I formed the strongest swordsman group

Kyoto, Kinkaikoji Temple (Aizu Military Main Formation), Matsudaira Yoshiho's room——

Matsudaira Yongho is attending to official business.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the room: from far to near:

"Lord! Good news came from the Yamato front line!"

Matsudaira Yongho was surprised:

"Come in!"

Accompanied by the sliding sound of the door, a dusty messenger appeared in front of Matsudaira Yongho.

Before he could speak, the man consciously said loudly:

"Lord! The Shinsengumi has won a great victory!"

"The Tenchu ​​group is completely destroyed! Takatori Castle is recovered! The thief chief Yoshimura Totarō is captured!"

"The Shinsengumi will rest in place for 3 days, and will officially take over after the rest!"

After hearing this, Matsudaira Yongho suddenly had a look of surprise on his cheeks.

Out of too much shock, he subconsciously stood up and asked urgently:

"What? The Shinsengumi has recaptured Takatori Castle? Is the news accurate?"

The messenger who came to report the news replied in a neither humble nor overbearing tone:

"My lord, the news is accurate! I saw with my own eyes the Aoi pattern flag and the Chengji flag flying on the castle tower of Takatori Castle!"

Matsudaira Yongho opened his eyes in confusion, his expression dull, as if he had lost his soul.

After a moment, he sat back to his original position numbly and slowly.

"It's... so fast...! That's not right... Didn't the Shinsengumi arrive at the foot of Mount Takatori until yesterday...?"

Matsudaira Yongho frowned, calculating rapidly in his mind.

As far as he knew, the entire Shinsengumi army did not reach the city until yesterday afternoon.

The time now is noon.

Take away the time for the messengers to move back and forth... In other words, the Shinsengumi eliminated the Tenchu ​​group in just one night! Gaotori Castle was recaptured!

Thinking of this, Matsudaira Yongho couldn't help but take a breath.

It's not that he doesn't believe that the Shinsengumi will regain Takatori Castle.

He trusted Qingdeng very much.

I also believe in the power of the Shinsengumi.

It's just... he couldn't believe that it only took such a short time for the Shinsengumi to regain Takatori Castle!

Although he has never seen Gaotori Castle with his own eyes, he still has a certain understanding of the defense status of this famous mountain city.

To put it bluntly - if he and Aoto were transferred and he was asked to lead the Aizu army to attack Takatori Castle, then he would only feel a huge headache! Don’t know where to start!

Although the Aizu Army has a world-famous cavalry unit, it lacks firearms, especially heavy firearms represented by artillery.

When they arrived in Shangluo, the entire army only carried a few antique-like old artillery pieces.

Using these broken cannons to bombard a fortified city such as Gaotoru City has no use except to build momentum, scare the enemy soldiers, and blow up some stone chips and soil.

Therefore, facing the Takatori Castle occupied by the Tenchu ​​Group, the only way Matsudaira Yongho could think of to attack the city was to issue the order "attack with the entire army, and the first one to get there will be heavily rewarded", and consume the enemy troops bit by bit, using "brute force" "Break in" to win.

All in all, even with superior troops, it is not easy to capture Gaotori Castle!

It would not be surprising even if it turns into a bad battle where each other consumes each other's baggage and competes for endurance.

At first, even with the most optimistic attitude, Matsudaira Yongho believed that it would take at least half a month for the Shinsengumi to capture Takatori Castle.

He was even ready to supply food and fodder to the Shinsengumi.

As a result... he only received the news yesterday that "the entire Shinsengumi army has arrived at the foot of Mount Takatori", and today he has already received the good news that "the Shinsengumi has won a great victory"!

No matter which angle you look at it, the speed at which the Shinsengumi regained Takatori Castle was too fast! Surprisingly fast!

Suddenly, Matsudaira Yongho felt a strong sense of frustration for no reason.

When people mention Aizu, people can always immediately think of the world-famous Aizu Army.

Matsudaira Yoshiho has always been proud of the strength of the Aizu Army.

He always believes that even if you look at the whole of Japan, the Aizu Army is a uniquely powerful army!

However, at this moment, he suddenly realized that the Aizu Army, which he was so proud of, seemed to have been left behind by the Shinsengumi...

He couldn't help but ask himself:

——If...if we are in conflict with the Shinsengumi now, can we win?

Deep down in his heart, he could not give an accurate answer to this question.

No, to be more precise - his reason has already produced the answer, but his sensibility cannot accept the answer...

At this time, the messenger who came to deliver the message hesitated for a while, and then said hesitantly:

"Lord, regarding how the Shinsengumi regained Takatori Castle in such a short period of time... I have collected some gossip that I don't know whether it is true or not..."

After hearing this, Matsudaira Yongho suddenly became energetic and said quickly:

"Speak quickly! Just say it! I will judge whether the content is true or false!"

Hearing what Matsudaira Yongho said, the messenger no longer hesitated, took a deep breath, and said slowly:

"Lord, as far as I know, the rapid recovery of Takatori Castle completely depends on Tachibana-sama's ability!"

"Tachibana-sama single-handedly invaded Takatori Castle and captured Sannomaru, Ninomaru and Honmaru one after another. This greatly weakened the Tenchu ​​team's combat power, disrupted the defenses in the city, and cleared the way for the army's follow-up attack."

"In this way, the Shinsengumi were able to liberate Takatori Castle overnight!"

The messenger finished speaking concisely and concisely.

"..."

It was clear that the other party had finished speaking, but Matsudaira Yongho remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

The look of shock that had just faded away appeared on his cheeks again.

About half a minute later, he asked mechanically:

"……What did you say?"

The messenger spoke again very honestly:

"Tachibana-sama single-handedly invaded Takatori Castle..."

"No! I didn't ask you to repeat it again...Oh...forget it..."

After saying that, Matsudaira Yongho let out a long breath, and then weakly leaned on the elbow rest next to him.

A samurai broke into Takatori Castle, one of the "Three Mountain Castles", by himself, and penetrated the entire city at one go, even Honmaru was captured. In ordinary days, if someone said this to Matsudaira Yoshiho, then he He will definitely scold the other person: It’s broad daylight, why are you hysterical? !

But the strange thing is... after changing the protagonist of this "story" to Tachibana Aoden, he will change his mind: If it is Tachibana Aoden, then such a thing is really possible!

Although Qingdeng was a divine man who accomplished miracles, to this day, no matter how appalling things he did, it is not surprising.

But...even so, Matsudaira Yongho was still shocked beyond words at this astonishing achievement of "breaking into the high castle alone".

After taking another deep breath, Matsudaira Yongho placed his hand on his forehead and gently massaged his scalp with his fingers to relax his brain, which was extremely tired from listening to a large amount of heavyweight information.

Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something, and was stunned for a moment, and then said to himself quietly:

"It won't be long before there is going to be a powerful name in this land... I don't know where the Orange Military Department will be divided..."

…

…

Almost at the same time, the imperial court, the Satsuma Domain...the major forces in Kyoto, as well as the Choshu Army still fleeing westward, all received good news from the Shinsengumi.

Regarding the Shinsengumi, the reaction of various forces can be said to be that some are happy and some are sad.

Among them, the most excited and excited people were undoubtedly the monarchs and ministers of Takatori Domain.

The day after Gaotori City was recovered, they returned to their homeland.

Thanks to Aoden's lightning fast attack, Takatori Castle won the liberation without much damage.

Not only did he help them expel the bandits, but he also protected the city as much as possible... The gratitude of the monarchs and ministers of the Takatori Domain to Qingden can no longer be described in specific words.

It is no exaggeration to say that they wanted to hug Qingdeng and "gnaw" Qingdeng's face like a watermelon.

…

…

Kyoto, Imperial Palace—

"Did the Tachibana Military Department win?"

Kujo Naozada looked at Jin Xi who came to report the news with a look of surprise.

[Note: personal waiter]

Jin Xi’s answer:

"Yes! It's absolutely true!"

After the Zunbo faction headed by Sanjo Sanimi was completely eliminated, the Samu faction represented by Kujo Naotada was able to rise and take control of the court's voice.

They were of the same mind as the shogunate, so after receiving the good news from the Shinsengumi, Kujo Naotada was naturally happy.

I saw Kujo Sanemi grinning, revealing two rows of black teeth. She excitedly slapped her thighs with the fan in her hand and shouted excitedly:

"So good! So good!"

"Tachibana, well done!"

"Following the Changzhou Army, that Lao Shizi's Tenchu ​​Group was also wiped out!"

"In this way, those Zunhuang faction who only know how to make noise and daydream should stop completely."

"Oh, the Tachibana Military Department has made another great contribution! It deserves a reward! It deserves a reward!"

"What kind of official position will be given to him this time..."

…

…

Kyoto, Satsuma Domain Residence, a certain secret room——

In the secret room, two of the "Three Heroes of Satsuma" - Saigo Kinosuke and Komatsu with swords - sat facing each other.

Apart from the two of them, there was no one else in the secret room.

"… Saigo-kun."

Komatsu crossed his arms with a knife and said in a deep voice:

"Although it's not my place to say this, but...that Tachibana Aoden is really fascinating."

Having said this, he curled up the corners of his mouth and adopted a tone that was half serious and half joking.

"After severely inflicting heavy losses on the barbarian group and annihilating the Qingshui clan, he once again created new miracles with pure personal force."

"In terms of performance alone, he has almost reached the limit of a warrior, and is close to Ogata's power back then."

"If I were an ordinary warrior, I would probably worship Tachibana Qingden crazily."

As soon as he finished speaking, Saigo Kinosuke, who was opposite him, echoed half-jokingly:

"Komatsu-kun, we are each other."

At this time, Komatsu changed the topic with a knife and his tone became serious:

"However, admiration is admiration. As 'Satsuma Hayato', we should take our own position into consideration."

"After this battle, Ju Qingden's prestige will definitely be at its peak."

"Saigo-kun, I think it's time for us to consider our next course of action."

"It's to be like Aizu and completely fall to the shogunate."

"Or... like before, keep an extra hand?"

After finishing speaking, he stared at Saigo Kinosuke, waiting for the other party's response.

"..."

Saigo Yoshinosuke lowered his gaze and looked at the tatami in front of his knees, thinking.

…

…

In the Miasak area west of Gyeonggi Province, a certain forest——

Blah blah blah blah...

It's raining.

A steady drizzle.

Countless small raindrops fell on the branches and green leaves, and even smaller water splashes fell to the ground.

Looking up, the dense rain curtain covered the entire forest, which was wet and added a layer of hazy and sad to the land.

In the depths of the forest, a brown "long dragon" passed through it.

Looking closely, it was the Choshu army that fled all the way forward after evacuating Kyoto.

The people who traveled with them were the seven nobles of the Sonnōjō faction headed by Sanjo Sanetomi.

Sanjo Sanetomi and others who were expelled from Kyoto had no other way to go except to flee to Choshu.

The soldiers of the Choshu army guarded Sanjo Sanetomi and others in the safest place, that is, in the middle of the queue.

Even if they fell to this, the former still gave the latter the greatest respect.

Hualala la la la la la...!

The rain was getting heavier.

The horses, soaked by the rain, drooped their heads.

The dense and noisy sound of rain set off the tranquility.

No one spoke... The deathly silence tightly enveloped every corner of the Choshu army.

Everyone was silent.

Everyone was covered in dust.

Everyone hung their heads, stepping deep and shallow on the muddy ground.

The armor on the soldiers was soaked by the rain and became very heavy.

Because they fled in a hurry, they did not have time to prepare enough supplies.

There were only enough raincoats for two or three people to share.

Many people did not even get a hat, so they could only use their bodies to resist the rain.

It was afternoon... Even so, under the cover of dark clouds, the sky was no different from night.

Although they tried to light torches, the flames were not easy to burn in the rain, so they could only see turbid white smoke flowing in the dark forest, which further highlighted the desolate and sad atmosphere.

If you listen carefully, you can hear intermittent sobbing.

"Wuwuwuwuwuwuwu...!"

"It's so humiliating...! It's so humiliating...!"

"Damn you traitors! Damn you thieves!"

"Just wait! We will definitely fight back!"

Countless people couldn't suppress their grief and cried with their faces covered.

Some people chose to vent their anger and frustration by cursing.

The people who cried the most were the seven ministers.

Recalling that not long ago, they were nobles with luxurious clothes and food.

Since they were born, their feet have never stepped on muddy ground, and they wear silk socks that ordinary people dare not even think about every day.

But now...they are wearing simple straw raincoats and rough bamboo hats, braving the heavy rain like a curtain, and walking in the depths of the deserted forest in a hurry, making themselves muddy and extremely embarrassed.

It's like...no, it's just like a dog that has lost its home!

How can they adapt to such a huge contrast? How to resolve it?

And this was not the most sad thing for them.

What made them feel even more sad was undoubtedly the collapse of their political ideals!

Their long-held political ambition of "respecting the emperor and expelling the barbarians" came to an end with the emperor's edict!

Choshu became a traitor who coerced the emperor, and they became accomplices...

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that even if they wanted to regroup, the day of their comeback would be a long way off!

Thinking of this, the seven ministers cried even harder, almost heartbroken.

"..."

I saw Sanjo Sanemi pursed his lips and looked up at the sky.

The low-brimmed hat covered most of his face, making it difficult to see his current expression.

However... a thin stream of water could be vaguely seen flowing down his cheeks, making it difficult to tell whether it was rain or tears.

After a moment, he chanted a Chinese poem:

"The sad rain never ends, and my turbid tears wet my collar."

"One day I will return to Luoyang and personally push away the clouds and mist."

"The seven ministers will gather again to enjoy the moon in Kyoto!"

It was a coincidence that at almost the same time, Kusaka Genzui, who was walking at the front of the team, was also chanting a poem.

However, what he chanted was a Japanese poem.

He lowered his head and sang word by word:

"The world is as chaotic as weeds."

"The flaming sun is also dim."

"Beside the small river of the cicada, smoke rises."

"Forming clouds that separate the two banks..."

As he sang, he slowly raised his head.

His eyes penetrated the bottom edge of his bamboo hat and shot into the distance.

His eyes were no longer as dim as when he escaped from Kyoto before, and they regained their former sharp light.

After reciting the poem, he frowned, his eyes were deep, and he was still thinking, as if he was planning something...

...

...

Due to the long distance, the Edo side did not receive the victory report of "Tenchu ​​Group was destroyed and Takatori Castle was recovered" until two days later.

The content of the victory report received by the Edo side can be said to be extremely detailed.

When the whole army arrived at the battlefield, when the attack began, and when the battle ended, all were recorded clearly.

This naturally included the details of Qing Deng's "solo attack on Takatori Castle".

Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshoin received this victory report almost at the same time.

After reading all the contents of the victory report, Tokugawa Iemochi immediately put down all the work at hand and rushed to the Ooku to find Tenshoin without stopping - before leaving, he did not forget to bring a map of Japan.

...

...

Edo, Edo Castle, Ooku, Tenshoin's bedroom -

Tenshoin dismissed outsiders so that he could be alone with Tokugawa Iemochi who had just arrived.

"Jia Mao, you seem very happy?"

Tianzhangin stroked the calico cat on his lap and said to Tokugawa Iemo opposite with a smile.

"Mother, aren't you asking questions knowingly?"

Tokugawa Iemo smiled helplessly.

"If I must say it, Mother, you are also very happy, aren't you?"

Tianzhangyuan covered his lips and smiled softly, not denying it.

After a while, he half-jokingly said to Tokugawa Iemo:

"Jia Mao, Sheng Qing has once again made indelible contributions. You can't treat me badly."

Tokugawa Iemo smiled slightly:

"It's natural!"

"Mother, to be honest, I have already decided what kind of reward I want to give Mr. Tachibana."

As he spoke, he took out the map of Japan he had just brought with him when he went out, and spread it in front of Tianzhangyuan's knees.

"I plan to seal this land to Mr. Ju, what do you think?"

As he spoke, he pointed to a place on the map.

Tenzouin looked in the direction pointed by Tokugawa Iemo's finger - instantly, her beautiful eyes widened in surprise, and her pretty little mouth opened into an "O" shape.

"Jia Mao, do you plan to seal this land to Sheng Qing?"

Tokugawa Iemo nodded seriously.

"Yes, I have made up my mind and I will never change it!"

Tianzhangyuan blinked his eyes hard several times, and then murmured with a complicated expression:

"Iemo...you are going to cut off half of the shogunate's arm to Shengqing..."

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This chapter is a famous event in Japanese history: [The Fall of Qiqing]. According to historical facts, the Changzhou Army and the Huisa Allied Forces did not fight at all. After the Huisa Allied Forces blocked the Imperial Palace, the Changzhou Army simply gave in and rolled back to Changzhou.