The slender crescent moon unfolded a Su Lian that shone with silver light.
Under the bright moonlight, Songping Rongbao, leading the generals of the Changzhou Army, waited outside the camp gate.
"Moo...Moo..."
Before anyone arrives, the sound comes first.
A faint, tired neighing sound came from the distance.
Within a moment, a group of cavalry stepped out of the night-drenched skyline and slowly appeared in front of Matsudaira Yongho and others.
It was the cavalry unit led by Qingdeng himself.
Looking at Ayoto and his group who were getting closer and closer, many generals of the Aizu army swallowed their saliva subconsciously, showing awe on their faces.
Although they were still hundreds of meters apart, the strong smell of blood was already drifting down the wind.
Qingdeng and his party looked like they had just been soaked in a pool of blood, their bodies covered in blood.
The hair was soaked in blood and hot sweat and formed into clumps.
Needless to say, clothes and other things have reached the point where "there is no need to waste time washing them, it is impossible to wash them cleanly".
The skin exposed outside the clothes was all red and black, and there was almost no clean spot.
Although it is very dirty, it is full of visual impact!
One can tell at a glance: this is an army that came out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!
If a timid person sees it, the two branches will definitely fight, and they will not even be able to stand firmly.
Just like Choshu, there is no horse-producing area in Satsuma, and there is no habit of cultivating cavalry, so there is a great shortage of cavalry.
Therefore, today's pursuit battle is all handled by the 7th and 10th divisions of the Shinsengumi.
After defeating the enemy on Tianwang Mountain, Qingdeng immediately led the cavalry in person and launched a lightning-fast attack on the remaining soldiers of the Changzhou Army.
At that time, the cavalry had just driven the remnants of Fushimi's army to the Yamazaki area.
Before getting enough rest, they had to continue fighting, driving the remaining soldiers from the Fushimi and Yamazaki battlefields to the Tenryuji battlefield further north.
The task is very heavy, and it is a great test on physical strength and will.
Fortunately, the soldiers of the cavalry did not disappoint Qingdeng's expectations and careful training for them.
Following Qingteng's order, the soldiers of the 7th and 10th divisions immediately saddled up their horses and attacked immediately!
Among them, three generals, Harada Sanosuke, Nakazawa Qin and Matsubara Chuji, played a very good commanding role.
Although Harada Sanosuke's mind is not very bright, he has a powerful intuition like a beast.
When it is appropriate to attack, when to pursue, and when to avoid the edge, he can always subconsciously choose the most appropriate option.
To put it simply, he is a person who relies on instinct to fight and fight.
Although it is very simple and crude, it can always win unexpectedly.
With this ability, he gradually grew into an excellent cavalry general.
Not to mention Nakazawa Qin and Matsubara Tadashi.
As newcomers, they have always been eager to show off their talents and highlight their own value. The more difficult the task, the more they can arouse their fighting spirit.
The enemy troops have become frightened and have no order at all.
Therefore, Qingdeng's order was very simple: Don't worry about your formation! Charge with your head down and attack the enemy when you catch him!
In this way, under his personal leadership, the cavalry charged and fought fiercely.
Along the way, many soldiers fell behind due to exhaustion of horsepower.
Qingdeng paid no attention to this, and allowed the team behind him to become thinner and thinner. He pursued relentlessly and never gave the Changzhou Army any chance to breathe.
Those Changzhou Army officers and soldiers who were brutally pursued had three endings:
First, he was driven to Tenryuji Temple like a lamb.
Second, he got lucky and escaped pursuit, fled to the outside of the battlefield, and saved his life.
The third one was killed on the way.
Many people panicked and chose to jump into the Kamogawa River, ending up with the tragic end of drowning.
In this way, Ayoto and his party fought from Fushimi to Yamazaki, and then from Yamazaki all the way to Tenryuji Temple.
It was only now that we joined forces with the Aizu Army in charge of the Tenryuji battlefield and finally stopped.
At this time, there were no cavalry left behind who were still following Qingdeng. There were only about a hundred cavalry left, and they were all exhausted.
Many of them managed to sit firmly in the saddle only through sheer willpower.
Even Qingdeng couldn't help but feel tired after the battle.
Unfortunately, Genrui Kusaka could not be found until the end.
Saitoichi personally led a team to look for it, but returned without success.
Whether this guy is alive or dead, whether he escaped to some unknown nook and cranny, or whether he successfully escaped to Tianlong Temple, Qingdeng has no idea.
Seeing that Qingteng and his party had finally arrived, Matsudaira Yongho and others who came to greet them all bent down and saluted Qingteng.
Aoto handed the long tree in his palm to Nakazawa Koto beside him for safekeeping temporarily, then got off the cow and strode towards Matsudaira Yongho.
Matsudaira Yongho smiled:
"Lord An Yi, congratulations on your triumph!"
Qingdeng curled up his lips:
"This is all thanks to the soldiers' united efforts and brave fighting."
"Let's not talk about this for now."
"Is there food? My men and I are starving."
"Also, is there hot water? I want to take a shower before eating."
Having said that, Aoden smiled bitterly and showed his Haori to Matsudaira Yoshiho who could squeeze out a large amount of blood with just a slight squeeze, and the smell was enough to stun others.
…
…
About an hour later——
The camp of the Touchang Army (formerly the camp of the Aizu Army), this formation——
Qingdeng sat in the front seat.
Matsudaira Yoshiho, Saigo Kinosuke and other generals gathered around a long table with Aonto as the center.
On the long table, there is a three-dimensional map of the Tenryuji Temple battlefield made of clay.
Not long after Aoto and his party joined the Aizu army, Hijikata Toshizo, Saigo Kinosuke and others arrived one after another.
When the main generals of the three armies (Shinsengumi, Aizu Army, and Satsuma Army) were all present, Aoto immediately ordered: Convene a military meeting!
Let’s discuss strategies to defeat the enemy, remove the last stronghold of the Changzhou Army in Gyeonggi, and drive these rebellious officials and traitors completely out of Gyeonggi!
There is no doubt that this is the last battle of this battle.
Thanks to the capabilities of the Hijikata-Satsuma coalition, the Choshu Army on the Yamazaki side was defeated on the first day of the war, bringing the decisive battle to a much earlier date.
The task Aoto entrusted to the Aizu Army was to hold back the enemy forces on Tenryuji Temple before the decisive battle, and prevent them from getting close to Kyoto, and prevent them from supporting other battlefields.
The Aizu Army is indeed a world-famous force.
Even though the troops were at a disadvantage, they still fought back and forth with the Changzhou Army on the opposite side, leaving them with no time to worry about anything else.
Qingden turned his head slightly and winked at Matsudaira Rongbao.
Matsudaira Yongho nodded, then turned to a general beside him and said:
"Let's get started."
The general immediately stood up and said loudly:
"I am the elder of the Aizu clan, the god of protection and protection!"
"Please allow me to preside over today's meeting."
He skipped the unnecessary pleasantries and went straight to the point.
Throughout the whole day today, the Aizu Domain was at war with the Choshu Army on the Tenryuji Temple side.
Therefore, it is most appropriate for the Aizu Army to be responsible for introducing the details of the other party to everyone.
Jinbo Nezosuke cleared his throat, and then spoke loudly.
He first briefly summarized today's battle process and results.
According to what he said, the Changzhou Army on the opposite side had its back on Arashiyama and used Tenryuji Temple as its main formation.
Compared with the Choshu Army in the other two battlefields (Fushimi and Yamazaki), there is no significant difference between the Choshu Army here.
Although there are 3,000 soldiers, the vast majority of the members of the army are temporarily recruited ronin and peasant soldiers.
The real fighting force is only five or six hundred people at most.
Under the continuous driving of Qingdeng and his party, there were about 2,000 defeated soldiers who fled to Tianlong Temple.
Although there are a lot of people, these new troops are just broken soldiers who have been defeated, so they are not to be feared.
How can it be so easy to recover from the inner trauma caused by a big defeat?
What is certain is that these defeated troops will not only not be useful in the subsequent battle, but will also be a hindrance.
And this is exactly Qingdeng's purpose - to let these remnant soldiers spread fear and undermine morale.
After making a concise and concise report, Jinbo Naizhu turned to look at Matsudaira Yongho.
Matsudaira Yongho nodded lightly:
"Jinbo-kun, thank you for your hard work. Please sit down."
The divine supporter Naizou responded and sat back down.
Qingdeng lowered his gaze, looked at the three-dimensional map in front of him, and said softly:
"The damn Changshu Army is really good at choosing places. They actually set up their formation at Tianlong Temple... If possible, I really don't want to destroy this famous ancient temple."
Saga Tenryuji Temple - a Zen temple with a long history.
The original site of Tenryuji Temple was Tanrinji Temple founded by Empress Tanbayashi of Emperor Saga in the 14th year of the Heian Period (847).
In the third year of Tianyan (975), Prince Jianming built a palace and a pond here.
Entering the Kamakura period, Emperor Saga built the Ryūzan-den Palace in the 6th year of the Kenchō period (1254) and built Jogogō-in Temple as a Buddhist temple.
After Ashikaga Takauji conquered the world and established the Muromachi shogunate, he hired the Imperial Master Yumeko to build Tenryuji Temple here to help Emperor Go-Daigo to save the souls of the dead.
From then on, Tenryuji Temple became its own sect and became the headquarters of the sect, ranking first among the five temples in Kyoto.
Since the establishment of the temple, Tenryuji Temple has been plagued by disasters and has been hit by fire 8 times.
If you think about it carefully, this should be regarded as the fate of historical buildings.
Any historical building cannot escape the fate of being destroyed by fire.
Shannan Keisuke loves these ancient buildings with a long history.
So, he let out a long sigh, with a sad look on his face, and expressed the same emotion as Qingdeng:
"I really don't want this famous temple to suffer another disaster..."
Although they say so, everyone knows very well in their hearts: guns have no eyes, and once the fighting starts, they will not care about Tianlong Temple.
Qingdeng really didn't want to see the famous temple destroyed.
But compared to the lives of his subordinates, these dead things are really nothing.
Not to mention a Tenryuji Temple, as long as it can save the lives of his subordinates or help the war effort, Aomori will destroy all the historical buildings in Kyoto without hesitation.
Compared to before the war started, the atmosphere inside and outside the formation was unprecedentedly relaxed and harmonious.
The air is filled with the smell of joy.
Even the useless generals of the vassal army can tell after taking a look at the map: We have already gained all the advantages! There is no possibility of defeat!
Two of Changzhou's three armies collapsed, and the remaining troops huddled in Tianlong Temple, struggling to hold on.
The Shinsengumi, Aizu Army and Satsuma Army have joined together, with nearly 10,000 troops, forming an overwhelming strength advantage, with high morale and well-equipped equipment.
Comparing the two, the Changzhou Army on the opposite side has no advantage at all.
With such a huge difference in combat power, it would be very difficult to lose even if you want to!
From Qingdeng to ordinary generals, no one thought that the Changzhou Army on the opposite side could cause any trouble.
Therefore, this military meeting went very smoothly.
After a brief discussion, Qingdeng directly announced tomorrow's battle plan.
The content of the plan is consistent with today's battle of Tianwang Mountain: there will be no feints or auxiliary attacks, it will all be the main attack, directly attack them head-on! Encircle and annihilate them!
I'm gearing up and can't wait for tomorrow to come as soon as possible.
At this moment, Matsudaira Yongho suddenly said:
"Lord An Yi, I have something to add."
Qingden raised his chin:
"Please tell me."
"Lord Aki, just this evening, a spy from our army reported that Katsura Kogoro was found in Tenryuji Temple."
Katsura Kogoro——Hearing this name, Qingden seemed to recall something, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is this information accurate?"
Matsudaira Yongho shook his head:
"No, not sure yet."
Hijikata Toshizo on the side curled his lips:
"It's Katsura Kogoro again...why is he everywhere?"
Saigo Kinnosuke sneered:
"Isn't this just right? I would be most happy to see these rebellious officials and traitors get together, so that we can catch them all in one go."
Qingdeng ignored these gossips and lowered his eyelids, thinking.
After a while, he asked Matsudaira Yongho:
"Higo-sama, did your spies find a young samurai wearing a Western hat and wearing strange clothes next to Katsura Kogoro?"
Matsudaira Rongbo couldn't help but be startled when he heard this.
Although he didn't know why Qingdeng asked such a strange question, he still answered truthfully:
"No similar reports have been received yet."
A faint look of regret appeared on Qingden's cheeks, and he murmured, "That's it..."
…
…
"Everyone, go down and have a rest. Don't delay tomorrow's decisive battle." After saying this, Qingdeng announced the end of the meeting.
The participating generals filed out of the tent and left the tent in twos and threes.
This formation is where Qingteng lives and rests, so he naturally does not need to move.
After everyone left and there was no one else in the tent, Qingdeng let out a long breath, leaned forward, leaned on the long table in front of him, and relaxed his mind as much as he wanted to soothe his nerves.
At this moment, an announcement suddenly came from outside the tent:
"My lord, there is an old man outside the camp, and he wants to see you by name!"
Qingdeng suddenly frowned:
"Old man? Did he tell me his name?"
"Yes! He calls himself 'Kizuma Kiryu'!"
——Boss Kiryu?!
Qingdeng raised his eyebrows suddenly and said without thinking:
"Bring him here quickly!"
"yes!"
Qingdeng straightened up again and straightened his appearance.
After a moment, the curtain was opened, and a familiar tall figure came into view.
"Good evening, Mr. Tachibana."
Boss Kiryu walked towards Aoden with a soft smile on his face.
Qingdeng stood up to greet him.
"Boss Kiryu, why are you here? What happened?"
Boss Kiryu shook his head slightly.
"It's nothing, I just want to drink tea and talk with you. I shouldn't disturb you, right?"
Suddenly, Qingdeng seemed to realize something, and his brows slowly furrowed.
"I happen to be free now."
"That's a coincidence. In that case, if you don't mind, come and have a few drinks with me."
Boss Kiryu said as he put the object he was carrying in his left hand—a porcelain jar—on the table.
"If conditions permit, I actually want to drink with you."
"But you are at war now. It is really inappropriate to drink during the war."
"So I can only settle for the next best thing and replace wine with tea."
"The jar of tea I brought is the finest West Lake Longjing. I spent a lot of effort to get it. Come and try it."
Boss Kiryu was talking eloquently.
Qingdeng said nothing and had no expression on his face.
"...Boss Kiryu, please don't do this."
The sudden strong words interrupted Boss Kiryu's words, causing a brief silence to return to the tent.
Qingden took a deep breath:
"I'll tell you the truth, I...I don't like the current atmosphere!"
When Boss Kiryu heard this, he paused for a moment, with a hint of helplessness and self-deprecation between his brows.
After about 5 seconds, he adjusted his expression and put on his soft smile again.
"Tachibana-kun, Katsumi...is at the Tenryuji Temple opposite."
"This day has finally arrived."
"It's time...I'm going to see him!"
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If nothing else happens, this volume will be finished by early October~~
An advance notice of the name of the new volume, Volume 5 - "The Land Divided into Two Parts of the World"!
