Chapter 895 Terminal Tuberculosis in the Edo Period【6000】
Chapter 895 The terminal disease of the Edo period - tuberculosis [6000]
The epic defeat of the Eastern Expedition caused heavy losses to Changzhou
The guerrillas, sniper teams and other elite units with acceptable strength are all gone.
The losses were so great that they could be said to have shaken the country's foundation.
Of course, for Katsura Kogoro, Takasugi Shinsaku and others, compared to the loss of military power, the collapse of people's hearts is the most troublesome trouble.
"Respect the king and repel the barbarians" has always been the unswerving administrative philosophy of the Changshu senior officials, and it is also the biggest political correctness in the Changshu domain.
It was by relying on the slogan "Support the imperial court and expel the barbarians and Di" that they were able to unite all major classes in Changzhou and unite with the outside world.
But the result... after touting the "Changzhou Soul" for so many years, it has never been put to use.
Facing the powerful ships and artillery of the Western powers and the iron hoofs of the Shinsengumi, the Choshu soldiers who struggled to exert their "Choshu Soul" always had only one end: being ruthlessly crushed!
From the "Shimonoseki War" to the "Ikedaya Incident" and then to the "Summer Battle of Kyoto", they suffered defeat after defeat, and the defeat became more and more disastrous.
Faced with the poor results of repeated defeats, no matter how tough the radicals are, they have no shame in talking about the "soul of Choshu" or "cutting warships with samurai swords".
Today, with the deaths of Gensui Kusaka and others, the radical faction that has lost the support of the people has completely lost power.
In this way, the radicals with extreme ideas and cruel methods completely withdrew from the center of power in Changzhou, and could no longer make any waves.
The conservative faction led by Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku took over the power of Choshu - this should be regarded as the only good thing for Choshu in recent years.
Although Katsura and Takasugi are both novices in running the country, they are already much better than before.
At the very least, this country is now run by normal people.
For a long time, there has been a conservative force within Changzhou that cannot be underestimated.
After the radicals lost power, not only the conservative faction represented by Katsura and Takasugi came to power, but the conservatives also rose up.
This group of people originally opposed any words and deeds that attacked the imperial court and the shogunate, and were known as the "secular theory faction".
Throughout the ages, "political inertia" has been a common occurrence.
Although the crotch-stretching performance of the shogunate in recent years is obvious to the world, the psychological weaknesses accumulated over the past two hundred years cannot be eliminated by simply eliminating them.
The powerful image of the shogunate, which ruled Japan and no princes in the world dared to disobey, was deeply engraved in the hearts of the older ministers.
Even though they knew that the strength of the shogunate was far less than before, many people still feared the shogunate and were unwilling to become enemies of the shogunate.
Of course, many of these conservatives are pure "long-time traitors."
Most of these guys are related to the shogunate, and they naturally put their own interests above those of Changshu.
The conservative leader of Choshu was named Muri Tota.
Regarding the "Chōshu Expedition" that the shogunate was about to launch, Katsura and Takasugi had a very heated debate with Makuri Tota and others.
The conservative opinion is simple: surrender directly.
Muri Tota and others said:
The three people who had originally advocated "conquering the capital and retaking the emperor" completely angered the elders of the shogunate - Fukuda Echigo, Imperial Secretary Shinano, and Masudaemonsuke - and committed seppuku.
Then, the lord, Mouri Kei, was asked to personally wear white clothes representing surrender, face the east, that is, the direction of the Edo shogunate, kowtow to admit his mistake, and submit a surrender form to pray for the generosity of the shogunate.
Anyway, "just do it like this" is a piece of useless trash without any opinion, and no one will care about it.
Even if he were asked to do such a cowardly thing, he would definitely say "Okay! Let's do it like this!".
In fact, when the two factions were discussing how to respond to the shogunate's Western Expedition, they did not even invite Mori Yoshiuchi to attend.
It can be seen that the lord of Changzhou is so useless that even his own officials look down on him.
Makuri Tota and others believed that the shogunate would not exterminate Choshu.
After all, Changzhou is a powerful vassal of the Western Kingdom. Even though it has suffered heavy losses now, it still has a certain amount of combat power.
If the two sides really break up and fight to the death, even if the shogunate wins in the end, they will definitely pay a heavy price and the gains will not be worth the losses.
He preferred political victory to military victory - this was the traditional skill of the Edo shogunate.
As long as we keep our stance low enough and give the shogunate enough face, we will be able to turn the crisis around.
To sum up, we must not go to war with the shogunate.
Regarding the discussion made by Mikiri Tota and others, Katsura and Takasugi’s response was simple—ridiculous! It’s so ridiculous!
Takasugi Shinsaku, who has a hot temper, directly refuted:
"Kowling down will not buy peace! Do you think the shogunate will spare us if we kneel down?"
Although Katsura Kogoro is a gentle and elegant man, when faced with the conservatives' retarded speeches, he mocked him unceremoniously:
"Placing the hope of survival on the mercy of the enemy! I really blush for you!"
Ever since they learned that the shogunate was preparing to launch the "Changzhou Expedition", Katsura and Takasugi had never stopped collecting relevant intelligence.
Based on all the information currently known, they have determined that the shogunate's western expedition is aimed at annihilating them!
No matter which angle you analyze it from, this massive offensive that mobilized 200,000 troops is genuine and is definitely not meant to scare them.
The shogunate is determined to destroy them this time. How can it stop the attack because of your humiliation?
Taking a step back and thinking about it, even if the shogunate really spared Changzhou, it would definitely have to cut off the feudal states and change the state, and the country would not be able to survive.
Surrendering is definitely a dead end! The only way out is to pick up a knife and fight!
One side wants to surrender, the other side wants to fight to the end...The contradiction between the two sides is difficult to reconcile.
People from the two groups were quarreling so hard that their faces were red and their necks were thick.
However, this debate did not last long.
There is a saying that "power comes from the barrel of a gun."
Shinsaku Takasugi has a powerful team called the Raiders.
At the same time, he and Katsura Kogoro are both powerful swordsmen who can rival a hundred.
On the other hand, the conservatives...not to mention completely obeying their army, they don't even have a strong, brave and good swordsman under their command.
Facts have proved that weapons of criticism cannot replace weapons of criticism after all.
In this way, Katsura and Takasugi successfully "persuaded" the conservatives and suppressed the spread of the "wind of surrender."
Although the Maori wedding ceremony is a piece of iron waste that has no sense of existence and has no practical effect, the process must still be followed.
Katsura and Takasugi submitted a request to Mouri Qingqin to "work together as one to resist the shogunate forces."
Then, as expected, the other party said loudly:
"Okay, let's do it!"
At this point, Changzhou finally unified his thinking and decided to fight to the end.
Now that we have decided to fight against the shogunate, the next thing to do is very simple: seize the time to build fortifications and strengthen war preparations!
The surprise force founded by Shinsaku Takasugi is the last remaining armed force in Choshu.
The elite team, which is deeply westernized and can skillfully use guns and artillery, certainly has impressive combat power.
But... a mere 2,000 troops, facing the 200,000 troops that are about to attack, there is indeed a slight gap in terms of the size of the troops...
The country is in dire straits and defeat is imminent - this phrase is really suitable to describe the current situation of Changzhou.
…
…
Changzhou, the school ground of the Qi soldiers——
"Kill ah ah ah ah!"
"That's right! We just need this momentum! Try to maintain this momentum!"
"Hey! Who asked you to rest?! When it's time to fight, will the army let you lie down and rest?"
"Hurry up! Move faster!"
"Weakness in wielding the sword! Inaccurate shooting! Sloppy steps! Slow reaction! You want to defeat Tachibana Aoden?!"
…
The school field of the Raiders - a large, flat dirt field without even a single weed, can be seen everywhere as soldiers practicing hard.
Those who ran, those who formed formations, those who practiced musketry... it was all in full swing
What's interesting is that they put extra force when stepping on the ground.
The reason is that the words "Qin Yao", "Hui Jie", "Sa Thief", "Ju Qingdeng" and "Orange Dog" are written on the soles of their shoes.
Whenever they step hard on the soles of their shoes, they will feel the pleasure of "revenge".
…
…
Somewhere in the school grounds——
Katsura Kogoro stood with his hands behind his hands, looking at the soldiers who were intensifying their training with an expressionless face.
Beside him, Takasugi Shinsaku was carrying his inseparable shamisen and grinned:
"Gui, how are you? The training results are quite gratifying, right?"
"To be fair, even if I am as picky as I am, I can't find any flaws."
Katsura Kogoro nodded slightly in agreement.
Most of the members of the Qi Corps are passionate people with lofty ideals who care about the country and the people.
Facing the upcoming war and the overwhelming disadvantageous situation of being outnumbered and outnumbered, they not only showed no fear, but also had high morale.
Therefore, they trained harder and even took the initiative to practice more, and the whole team burst out with amazing morale.
At this moment when Katsura and Takasugi were silently watching the training——
"Oh! What a good team! The training effect is really gratifying!"
Suddenly, a smiling middle-aged male voice came from behind them:
Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku both turned to look——
Before the people arrive, the stomach arrives first.
Yamata no Orochi held out his huge belly and swaggered towards them.
Seeing the sudden appearance of Yamata-no-Orochi, Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku showed complicated expressions in unison.
In the previous debate to persuade the conservatives, although the two of them said many nice words, it seemed that as long as they continued to fight, the crisis would be averted.
But in fact, Katsura Kogoro and the others know better than anyone that Choshu alone will never be able to defeat the Tokugawa army without the help of external forces!
No matter how hard the Qi soldiers worked and how hard they intensified their training, they could not stop the massive attack of 200,000 troops with only 2,000 troops.
Today's Changzhou has become a rat crossing the street, and everyone is shouting to beat it.
Almost all the vassal states walked around them and were unwilling to lend a helping hand to them.
Even the businessmen in Osaka were unwilling to lend them any more money.
Therefore, the only force that can and is willing to help them right now is the Fa Zhu Party.
To be honest, neither Katsura Kogoro nor Takasugi Shinsaku are willing to deal with the Hoshino Party.
But in order to protect Changzhou, they gritted their teeth and accepted it, even if it meant making a deal with the devil.
Ever since it formed an offensive and defensive alliance with the Hōsū Party, the Yamata no Orochi would often come to the gate, sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by a few companions such as Otake Maru and Tamamo Mae.
Today, there are two men and one woman following him closely.
Katsura Kogoro looked up and found that these three people were all faces he had never seen before.
The woman was very young and could only be considered a "girl" at best.
She has fair skin, a beautiful face, a slender figure, and well-proportioned limbs. She is considered a beauty.
It is worth mentioning that his costume is very distinctive.
Wearing a kimono with two sleeves cut off, the hem was also specially cut short to the middle of the thigh. There were no shoes or socks on her two little feet, only a pair of thick footbags.
This outfit not only shows coolness, but also exudes a sense of competence from beginning to end.
At first glance, it seems that the clothes have been specially changed into a shape that is easy to move around.
Such attire, coupled with the woman's steady and powerful steps and light waist... So Katsura Kogoro made a conclusion: she should be the kind of female ninja who is proficient in body skills and has nimble and quick hands and feet.
As for the two men who also followed Yamata no Orochi, they were also very distinctive.
One of them was a tall, thick man with long hair hanging casually on his back.
During the Edo period, it was quite rare for men to have such waist-length hair.
In comparison, another male talent surprised Katsura Kogoro - this man was actually a Westerner!
He has blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and deep facial features that are very different from those of Asians. He is about 40 years old, handsome in appearance, and has a short beard on his chin.
As soon as this Westerner appeared, he instantly attracted the attention of Katsura and Takasugi.
At this moment, they asked the same question:
——Are there any Westerners among the members of the Fa Zhu Party?
Just when they were secretly confused, Yamata no Orochi made a timely introduction:
"Kui-kun, Takasugi-kun, please allow me to introduce you."
As he spoke, he turned slightly sideways to get out of sight.
Then, he pointed at the strong man and the girl.
"These two are my most beloved generals, Niu Gui and Ru Nu!"
As soon as Yamata no Orochi finished speaking, the strong man and the girl... that is, the cow ghost and the naughty girl, nodded.
Katsura and Takasugi both nodded in response.
As an outstanding talent of Yunwen and Yunwu, Katsura Kogoro naturally knows the allusions related to cow ghosts and wet girls.
The cow ghost and the naughty girl - the legendary "yokai partner" in Japan.
The bull ghost is a vicious sea monster. Its head is in the shape of a cow, and its body is like a giant spider or crab. It is good at using poison and will often spray venom from its mouth to launch attacks.
When talking about cow ghosts, they are usually mentioned together with another similar type of monster - that is, the nun.
Runu refers to a monster with the head of a woman and the body of a snake.
Niugui often works with Runu. Runu pretends to be a woman with wet hair to deceive passers-by and offer her as food to Niugui.
Since they can take the title of monster, then these two people are naturally qualified cadres with tattoos.
As far as Katsura Kogoro knows, the tattoos worn by the cadres of the Punishment Party are not random tattoos, but all have intriguing and profound meanings.
While Katsura Kogoro looked at the couple, he thought about the legend that "Ushi Oni and Ninyu often travel together"... He couldn't help but think to himself: What was the reason why they were given the names "Ushi Oni" and "Uki Oni"?
"Wet girl"?
At this time, Yamata no Orochi's words brought his consciousness back to reality.
Then he saw Yamata no Orochi moving his finger and pointing at the Westerner.
"This one is my important partner! Maher d'Orléans! From France across the ocean!"
Maher bowed slightly, bowed to Katsura and Takasugi without any faults, and said in Japanese:
"This is my first time meeting you. I'm Marel d'Orléans. Please give me your advice."
Although he has some accent, he is extremely fluent.
It was the first time that Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku met a Westerner who could speak Japanese so well and was so elegant in speech, they couldn't help but be slightly startled.
Takasugi Shinsaku frowned slightly and asked:
"'De Orleans'? As far as I know, this seems to be the surname of a French nobleman."
Maher smiled slightly:
"Yes, it is true. I am a descendant of the Orleans family of France."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yamata-no-Orochi laughed and took over:
"Kui-kun, Takasugi-kun, and Mr. Orleans are not members of our Punishment Party."
"Simply put, he is an important ally of our FaZun Party."
"He is the key to whether we can successfully throw the 'Amanuma Spear'!"
"The reason why I came to you today is to introduce him to you."
Amanuma Spear... Hearing this word, Katsura and Takasugi's expressions changed slightly.
Throwing the "Amanuma Spear" - a code word within the Hōzoku Party. It means launching this battle plan, codenamed "Amanuma Spear", with the ultimate goal of wiping out the Edo Shogunate.
After forming an alliance with the Hōsū Party, Yamata no Orochi told Katsura and Takasugi the general details of the "Amanuma Spear" operation in a concise and concise manner.
After they heard this, they suddenly broke out in cold sweat! It took a while before they calmed down.
How to describe "Amanuma Spear"?
In a word: bold! So bold! So bold!
While Katsura and Takasugi were shocked, they finally understood why the Hōsū Party was desperately trying to win over Choshu - if they were to successfully throw the "Amanuma Spear", Choshu's assistance was indispensable.
Yamata no Orochi noticed the difference in their expressions, so he changed into a half-joking tone:
"Kui-kun, Takasugi-kun, now that things have come to this, don't tell me that you regretted it and are unwilling to fight with us to the end."
Takasugi Shinsaku grinned:
"How could it be? Since I have decided to make a big fuss with you, I have no choice but to keep going until the end! Either walk out on a broad road or hit the south wall!"
Hearing this, Katsura Kogoro's expression became complicated and unspeakable.
Calling a plan bold... another way of saying it is risky!
The action plan of the "Amanuma Spear" is indeed bold and full of risks. If they are not careful, they will end up in a tragic and irreversible end, but this is their only hope to block the front line of the Tokugawa army and preserve Choshu.
Therefore, although they were full of worries, they could only grit their teeth and resolutely join the "Amanuma Spear" action plan.
At this point, there is no room for them to regret and quit.
Life or death, victory or defeat, it all depends on God's will!
At this moment, very suddenly, Yamata no Orochi, who was safe and sound a second ago, suddenly widened his eyes and his expression suddenly changed.
A violent cough that seemed to vomit out both lungs.
The Yamata-no-Orochi coughed violently, then lowered his legs and put his hands on the ground.
Accompanied by continuous coughing, a large amount of sweat broke out on his forehead, and his cheeks were as pale as paper.
On the side, Ushiki and Ruonyo suddenly changed their expressions when they saw this, and hurriedly leaned down. Ushiki supported Yamata no Orochi, while Ruonyo took off a bamboo tube from her waist.
"Orochi-sama! Please drink water!"
The girl gently held the chin of the Yamata no Orochi with one hand, and slowly poured the water from the bamboo tube into the other person's mouth with the other hand.
The strange appearance of Yamata no Orochi shocked everyone present.
However, Maher just raised his eyebrows and returned to his original state. He looked as if he was not surprised and did not help. He just stood there and watched silently as Ruonyo fed the Yamata no Orochi water.
Gui and Takasugi were confused.
Takasugi Shinsaku couldn't help but asked:
"Hey, Orochi, what's wrong with you?"
After drinking the water handed to him by the girl, Yamata no Orochi's condition improved a lot and his cough gradually stopped.
However, his complexion was still ugly and as pale as paper.
"I, I'm fine..."
After coughing, Yamata no Orochi's voice suddenly became extremely hoarse, as if he had aged a lot, like an aging old man.
It felt like there was extremely thick phlegm stuck in his throat, and when he spoke, he would make a hoarse sound of "ho", "ho", "ho", "ho".
"Sorry, I made you laugh."
He said with an apologetic wry smile.
"This is an old problem of mine."
"Whenever I get sick, it's like what you just saw. My limbs are weak, my whole body is weak, and my chest hurts when I cough."
After hearing this, Katsura Kogoro frowned and said:
"I know a very skilled doctor, do you want me to introduce him to you?"
Yamata no Orochi smiled and waved his hand.
"Hahaha, no need. I have seen countless doctors, and all the doctors said that my disease is incurable, so there is no need to waste time."
He was laughing. His laughter was full of indifference and fearlessness.
But the Niu Gui and Ru Nu beside him showed sad expressions.
Ru Nu even bit her lips, looking like she was about to cry.
Takasugi Shinsaku whispered softly:
"There is no cure for this cough... is it a 'blood cough'?"
Blood cough - a terminal disease in the Edo period.
Patients suffering from this disease will cough constantly and cough up blood, hence the name "blood cough" or "red terminal illness".
There is currently no good cure for this disease.
In other words, people who are unfortunate enough to suffer from this disease basically have only one ending: coughing to death!
In modern times, this disease has a well-known name - tuberculosis.
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PS: Some book friends may have forgotten. Bao Baozi would like to remind you: Maher is Elodie’s father, as everyone knows. It’s embarrassing to say that even Bao Baozi has forgotten Elodie’s father’s name... (Bao Baozi)
