe this man in a few words - in the eyes of those with lofty ideals, he is truly an outstanding warrior!
Whether it was a knife, a gun, or an iron cannon, he used them all to perfection.
He advocated the idea of respecting and resisting, and in his early years he joined the Tosa Kinnobu Party of Banheita in Takeshi.
It is said that he participated in the assassination of Yoshida Toyo.
Toyo Yoshida - a former political official of the Tosa Domain, who vigorously promoted the modernization reforms of the Tosa Domain, and was considered a man of great talent and vision.
On a rainy night in April of the second year of Wenjiu (1862), he was assassinated on his way home.
The real culprit who killed Toyo Yoshida has not yet been determined, at least.
However, according to the theory of "whoever benefits the most, is the murderer"...the murderer is undoubtedly Takeichi Hanheita!
Toyo Yoshida, whose political stance favored Samu, had always been at odds with Takeichi Hanpeita.
Under the suppression of Yoshida Toyo, Takeichi Hanheita never got ahead.
Therefore, Takeichi Hanheita assigned Nasu Shingo and others to brutally kill Yoshida Toyo, clearing the obstacles for his promotion.
It is said that after killing Toyo Yoshida, in order not to cause trouble for the organization, Nasu Shingo and others withdrew from the Tosa Kinnoir Party under the arrangement of Takeichi Hanheita, and escaped from the Tosa Domain and became a ronin.
After several twists and turns, he is now a member of the Tenchu Group.
Because of his outstanding strength and reputation, Nasu Shingo served as military supervisor in the Tenchu Group.
Nasu Shingo walked up to Yoshimura Torataro in a swaggering manner and said in a loud voice:
"Yoshimura-kun, have you forgotten our ideals?"
"Why are we gathered here?"
"Isn't it just to resist the shogunate and realize the great cause of respecting the king and repelling the barbarians?"
"Can it be said that just such a small setback has made you completely lose your fighting spirit?"
"Even if this is a losing battle, we will fight to the end! Showing our heroic spirit of respecting those with lofty ideals!"
As Nasu Shingo's words fell, Yoshimura Tointaro's eyes gradually revealed a brilliance with special meaning.
Nasu Shingo's loud voice attracted the attention of everyone present.
Everyone looked at Yoshimura Torataro eagerly, looking forward to his response.
Yoshimura Tontaro pursed his lips and thought deeply to himself...it was extremely quiet all around.
Suddenly! A male voice that was extremely unfamiliar to everyone present suddenly came from not far away:
"Ah, I found it, I found it! You are here!"
Suddenly, the faces of Yoshimura Torataro and others changed color.
"Who?!"
Nasu Shingo was the first to lower his body weight, put his hand on the saber on his waist, and turned around to stare at the source of the sound.
The rest of the people also stood up one after another, raised their weapons, and looked like they were facing a formidable enemy.
No wonder they are so nervous.
From the sound of Shicai's voice, it seemed that the speaker was very close to them.
However, none of them heard anyone approaching them just now!
It’s scary to think about it!
"Don't panic, I'm a friendly force."
At the same time as he finished speaking, the grass not far away made a rustling sound - a... doll-like samurai appeared in front of Yoshimura Tointaro and others.
The reason why this person is called a "doll" is because he is very petite, only about 5 feet tall (1.5 meters), and his skin is as fair as that of a young girl who has not yet left the palace.
If you were blind, you might have mistaken him for a girl.
Because my body is so petite, I have an awkward feeling of "a child wearing adult clothes".
Nasu Shingo stared at this person closely and asked again word for word:
"Boy, who are you? Please tell me your name!"
The short samurai glanced at Nasu Shingo.
"I've said it before, you don't need to panic, I'm not your enemy. If you want to see the evidence..."
At this moment, time around me seemed to have stopped.
The next moment, time resumes its flow.
At the same moment that the "time standstill" was lifted, a blade stopped steadily in front of Nasu Shingo's throat.
Uh-huh—the sound of drawing a sword followed closely.
"If I wanted to kill you, you would all have died long ago."
The short samurai holds the sword in his right hand and supports the sheath with his left hand, maintaining the posture of drawing the sword.
As long as he has that will, he can take Nasu Shingo's life just by gently moving the knife forward!
Nasu Shingo's eyes widened.
Yoshimura Tontaro and others were even more disbelieving.
I saw the blade first, and then heard the sound of drawing the sword... What a superb skill in drawing the sword!
Nasu Shingo is considered one of the strongest people in the Tenchu team.
A hero like him couldn't even react and was restrained!
"……I see."
Yoshimura Tontaro continued with a sullen face:
"I believe you are a friendly force, please put down the knife!"
"Well, as long as you want to believe me."
The short samurai nodded slightly and put away the sword in his hand.
"Anyway... let me introduce myself now."
"I am in the lower reaches of the river Hikosai. I have been ordered by Kusaka Genrui to come to assist you."
Hegami Yanzhai—when they heard this name, everyone present took a breath.
Matsumoto Kuitou exclaimed:
"Are you that person Zhan Yanzhai?!"
The name of "Hitoko Hikosai" is known to everyone inside and outside Kyoto!
The short samurai...that is, Kawakami Hikosai, said in a neutral tone:
"I do have such a nickname."
“But I dare not call myself a ‘human killer’.”
"In my opinion, the only samurai from ancient times to the present who is qualified to bear the name of 'human slayer' is the legendary 'Eternal Sword Master' Ogata Issei."
"I just killed some ignorant lackeys of the shogunate. It's not worth mentioning at all."
"Even if they kill hundreds or thousands of these scoundrels, it's nothing."
After a brief period of astonishment, Yoshimura Torataro could not restrain his excitement and asked:
Kawagami Hikosai spoke very elegantly, not like a swordsman who killed countless people at all, but more like an elegant scholar.
"Kusaka Genrui...Did Choshu send people to support us?"
Heshang Yanzhai nodded:
"Yes. In order to support you, Kusaka-kun sent 200 martial arts masters headed by me. My comrades are not far behind me."
Kawagami Hikosai's words cheered up the atmosphere at the scene.
However, after only "vibrating" for a moment, it quickly declined again.
Matsumoto Kuitou frowned:
"Now that things have happened, what's the use of Changzhou's reinforcements..."
His muttering immediately aroused the resonance and echo of the others.
"Yes! Why didn't you come until now?"
"We have already finished fighting, and you are so late!"
"If you could arrive in time, we might not be defeated!"
…
In the face of everyone's accusations, Kawagami Hikosai remained calm and didn't even move his brows. He just said lightly:
"I already heard about the big defeat yesterday."
"It's a pity that we couldn't catch up with this battle."
"I was thinking that you might escape to Shishi County, so I came here instead...Thank you for God's blessing for allowing me to find you."
"We haven't lost yet!"
"We still have Takatori Castle, don't we?"
"Retreat to Takatori Castle immediately and fight the Shinsengumi in a cage battle - this is our only chance to turn defeat into victory!"
*******
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Five thousand leopards have reappeared in the world! They almost evolved into six thousand leopards! Leopard Leopard has been very sad recently and is determined not to let it go bad! From today on, I will work hard to make ten thousand leopards reappear! (Jingleo)
For the sake of Leopard Leopard Zi working so hard today, please be sure to vote for this book with your monthly vote! (Leopard Leopard Head crying) Please give me a monthly vote! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard Head crying)
