Chapter 812 The enemy is in Ikedaya! [Leopard update 6K3]
Surprise, doubt, nervousness... In an instant, the scene was filled with all kinds of emotions.
Facing this series of instructions from Qingdeng, everyone had different expressions.
As soon as Seito finished speaking, Todo Heisuke took the lead and asked:
"Split the troops into two groups? Mr. Tachibana, is this really a good idea?"
"We don't have many people, only 20 people."
"Under such circumstances, we have to divide our troops. In this case, won't our troops be greatly dispersed?"
These words of Toudo Heisuke expressed the sentiments of many people present.
In fact, many people felt that it was inappropriate when they learned that the only combatants participating in tonight's operation were those gathered at the Gion Club.
After all, the Zunbo Sect is not a soft persimmon to be pinched.
If the Zunbo Sect were really weaklings who were easy to bully, then they wouldn't have caused the Zumu Sect a headache to this day.
Under the leadership and call of Ayoto, the Shinsengumi gathered a group of swordsmen with both superb skills and rich practical experience.
Today's Shinsengumi can be regarded as the strongest swordsman group in the world - the Kozun Faction also has no shortage of masters!
Katsura Kogoro and Yoshida Minoru are both masters of swordsmanship.
Katsura Kogoro, in particular, was famous in Edo for his superb swordsmanship before Aoto became famous.
What's more, as leaders of the Zunbo Sect, they must be surrounded by many powerful bodyguards.
With only 20 people, attacking the summit meeting attended by Miyabe Daizo, Katsura Kogoro and others... Even if they have the advantage of a "surprise attack", it will definitely be a bloody battle!
We don’t have many manpower, but we actually have to split it into two parts... This, this... this is really too risky!
Qingdeng had long expected that everyone would have this question, so he answered unhurriedly:
"Team 9 has still not found out the specific location and time of the meeting."
"It's getting dark, and time is running out now. We can't wait any longer for news from the Ninth Division."
"However, what is certain at present is that the meeting location is in the northern area from Gion to Sanjo Bridge, so there is no mistake."
"Although the range is still very large, we still have a target and won't wander around like a headless fly."
"In this case, if we want to find out the bandits headed by Miyabe Daizo, we can only disperse our troops and look for them one by one."
"There is no other way."
"It's better to use stupid methods than to do nothing."
Speaking of this, Qingdeng paused for a moment, then smiled:
"I know, we don't have many troops, but we have to split them up, which is quite risky."
Speaking of this, he changed the subject:
"But isn't that what we do best?"
"Isn't it true that our Shinsengumi has won one tough battle after another to get to where we are today?"
"So, don't panic, don't worry."
"We are now just taking advantage of our strengths of 'getting strong when encountering strength' and being 'unyielding'."
"No matter what kind of powerful enemy we encounter, no matter what kind of crisis we encounter, we will hold on to our swords without hesitation and move forward courageously - this is the Shinsengumi!"
The talent "Failed Art Students +2" is activated!
[Note: "The failed art student": the speech is contagious]
With the blessing of this talent, coupled with Qingdeng's own prestige and courage, the words he just said seemed to contain special magic power.
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly changed.
Although Matsubara Chuji, Nakazawa Qin and other newcomers still looked nervous, everyone no longer hesitated or doubted, and a bunch of firm eyes wandered in the air.
No one raised any further questions.
As if they had agreed in advance, everyone dispersed, hung up their sabers, tightened their cuffs, and made a final inspection of their equipment.
Qingdeng turned his head and looked out the window to the side, looking at the sky in the distance.
The setting sun has long since sunk into the end of the castle town, the afterglow is gradually fading, and the colors are changing accordingly.
The light gold at first has quietly turned into orange-red, vermilion, and finally into a gorgeous purple.
But now, the approaching dusk is like a glutton, greedily swallowing up the purple spots in the sky.
When the last ray of purple light dissipated and the sky was completely covered with night, Qingdeng turned back - behind him, everyone had lined up, ready to go, and all stared at him, waiting for his order to set off.
Qingdeng turned his gaze, swept it in a circle, and shouted loudly:
"The Shinsengumi, go out into battle!"
…
…
In the night, a light green "torrent" poured out of the Gion Club and rushed onto the street.
Viewed from a distance, it looks very impressive!
Everyone lowered their upper bodies, lowered their body weight, and trotted forward. The hem of the feathers made a sound under the pressure of the wind.
When passing through a fork in the road, this "torrent" split into two streams.
The smaller one goes straight to the west.
The larger stock moves eastward.
…
…
Kyoto, Kiyamachi (west of Kamogawa), a certain hotel——
"Routine search!"
Without waiting for a response from inside, Isamu Kondo pushed open the door of the shop, and Souji, Shinpachi Nagakura and the rest of them filed in.
The owner of this store probably didn't hear the "routine search!" and thought it was a group of rude customers. He hurriedly trotted to greet them with a smile on his face.
"It's coming! It's coming! Do you want to stay in a hotel, or... Gu!"
Before the boss finished speaking, he made a "gurgling" sound as if he was being choked, and the second half of the words was stuck in his chest. He couldn't say it out, and he couldn't swallow it down. He felt very uncomfortable and turned red in the face.
The famous Shinsengumi, who has the power to "kill first and then report", and can enter any house they want, suddenly kills everyone, and anyone will be frightened.
At this moment, the boss's mind was racing, thinking whether he had committed something recently, causing the Shinsengumi to come to arrest him. At this thought, he couldn't help but feel his legs going weak, and he collapsed directly on the ground.
Kondo Isamu and his party ignored the distraught boss, bypassed him and broke into the depths of the hotel.
They consciously dispersed into two groups, one group searched the first floor of the hotel, and the other group ran up the stairs to the second floor.
To this day, the reputation of the Shinsengumi is well known to everyone in Kyoto.
Looking at this group of menacing "light green swordsmen", the staff and guests in the hotel were all silent.
After a while, everyone returned to the entrance.
Chief Souma: "Director, there is nothing unusual on the first floor."
Director General: "Brother Kondo, there is nothing strange on the second floor!"
Kondo Isamu's expression remained unchanged and he nodded gently:
"Well, let's go."
With that said, he turned around and left.
The boss was still sitting slumped on the spot, his eyes wide open, his cheeks stained with confusion, and his face was at a loss.
Kondo Isamu nodded to him:
"Boss, excuse me."
The rest of the people didn't even look at the boss, and followed Kondo Isamu's footsteps, leaving the store and returning to the street.
The general manager, who was walking at the end, suddenly stopped when he passed by the boss, with an apology on his face:
"Boss, I'm very sorry that it has affected your business. Please forgive me."
After leaving these words, she took another step and caught up with Kondo Isamu and others - when leaving, she did not forget to close the shop door with her backhand.
With the "click" sound of the shop door closing, silence returned to the inside and outside of the hotel.
The boss opened his eyes wide and opened his mouth slightly, staring blankly at the door of the shop, blinking hard, as if to confirm whether he was dazzled.
The Shinsengumi barged in without even saying a word about their purpose, and after searching the store, they left directly... It was all so baffling that the boss felt like his brain was running out of ideas.
The too rapid and confusing changes in the situation make people feel like they are in a dreamland...
…
…
Kyoto, Nawate Street (east of Kamogawa), a certain hotel——
"Routine search!"
Niimi Nishiki is responsible for lifting the curtain, and Serizawa Kamo is responsible for pushing the door open - the two of them cooperate very well.
They showed off their "door-to-door debt collection" momentum. After breaking into the store, like two bulls, they stretched out their hands and pulled open every door they could see.
After a while, I saw a young man - he was the owner of this shop - holding a naginata and rushing out angrily.
"Hey! You... Oh, you two gentlemen! What do you do for a living?"
In the blink of an eye... It really just took a blink of an eye. The boss personally demonstrated what "changing face" means.
After seeing the light green haori on Serizawa Kamo and others, the anger on his face instantly dissipated and turned into a vivid and flattering look.
While hiding the naginata behind his back, he actively asked "How can I help?"
Faced with the boss's enthusiasm, Serizawa Kamo's response was brief:
"Go away."
Serizawa Duck is always alert, nervous and ready for battle.
They don't miss every room in the hotel, and whenever they encounter a room, they must break in and check it out.
It's interesting to say that this process is like "Schrödinger's cat" - you never know what the scene will be like in the room before you open the door.
You may see a ronin drinking alone.
You may meet travelers from far away.
It's also possible... that you'll encounter a sexy scene.
Although it had just fallen into the night, there were already men and women of various ages doing some shameful things under the covers.
When Serizawa Kamo pushed open the innermost room, he suddenly bumped into a woman and two men.
The two men looked poor and looked like ordinary townspeople.
As for that woman, although she is a bit older, her charm is still there.
She looked at Serizawa Duck who suddenly broke in, and then looked at the two men in front of her, her expression was very calm, as if she was not surprised:
"Why is there another one? Forget it, you just need to pay enough."
…
…
Kyoto, Kiyamachi (west of Kamogawa), Izakaya——
Nakazawa Qin swallowed, plucked up the courage, pushed the door open and entered.
"For example, it's a routine to keep (search) and cross (check)!"
She could still say the first two words clearly.
But when it came to the last two words, she bit her tongue and got a screw.
Although he has the experience of "having been a member of the New Recruitment Team, patrolling Edo," Nakazawa Qin is only good at work that does not require showing his face or speaking.
She is really not used to this kind of "publicity" work.
For a moment, everyone in the izakaya - whether it was staff or guests - turned to look at Nakazawa Qin, who was feeling embarrassed because he had eaten a screw and was standing frozen on the spot.
After seeing the light green haori on Nakazawa Qin's body, no one dared to laugh.
However, the joking meaning in their eyes cannot be hidden.
As if being steamed, Nakazawa Qin's delicate face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
…
…
Kyoto, Nawate Street (east of Kamogawa), a certain hotel——
Saitoichi: "..."
Nakazawa Sadashi: "..."
The former thought that the latter would be responsible for shouting "routine search".
The latter believes that this handsome job should be done by the captain.
As a result, the two people, who maintained a strange tacit understanding, just barged into the store without saying a word.
Because both of them had straight faces and didn't say a word, the owner of the store was scared to death.
…
…
It is said to be a "yamaboko patrol", but Kyoto is so big, it is naturally impossible for Yamaboko to visit every corner of Jiangdu.
In fact, Yamaboko only patrolled "Lakuzhong" and would not go to "Lakuwai" - and this is in line with the three views of "Old Kyoto".
In the eyes of "Old Kyoto", only "Luozhong" is the real Kyoto, while "Luowai" and so on are stinky from other places.
In order to watch the annual "Shanboko Parade", thousands of Kyoto residents flocked to "Rakuchu".
For this reason, the flow of people in "Luowai" has been greatly reduced.
The entire block from Gion to Sanjo Bridge belongs to "Rakuwai".
As a result, there were not too many people on the street at this time - this was a great benefit to Qingdeng and others.
If there is a large flow of people on the street, it will definitely bring great inconvenience to the search operation.
The road was quiet and sparsely populated... Swordsmen wearing light green feathers were running back and forth.
"Team Aoto" and "Team Kondo"—the two teams who searched all the way north visited every hotel and izakaya along the way.
However...so far, both teams have failed and gained nothing...
Time passes quietly...fatigue and anxiety are accumulating.
The feeling of powerlessness of "trying your best but with no results" consumes everyone's patience.
Except for a few people such as Aoto, Hijikata Toshizo, and Kondo Isamu, everyone else showed irritable and restless expressions.
At this moment, the same questions emerged in their minds:
Where is the meeting place?
…
…
Kyoto, Sanjo Bridge (west of Kamogawa River), Ikedaya——
This Sanjo Ohashi Bridge is one of the inns on the Tokaido Road starting from Nihonbashi Bridge. There are densely populated hotels along the east and west side of the bridge.
Ikedaya is one of them.
This hotel is three and a half rooms (approximately 6.4 meters) wide at the front and fifteen rooms (approximately 27.3 meters) deep. It is a two-story building.
On the left side of the first floor are lattice doors and windows, and on the left side is a red shell lacquered wall. The second floor is surrounded by fine latticework, allowing people to peek outside from the inside, but pedestrians outside cannot see what is going on inside.
"Retreat to help! Retreat to help!"
The boss of Ikedaya shouted to Yamazaki Hao.
Yamazaki Hao ran out of the kitchen in three steps at a time and ducked in front of the boss.
"Boss, I'm here! What are your orders?"
The boss stared directly at Yamazaki Hao's face. After a strange silence that lasted for several seconds, he showed a suddenly enlightened expression and said quickly:
"Huizuzuke! Big business is coming! Suddenly a generous guest came, saying that he would have a banquet immediately! The guests will arrive soon, there will be about 30 people! This is a big job, you go to the kitchen to help
Handle it!"
Big business, a banquet will be held immediately, number 30... After hearing these words, Yamazaki Hao's eyes moved slightly.
As one of the most outstanding ninjas in the Shinsengumi, he quickly suppressed his emotional fluctuations and recovered as before.
After Lang said "yes", he silently retreated to the kitchen, where he cooked food and prepared drinks with the chefs and helpers.
On the one hand, he remained calm, and on the other hand, he raised his ears and paid attention to the movements outside the kitchen.
Suddenly, he heard dense and noisy footsteps coming from outside.
He suddenly became energetic and a serious look appeared on his brows.
After thinking for a while, he found a reason and quickly left the kitchen and went straight to the entrance.
"Guests! Please go this way! Watch your step! Watch out for the steps!"
Before reaching the entrance, Yamazaki Hao heard the boss's enthusiastic voice.
Finally, he arrived at the entrance in time before the group of guests climbed to the second floor - looking around, he saw a crowd of people, shoulder to shoulder.
Looking at the sudden appearance of Yamazaki Hao, the boss asked in confusion after another strange silence:
"Oh, it's Tainosuke, what's wrong? Why are you here suddenly?"
Yamazaki Hao skillfully put a smile on his face:
"Boss, so you are here! I am looking for you!"
"Looking for me? What happened?"
"It's nothing serious! I just want to tell you that our salt is about to run out! If we don't buy salt tomorrow, we won't be able to open!"
The boss patted his head.
"Ah, that's right, I forgot to buy salt again today! Huizunosuke, please remember to remind me to buy salt tomorrow!"
"Okay, okay, no problem!"
Yamazaki Hao deliberately slowed down his tone and said more useless nonsense in order to delay time.
Pretending to talk to people or doing other things while observing the surrounding environment - this is one of the compulsory contents of the "Ninja Class" opened by A Wu.
While discussing with the boss, Yamazaki Hao calmly squinted his eyes and secretly observed the group of guests who suddenly came here to hold a banquet.
Thanks to his ultra-low presence, no one noticed that this very inconspicuous hand was quietly casting a hunter-like gaze at them.
Without exception, these people are all warriors with swords at their waists.
They range in age, from middle-aged people in their forties to young men in their early twenties.
After Yamazaki Hao glanced at it for a few times, his heart sank.
Although he is not good at martial arts, no matter what, he is an outstanding ninja who has been strictly trained. He learned a lot of close combat moves from A Wu. Before joining the Shinsengumi, he also practiced a little jujitsu, so he is quite good at it.
Compared to ordinary people, he can be called a warrior.
Therefore, even though he was only observing with the naked eye, he could easily identify many martial arts masters among these people who deserved vigilance.
Not to mention anything else, just their steady and powerful way of walking, strong and strong arms, and sharp eagle eyes were enough for Yamazaki Hao to make a conclusion: they are by no means just ordinary people!
——Are they samurai who went out to practice together? Or...
Just when Yamazaki Hao was secretly guessing the identities of these people, his pupils suddenly shrank - just because he found a particularly familiar face among this group of warriors.
The face flashed a few times in the crowd, then disappeared among the swarming heads, and finally disappeared on the stairwell.
Out of too much surprise, Yamazaki Hao almost screamed.
Just as the scream was about to come out, he came back to his senses and closed his mouth tightly, finally swallowing the scream back into his stomach.
Before joining the Zunba movement, Katsura Kogoro was already a well-known hero.
At that time, there was no one in the entire Edo martial arts circle who did not know Katsura Kogoro.
Therefore, Katsura Kogoro's appearance is not a rare secret.
When Katsura Kogoro became a vicious criminal designated by the shogunate, wanted notices depicting his detailed appearance were spread all over the world.
Katsura Kogoro has a good appearance, a dignified appearance, and a beautiful tree.
At first glance, I thought he was a scholar from the Changpingzaka Academy.
[Note: Shoheizaka Institute of Learning: a higher education institution directly under the Edo shogunate. The highest institution of Confucian education in the Edo period.]
For this reason, Katsura Kogoro's appearance is easy to impress and easy to draw. A skilled painter can outline Katsura Kogoro's features with just a few strokes, unlike Yamazaki Hao.
Memorizing the faces of major wanted criminals such as Hisasaka Genzui, Kosaka Masanobu, and Katsura Kogoro is a basic skill for the members of the Shinsengumi Division 9.
Yamazaki Hao had seen the portraits of these people on wanted posters thousands of times.
Therefore, even though he only glanced at it briefly, he was still extremely convinced that this person was Katsura Kogoro!
Katsura Kogoro appears in Ikedaya - what is the meaning behind this matter? You can figure out the answer with a little thought.
Suddenly, Yamazaki Hao felt a chill down his spine - a sudden burst of cold sweat wet the clothes on his back.
At the same time, the heart in his chest beat hard - thump, thump, thump - this was both a nervous sound and an excited sound!
After saying to the boss, "I'll go back and get busy first," he turned around and walked towards the kitchen.
However, when he was about to return to the kitchen, he suddenly turned a corner and headed straight for the back door of the shop.
While walking slowly, the acuity of his facial features is heightened to the highest level! He does not let go of any movement around him.
For a distance of a hundred meters, he seemed to have walked more than a hundred kilometers.
Just as he reached out and prepared to open the back door, a crisp voice suddenly sounded from behind him:
"Huh? You are...oh! It's Hui Nosuke!"
Yamazaki Hao was stunned for a moment.
After another moment, he had returned to his original state and his expression was as usual.
"Miss Ajian, why are you here?"
As he asked, he turned around and looked at the girl behind him - A Jane, one of Ikedaya's hand-servants.
A Jian held a basin of freshly washed rice in her hand and smiled sweetly:
"I still want to ask you, what are you doing here sneakily?"
Yamazaki Hao spread his hands:
"It's nothing, I just heard a wild cat barking outside the back door, so I wanted to chase it away."
"Wild cats? Ah, it seems that there is such a thing. I don't know why in the past few days, I always hear the sounds of wild cats coming from outside. These wild cats are so annoying! They always want to steal things to eat."
After complaining, Ah Jian pretended to be upset:
"Okay, don't worry about the wild cat! Although I really want to borrow the cat's claws now, the cat's claws are no match for human hands. If you can help me, come over and help! We can't keep the guests waiting for a long time.
!I don’t want to be scolded by my boss.”
With that said, A Jian held the rice in her arms and hurried to the kitchen with small steps.
Yamazaki Hao smiled helplessly - a look of regret flashed between his brows.
"Okay, okay, I'm here to help now."
He stepped forward to follow A Jian - before doing so, he quietly reached out and opened the latch of the back door.
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