Chapter 897 It would be great if Ju Qingdeng was the general who conquered the barbarians! 【6100】
Kobe, somewhere in the suburbs——
Boom...boom...boom...boom...boom...boom...
The sudden strange noise caused farmers on the outskirts of Kobe to put down their work and look confused.
"Huh? What's this?"
"It sounds like the sound of horse hooves."
"The sound of horse hooves? If this is the sound of horse hooves, then the noise is too loud, right?"
Just when they were feeling puzzled and secretly wondering, someone suddenly stretched out his hand and pointed:
"Look!"
When everyone heard the words, they immediately raised their eyes and followed the words.
I saw a large group of cavalry passing by on the dirt road beside the field.
These cavalrymen all wore light green feathers, wore sharp swords at their waists, and rode on fat Koshu horses. They looked majestic and heroic.
"Light green Haori...is the Shinsengumi!"
Under Qingdeng's compulsory control, the discipline within the Shinsengumi was extremely strict.
The Shinsengumi Act remains an inviolable and absolute prohibition.
Whoever dares to offend, no matter who you are, no matter how great your achievements have been in the past, will only have one end: immediate execution.
I don’t know how many poor people have died under the sword of one of my own people.
Under such high pressure, the Shinsengumi's military discipline was renowned far and wide.
Although it cannot be compared with the great modern army, it is certainly far superior to other feudal armies of the same era.
Thanks to this, the Shinsengumi has always had a very good reputation among the public.
If it were other troops, the farmers would have run away long ago after seeing them, and fled far away.
A bandit's fault is like a comb, a soldier's fault is like a grate, an official's fault is like a haircut - this proverb left by our ancestors is a painful lesson accumulated with countless blood.
Seeing that it was the Shinsengumi, the farmers at the scene were relieved and no longer afraid.
Some of the more courageous people even rushed forward to take a closer look at this group of distinguished guests.
"Cavalry...which division of the Shinsengumi is this?"
"It's either the seventh division or the tenth division. Only these two troops are mounted."
"Ah! Look at that man in black! I know him! He is the 'Deputy Commander of the Demons' Hijikata Toshizo!"
Among the large group of light onions, only Tobi Hijikata was wearing a black suit, a black trench coat, big black leather boots, and a very Western-style slicked back hair, so he stood out.
It goes without saying that he is famous as the "Deputy Chief of Ghosts".
In order to get a glimpse of its true appearance, the farmers at the scene stretched their necks and poked their heads.
Seeing this, Hijikata Toshizo turned his face generously to the side so that they could see more clearly. At the same time, he waved his hand and smiled.
Suddenly, the village women and girls present all blushed and their eyes were charming.
Hijikata Toshizo is known far and wide as a handsome guy and an arsonist with a heart.
After wearing this tight, slim-fitting suit, his figure looks longer and his personal charm increases.
In this way, it is not surprising that these village women would be fascinated.
Following Hijikata Toshizo, Harada Sanosuke beside him was also recognized by sharp-eyed people.
"Look! That person is 'Immortal Harada'!"
"It is said that he is immortal! He is a man who can't die even if his belly is cut open!"
As soon as these remarks came out, Harada Sanosuke immediately became energetic.
"Oh! You know this very well! Look! This is the scar I got when I committed seppuku! Back then, before I became a ronin, and when I was an official in Iyo Matsuyama Domain, a nasty guy slandered me as a '
I'm a little official who doesn't even know the etiquette of seppuku. I'm just a serious person. Didn't he say that I don't even know how to commit seppuku? I pulled out my wakizashi on the spot, stabbed it into my own belly, and committed seppuku on the spot.
Show him!"
Harada Sanosuke said as he skillfully took off his upper body clothes, revealing his muscular upper body and the conspicuous scar on his stomach.
Although he enthusiastically introduced the scar on his belly, the rapid march of the cavalry column made his figure disappear from the sight of the farmers, and his voice was also dissipated in the wind.
The cavalry roared past, leaving behind billows of dust and smoke, as well as the curious looks of the farmers.
"That's weird, why are the Shinsengumi cavalry here?"
"Hiss... I remember it! Wasn't it always rumored that the shogunate was going to use troops against Changzhou?"
"So...this army is preparing to attack Changzhou?"
"In my opinion, the army led by the 'Deputy Commander of the Ghost' is just the vanguard, and the main force is still behind!"
"Hey, didn't we just have a fight in Gyeonggi Province not long ago? Why do we have to fight again..."
"What are you afraid of? It's not like we are starting a war here!"
"Hey, what the hell, we can't care about the affairs of those big shots! Let's just take care of the present! Working hard to cultivate the fields well is better than anything else!"
"That's not what I'm saying. Ju Qingden is a rare good official. I quite hope that he will win a great victory."
"Me too. Anyway, there is always a winner, why not let the one who is more pleasing to the eye win."
"Why can't there be more good officials like Ju Qingden? Let's just let him be the general to conquer the barbarians..."
"Hush! What nonsense are you talking about! Don't say such nonsense!"
…
…
Two hundred thousand troops - an army of this size will naturally not march at the same time.
Even if Han Bai is reincarnated, he will not be able to control the 200,000 troops gathered in action.
Otherwise, not to mention the adjustment of diet, just daily defecation will be a huge problem.
In order to facilitate management, Seito divided the troops under his command into many units, letting Hijikata Toshizo and Harada Sanosuke lead the 5,000 forward troops to open the way first, and other units moved forward in order.
He himself and the main force under his command will not officially set off until November 20.
For this battle, he mobilized all the elite soldiers and generals under his command. He really used all his elite troops and didn't even send anyone to guard his home.
This battle was a military action that Tokugawa Iemo pushed hard and was finally implemented.
If we win, then everything will be easy to say.
But if they are defeated... the "anti-war faction" will not show mercy and will definitely launch a large-scale counterattack!
By then, regardless of Aomori, Tokugawa Iemo's situation will definitely become quite passive.
He had made up his mind to marry Tianzhang Yuan as his wife after destroying Changzhou.
In other words... he was mentally prepared to accept Tokugawa Iemo as his adopted son!
For the sake of his future son, of course he would not watch him suffer.
Even if we don't talk about Tokugawa Iemo, the victory or defeat of this battle is also related to Aomori's own future.
In this way, there is no reason for him not to be serious, and there is no reason for him not to give his best.
Although on the surface, the Tokugawa army has an absolute advantage, is morally responsible, and has overwhelming military strength, it is almost impossible to think of the possibility of defeat.
But... when dealing with war, Qingdeng has always adhered to the combat philosophy of "being cautious" and "becoming unwinnable first, then waiting for the enemy to be victorious".
Looking back at his previous battles, without exception, they were all internal battles.
On the other hand, this campaign was not only the first external battle he commanded, but it was also an expedition spanning half of Japan - although half of Japan was not that big, the straight-line distance from Otsu to Choshu was only more than 300 kilometers.
In this way, the uncertainty factors are doubled.
All in all, it is always right to be more cautious and have a few more trump cards in your hand.
No matter what, this battle will ultimately determine the future direction of history!
As Setobo's general mobilization order was issued, the soldiers of the Shinsengumi responded enthusiastically, and no one was afraid of fighting.
Even Sanako and Awu, who had just given birth, expressed their willingness to "return to the front line."
Of course, their request to join the war was politely declined by Qingden.
After giving birth to a child, you should confine yourself to confinement and avoid strenuous exercise - Qingdeng still understands this common sense.
No matter how much the two daughters tried to persuade him, Qingdeng never changed his mind.
Although Sanako and Awu are both rare talents, Qingden now has a cloud of advisers and a rain of strong generals, so it doesn't matter even without the help of the two women.
He took advantage of these two days to finish the remaining government affairs at hand.
The first thing he did was to see Elodie off.
…
…
"Master, I'm leaving!"
Elodie straightened her clothes and said confidently.
Qingden smiled and nodded.
"Well, I wish you a safe journey!"
The girl was seen wearing a low-rimmed hat, a wind-proof cloak, and leggings tightly wrapped around her small and delicate ankles, looking like a traveler about to go on a long journey.
Behind her, 50 elite cavalrymen held their horses with one hand and pressed their swords with the other, ready to go.
Elodie is the head of the Finance Office and only looks after the accounting books and not the war, so it is naturally impossible for Qingdeng to take her to the front line.
He would leave her behind anyway, so it would be better to let her go to the Hachioji area and check the account books of the Hachioji Qian Renxin.
Since Seitoyo moved to the right to become Army President, "vigorously promoting the Westernization of the Eight Princes and Thousands of People Concentrated and the Military Army" has become his top priority.
Just a month ago, the guns that Qing Deng specially purchased for Thousand People Tongxin finally arrived in Hong Kong.
Before that, because he had to give priority to supplying resources to the Shinsengumi, he had no time to take care of Thousands of People Together.
Now that he was a little richer, and with the support of Tokugawa Iemo, he was able to free up his energy to promote military reforms with thousands of people working together.
With the upgrading of weapons and equipment, thousands of soldiers working together instantly completed the transformation from "one bamboo gun for each person" to "one musket for each person".
The army instructors hired by Tokugawa Iemo from France also arrived one after another and began to teach the most advanced army tactics to thousands of people.
Military reform is a long and systematic hard work that cannot be accomplished overnight.
What's more, the Eight Princes are not a professional army. They are a militia armed with half farmers and half soldiers. They have to farm during busy farming periods and can only find time to participate in training during slack farming periods.
Therefore, it will take a long time before this force can begin to take on combat effectiveness.
While vigorously promoting the modernization of Thousands of People Working Together, Qingdeng planned to review his account books and cut unnecessary expenses as much as possible to save money.
At the same time, he went to inspect the warehouse and clear out all the useless old equipment - such as bamboo guns and matchlock guns.
There is no doubt that the only person who can do this job is Elodie.
As we all know, accounting is a very dangerous job.
In modern times, the allusion of a helicopter full of auditors being blown down by rockets is both funny and frightening.
Furthermore, Elodie's Western identity also makes her extremely vulnerable to unfair treatment.
Naturally, Qingteng would not be so stupid as to let Elodie go to Hachioji alone.
He transferred 50 elite cavalry from the seventh division and ordered them to protect Elodie personally.
Not only that, he also appointed Kui Lai Shimada, the deputy captain of the First Division, to serve as Elodie's "chief of guards", with full authority to command these 50 cavalrymen.
Kui Shimada - Aoto has always been deeply impressed by this fierce soldier who worked his way up from the grassroots level. He admires him very much and intends to focus on training him.
It stands to reason that Qingdeng, who was determined to use all his strength in the Battle of March, would not fail to bring this fierce general with him.
What a pity... During the training a while ago, Shimada Kui accidentally sprained his left arm. The injury was not serious, but not easy either.
The doctor's advice is to let him rest for a while and avoid strenuous exercise.
In this case, it is naturally impossible for him to go to the front line.
Despite Shimada Kui's various requests, and even the bold statement that "even if I only have one arm, I can still go into battle to kill the enemy," Aito decided to send him to protect Elodie.
Compared with going to the front line to fight with the Changzhou people, this task is undoubtedly much easier.
Qingden didn't think anyone would be so short-sighted as to dare to step forward to find trouble when faced with Elodie, who was protected by 50 cavalry.
Shimada Kui naturally felt very sorry for Aonto's appointment.
As an old man of the Shinsengumi and the deputy captain of the first team, "obeying the orders of superior officers" has become his instinct.
Therefore, even though his heart was full of helplessness and regret, he resolutely accepted the order.
Afterwards, Shinpachi Nagakura, who was friends with Kui Shimada—the two of them were old acquaintances. Shinpachi Nagakura had often interacted with Kui Shimada before joining the Trial Guard Hall—went to find him and enlightened him.
Who is Elodie?
She is the only disciple Qingdeng has so far.
For Qingdeng, Elodie is undoubtedly an important existence like family.
The generals sent to protect Elodie were undoubtedly carefully selected loyal and brave men.
There are so many powerful generals under Qingdeng's command, but you are the only one sent to serve as Elodie's "chief of guard". This just shows that Qingdeng trusts and values you.
As long as you complete this task perfectly, you will definitely be promoted and reused in the future!
In fact, Nagakura Shinpachi was absolutely right.
Not all cats and dogs are qualified to approach Qingdeng’s family.
After listening to Nagakura Shinpachi's enlightenment, Shimada Kui suddenly became enlightened, and the worries in his heart disappeared instantly.
Today, with everything ready, Elodie officially set off for the Eighth Prince.
Ah Wu, who also came to see her off, moved lightly, approached Elodie, and hugged her gently.
"Have a nice trip, Elodie."
Elodie hugged her back hard.
"Yeah! I'll be back as soon as possible!"
Qingden added abruptly:
"Elody, the weather is getting colder. Please keep warm and don't get cold."
"Master, I am not an eight-year-old child, so I would not make such a stupid mistake."
After saying this angrily, Elodie seemed to have remembered something. After a short pause, she asked:
"Master, is there any news about the recasting of Vairocana?"
"I haven't received any relevant news yet. Shikizaki Jiyue should still be working hard on it. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I was just thinking... Anyway, the Eighth Prince is not far from Edo. If Vairocana is recast successfully, I can go and get it back for you."
Before Qingden could ask "why", Elodie continued on by herself:
"'Broken Iron Steel'... This piece of steel entrusts my former 'chivalrous dream'."
"A sword forged from 'broken iron steel' - if possible, I would like to be the first person to see the brilliance of its sword."
"In this way, one of my wishes can be considered fulfilled."
After Qingdeng heard this, he smiled and nodded without hesitation:
"Well, of course. If there is enough time, I will let you get the knife for me."
When Elodie heard this, she suddenly smiled.
"That being the case, I'm sincerely looking forward to it!"
…
…
After chatting for a few more words, Elodie stopped delaying and said, "Master, Miss Wu, everyone! See you later!" and then got on the horse with a slightly clumsy movement.
"Mount!"
Following Shimada Kui's order, the cavalry surrounding Elodie jumped on their horses and whipped their whips.
The group of people moved forward slowly under the watch of Qingdeng and others, and disappeared at the end of the road in a short time.
…
…
The first year of Yuanzhi (1864), November 20——
Two days after the forward troops departed, the main force led by Qingdeng officially departed!
The mighty army marched all the way west, passing through Settsu, Harima, Bizen, Binchung, Bikokoku, and the Six Kingdoms of Aki before reaching the marching front line.
The Western Kingdom does not have a developed and mature transportation network called "Five Streets" like the Eastern Kingdom. The roads along the way are basically ordinary dirt roads that have not been consolidated.
When it's sunny, there's a lot of dust, and when it rains, it turns into a quagmire.
Unfortunately, as soon as the army set out, it happened to be hit by heavy rain - the "Mud General" arrived as scheduled.
Looking up, the whole road became bumpy and extremely muddy.
When he stepped down, most of the sole of his foot sank directly in.
It was nauseating, uncomfortable and unbearable. The most troublesome thing was that it aggravated the physical exertion and greatly slowed down the marching speed.
The people were fine, but mainly the carriages and horses - especially the carriages and horses with the cannons - were greatly affected.
Cannons are inherently heavy and will sink into the quagmire.
The soldiers had to place thick pieces of wood in front of the wheels of the carriage so that the cart could walk on the wood pieces to prevent the wheels from getting stuck in the mud.
Whenever he walks on these dirt roads, Ayoto will feel sincerely: No wonder in the Edo period, wearing socks and foot bags were a symbol of status.
Japan has a hot and rainy climate. It rains every three days. Even when there is no rain, the flying dust will stain your socks.
Anyway, no matter what time of year it is, the socks on your feet will get dirty easily.
How can ordinary people have the time and energy to wash socks every day?
In this kind of climate and such road conditions, it would be more comfortable to go barefoot.
Despite the unfavorable start and the rain delaying a lot of time, the large troops successfully arrived at the front line before the scheduled time!
…
…
The first year of Yuanzhi (1864), December 7, night——
The junction of An Yiguo and Zhou Fangguo (Yishukou), the shogunate camp, the main formation——
It is a moonless night right now, and thick clouds block the moonlight.
As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but deep night. It is not an exaggeration to say that "you can reach out and see nothing".
Not a ray of night wind, not a trace of insects.
The temperature drops sharply at night, filling the air with cool night air.
Hijikata Toizo and others, who led the vanguard and arrived here in advance, had already set up camp and built trenches, watchtowers and other defensive fortifications.
Torches were placed in every corner of the shogunate's camp, illuminating the inside and outside of the camp as if it were daytime.
Not only that, guards holding torches and patrolling can be seen everywhere in the camp.
Directly opposite the shogunate's camp, on the plains about ten kilometers away, there is a large camp covering an area.
This camp is also as bright as day because of the large number of torches - it is the camp of the Changzhou Army!
At this moment, hundreds of generals led by Hijikata Toshizo gathered in the main camp.
The lineup inside the tent is truly luxurious.
There are the Shinsengumi generals wearing light green haori, as well as the commanders of the Aizu, Satsuma, Owari, Fukui and other feudal armies.
"General Tachibana is here!"
Following the shouting coming from outside the tent, everyone in the tent stood up.
After a while, Qing Deng, who was full of travel dust, opened the curtains, strode into the tent, and went straight to the main seat.
He arrived at the camp this evening and hurried over to hold a military meeting without even having time to change his clothes.
"Everyone, please sit down."
He waved his hand and motioned for the generals to take their seats.
"I will omit the unnecessary pleasantries for now."
"Let's start tonight's military strategy meeting directly!"
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly changed subtly.
Some of the people, represented by the Shinsengumi generals, had their eyes shining, their spirits were high, and they were gearing up, as if they would lead their troops straight to the Choshu camp without hesitation as long as Seito gave the order.
There are also some people who have indifferent expressions and look indifferent to the war - among them, the lord of Owari Domain, Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, and the lord of Fukui Domain, Matsudaira Shigeaki, are typical examples.
This kind of reaction from these people was within Qingdeng's expectation.
Although the Owari Domain and the Fukui Domain are close vassals of the Edo shogunate and are branches of the Tokugawa family, and the lord of the Owari Domain has the privilege of being named "Tokugawa", in fact, they are expected to work hard for the shogunate.
That is definitely impossible.
Even immediate family members will become unfamiliar if they haven't moved around for many years, let alone distant relatives who have been separated for nearly three hundred years.
In other words, the Kaijin Domain is a different kind. The successive feudal lords have always implemented the ancestral motto of "fully supporting the shogunate".
Matsudaira Yoho (Lord of Aizu Domain) is an exception, so it is different for the time being.
Tokugawa Keikatsu, Matsudaira Shigeaki and other feudal lords naturally put the interests of their own feudal states as their top priority.
Even if Choshu is eliminated, only the shogunate will benefit. In that case, why should we do such a thankless job?
Therefore, they did not want to join the war at all.
Even before sending troops, Tokugawa Keikatsu and others had found various excuses to avoid military service, such as "insufficient troops" and "tight financial resources". In short, they all had the same idea: find someone else to do it, and this domain
He won't join the war!
Of course, Tokugawa Iemo would not condone these guys.
Everyone wants to hide in the back and enjoy the happiness, so what do I want you lords to do?!
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