I formed the strongest swordsman group

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

After a while, someone swallowed hard:

"If, if General Tachibana can't come back...what should we do?"

Katrintaro responded indifferently:

"You don't need to ask me questions like this, where the answer is obvious, right? You know the answer clearly, don't you?"

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere on the scene changed subtly - it was filled with panic.

Katsurintaro continued speaking:

"It is precisely because I cannot accurately estimate the time it will take for General Tachibana to return that I just said to 'hold on'."

"Fight the enemy at all costs and delay as much time as possible."

"The longer the delay, the better for us."

"In a word: hold on! Hold on as hard as you can!"

At this time, an old minister screamed excitedly:

"Ridiculous, ridiculous! Katsurintaro, what kind of stupid tactics are you using! How many casualties will this bring in the Edo Castle Battlefield!"

This man's rebuke was like a switch - in the blink of an eye, a tide of rebuttals and scoldings rushed to Katsurintaro from all directions.

"That's right! If Edo Castle is reduced to ruins, what's the point of our struggle? In the end, the shogunate will still suffer a heavy blow!"

"We can't put the people of Edo in danger!"

"Rather than defending Edo, it's safer to retreat directly!"

"We can't pin our hopes of winning on the illusory 'wait for General Tachibana to come back'! God knows how long it will take him to get back!"

The ministers were fierce and their expressions were ferocious.

Each one of them showed compassion for the world and looked like they were hungry and drowning.

They said "for Edo" and "to preserve Edo".

Facing the condemnation and rebuttal of these guys, Katsurintaro became more and more impatient, his whole face sank, and his face was as black as if it had been splashed with ink.

He was born in the lower-level hatamoto and had never been influenced by the corrupt atmosphere of the upper class.

Therefore, he couldn't stand pretense the most, especially the hypocrisy of talking about morality and morality, but full of thieves and prostitutes.

He was upright in character, and sneered directly, mocking undisguisedly:

"Enough, put away your disgusting faces!"

"You are worthy of your years of experience in the officialdom, and you are very good at playing the role of "loyal ministers"!"

"If there are people who don't know the truth here, they will be deceived by you and think you are some kind of loyal ministers."

"'Don't put the people of Edo in danger'? Don't try this trick!"

"Are you taking care of the survival of the people of Edo, or are you cherishing your own lives? Don't you know it in your heart?"

"Are the swords on your waists just for show?"

"If you don't even have the courage to fight the enemy, then you should take off the swords on your waists and sell your samurai origin! Don't tarnish the word "samurai"!"

His words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire.

"Katsurintaro, watch your words!"

"You are insulting us nakedly!"

"Even if you are the president of the navy, you can't speak without restraint!"

"Take back what you said just now!"

Instantly, the ministers denounced Katsurintaro even more frantically.

Amidst the scolding that was getting louder and louder, Tokugawa Iemochi suddenly asked:

"...Katsu-kun, let me confirm one last time, is the 'siege war' really our only winning tactic at the moment?"

Tokugawa Iemochi's sudden voice brought silence back to the scene.

The ministers, including Katsurintaro, turned their heads and looked straight at Tokugawa Iemochi.

"Yes!"

Katsurintaro nodded firmly:

"Although it is very risky and there will be heavy losses...but if we want to defeat the Choshu army, there is no other way!"

"..."

Tokugawa Iemochi stopped talking.

He closed his eyes, let out a long breath, and looked like he was thinking.

Those ministers who opposed Katsurintaro and were unwilling to fight a "siege war" all cast hopeful glances at Tokugawa Iemochi.

No matter how fiercely they quarreled or how fiercely they argued, the person who would make the final decision would only be the Shogun.

They eagerly hoped that Tokugawa Iemochi's next words would be "I refuse" and "I oppose".

With their eager anticipation, Tokugawa Iemochi made them feel the thrill of a roller coaster.

In a moment, Tokugawa Iemochi suddenly opened his eyes, and his eyes burst into brilliance.

"... If we start a war in Edo Castle Town, I'm afraid that most of Edo will be reduced to ruins."

Upon hearing this, the ministers immediately became energetic, and their faces showed excitement and excitement.

However, the next moment, Tokugawa Iemochi changed the subject:

"However, my idea coincides with Katsu-kun's. If we want to defeat this fierce enemy, we must show our ruthlessness and determination to not give up and not fear death."

The excited expressions that just appeared on the faces of the ministers froze in an instant.

"Now that things have come to this, we will do as Katsu-kun said! Besiege the city! Fight the enemy to the death!"

Tokugawa Iemochi's sonorous and powerful voice spread to every corner of the hall.

After the "frozen expression", the blood color on the cheeks of the ministers disappeared.

First, there was silence for 2 seconds, and then it was like a pot of boiling water. The ministers fell to the ground one after another, sincerely and even tearfully persuading Tokugawa Iemochi:

"Lord! Please think twice..."

Before these people could speak, Tokugawa Iemochi had already predicted what they wanted to say and interrupted them directly:

"You don't need to persuade me anymore!"

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

"I don't want to surrender to the enemy, let alone give up Edo when I have a chance of winning!"

"There are countless scholars and citizens in Edo Town."

"If the soldiers and people are not evacuated in advance, there will definitely be heavy casualties when the war begins."

"Besides, if there are Doshi people staying in the town, we won't be able to free our hands and fight."

Having said this, Tokugawa Iemo turned to look at his senior, Makino Tadayasu.

"Makino-kun, you are responsible for the 'evacuation of civilians'!"

"From today on, all soldiers and civilians are no longer allowed to stay in Edo unless necessary!"

"If there is a place to go to, you can act independently without interference from the shogunate."

"If you have nowhere to go, you can report to the shrine and the shogunate will find a place for them!"

Makino Tadayasu kept showing complicated expressions while listening carefully.

He did not agree with the "cage war" in Edo.

But since Tokugawa Iemo has spoken out to this extent, he has no right to say "no" no matter how unwilling he is.

He gritted his teeth and bowed his head and said "yes".

Then, Tokugawa Iemo turned to look at another veteran, Inaba Masakuni:

"Inaba-kun, you are responsible for negotiating with the Ou clans to make them ready to receive refugees!"

"All Edo citizens who have nowhere to go will be transferred to the Ou Domains for resettlement!"

Inaba Masakuni, like Makino Tadayasu, bravely agreed after showing embarrassment.

Tokugawa Iemo's eyes turned to the next minister-Katsurin Taro.

"Katsu-kun, I ask you to mobilize all available ships in the navy to take the soldiers and people of Edo to the Ou Domain."

Katsurin Taro raised his eyebrows:

"Are we going to dispatch all the ships in the navy?"

Tokugawa Iemo nodded:

"We are going to completely 'empty' Edo Castle this time."

"In order to evacuate all the people in the town before the enemy forces, we must mobilize all the transportation capabilities we can mobilize."

"Also, Mr. Sheng, I appoint you as the deputy governor of this Cage City battle, with full authority to command this battle!"

Katsurin Taro had a stern look on his face, sat upright, then bowed respectfully and accepted the appointment.

Deputy Governor——When they heard that Tokugawa Iemo had conferred this position on Katsurin Taro, many people at the scene couldn't help but look confused.

They all thought that Tokugawa Iemo would directly appoint Katsurin Taro as governor.

In terms of professional title, Katsurin Taro is already the president of the navy. Apart from the general himself, there is almost no official with a greater authority than him.

There is nothing wrong with making him governor.

Lian Sheng Rintaro is only the deputy governor, so who is the governor?

For a moment, the faces of the other senior middlemen who had not yet received the mission all changed.

When the president of the navy is only the deputy governor, if there is anyone who can serve as the governor...it is only Lao Zhong.

Tokugawa Iemo saw through their doubts and smiled slightly:

"I will personally serve as the governor of this battle!"

"I will stay in Edo Castle the whole time! Until Edo falls or the enemy army is defeated!"

In an instant... really in an instant! There were gasps and gasps from the scene!

Seeing Tokugawa Iemo who threatened to "conquer personally", all the ministers including Katsurin Taro were shocked.

A minister who was loyal to the Tokugawa family immediately said:

"Lord, no!"

After this person started talking, the other ministers urged Tokugawa Iemo to take refuge:

"My lord, as a general conquering the barbarians, how can you personally be involved in danger?"

"My lord, please follow the navy to take refuge in Ou!"

"My lord, please listen to my minister's advice on this point!"

After hesitating for a while, Katsurin Taro also changed into a sincere tone:

"Lord, please feel free to go and take refuge. Leave all the matters of defending the city to us!"

Faced with the persuasion of Katsurin Taro and others, Tokugawa Iemo's reaction... can be summed up in one word: unmoved.

It wasn't until all the ministers said they were tired that he said calmly:

"I am the 14th generation head of the Edo shogunate, General Seiichi."

"As the co-leader of the Wu family, how can you run away with your tail between your legs?"

"I'm staying here and not going anywhere!"

"Either life or death!"

…

…

Edo Castle, Ooku——

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The sound of rapid footsteps like a rainstorm dominated the entire Da'ao.

At this moment, the figures of female officials with anxious faces and running quickly can be seen everywhere inside Da'ao, completely lacking the graceful appearance of the past.

Not only the scholars and citizens in Edo Town had to evacuate, but all non-combatants in Edo Castle - especially the female officials of Ooku - also had to evacuate.

Perhaps they have stayed in a comfortable and comfortable environment for a long time. Even though a disaster is imminent, there are still many girls in Da'ao who are confused and ready to run away with all their belongings.

In the past, Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin had been helpless to deal with the various chaos within Daou...especially its extravagant style.

In the "Nanki-Ichitsubashi Controversy" that year, the Dao forces overwhelmingly supported the Nanki faction and indeed made contributions.

In other words, Tokugawa Iemo's successful rise to power was partly due to the Oku forces.

From this perspective, the Oku forces are Tokugawa Iemo's own family.

As we all know, if you use the knife on your own family members at will, it is very easy to suffer uncontrollable serious consequences, which can affect the whole body.

Apart from anything else, if the Da'ao force, who is a hero, is wronged, it will make other heroes feel chilled.

However, now that the situation has come to a critical moment, Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshoin will not tolerate these vain and ungrateful women.

"What's with this pile of clothes? Do you think we are going for an outing? Throw away all these heavy and space-consuming clothes!"

"Listen to me! Only bring the minimum luggage! Just bring two sets of clothes that are easy to move! Those heavy and useless dresses and jewelry are not allowed to be brought at all!"

"There is not so much space on the ship! Every extra piece of luggage on the ship means one more person loses the opportunity to board the ship!"

The person in charge of coordinating this "emptying the Ooku" operation was a close-fitting female official of Tenshoin.

At the instruction of Tokugawa Iemochi, she mercilessly denounced those female officials who had no idea how to count and dragged large and small bags of luggage.

Looking at the exquisite jewelry and gorgeous clothes, the female officials felt distressed, but they dared not complain. They followed the instructions and took only the minimum luggage - they were afraid that Tokugawa Iemochi would abandon them and escape without them.

Just when the whole Ooku was busy, somewhere in the Ooku -

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...

Tokugawa Iemochi strode through the corridor.

At this moment, he was no longer dressed in his daily clothes, but in military uniform - wearing a black and purple jūshaku, a folded hat on his head, and a katana on his waist - he looked mighty and extraordinary.

Right in front of him, several women in court costumes—they were Kazunomiya’s personal maids—gathered outside a door with anxious faces, shouting into the room:

“Your Highness, Lord Daishu has told you to leave immediately…”

Before the maid finished her words, a sharp shout came from the room:

“No! I’m not going anywhere!”

The maids were about to say something else…At this time, they found Tokugawa Iemochi walking towards them.

Seeing the general coming, the maids hurriedly prostrated themselves on the ground and saluted in fear.

Tokugawa Iemochi waved his hand, motioning them to stand up.

“Is Kazunomiya in there?”

A maid immediately answered:

“Yes. Your Highness…she doesn’t want to leave no matter what…”

Tokugawa Iemochi smiled bitterly when he heard this.

Then he moved to the door and cleared his throat:

“Kazumiya, it’s me! Iemochi!”

“…”

The room was silent, and no one answered.

"If you don't respond, I'll go in directly!"

"..."

Still no one answered.

Seeing this, Tokugawa Iemochi no longer hesitated, directly opened the door and slipped in.

In the slightly dim room, a petite girl in gorgeous clothes sat decadently on the tatami.

It was the first love brain in Edo Castle...ah, no, it was Tokugawa Iemochi's wife Kazunomiya.

Seeing Tokugawa Iemochi who suddenly appeared, Kazunomiya's cheeks flashed a touch of joy.

But in just a blink of an eye, she seemed to remember something, and turned her head away with a "humph", leaving Tokugawa Iemochi with the back of her head, looking like she was having a temper.

Tokugawa Iemochi smiled bitterly and walked forward, supporting her shoulders with both hands.

"Kazunomiya, let's go, I'll take you out of the Ooku."

"I won't leave!"

Kazunomiya yelled, while bending down, hugging her bent legs with both hands, and burying her face between her legs, turning into a "human bowling ball".

"I'll go wherever you are!"

"Since you want to stay in Edo Castle, I'll stay in Edo Castle too!"

"As long as you leave Edo Castle, I'll leave with you!"

She hugged her legs even harder, as if she was "swearing to be one with the tatami under her body".

Tokugawa Iemochi blinked, then smiled half helplessly and half delightedly.

Kazunomiya waited for a long time but did not receive any comfort or persuasion from Tokugawa Iemochi. Instead, she found that the other party was staring at her with a smile, so she could not help asking:

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, I am just sincerely happy that I have a good wife."

"Compared with the generals of previous generations, I am really happy."

"I have a kind and reliable stepmother, a respectful and virtuous wife, and a..."

He stopped talking at this point.

The second half of his words - "There is also a close friend who is like my brother and my father" - was swallowed back in time and not spoken out.

How could Kazunomiya, who grew up in the deep palace and lacked immunity to the affairs of men and women, bear such love words?

In the blink of an eye, her whole face turned red, and she turned her eyes away, not daring to look at Tokugawa Iemochi again.

Tokugawa Iemochi had extremely rich experience in how to comfort and persuade Kazunomiya.

He crossed his knees, sat beside Kazunomiya, put his arm around her shoulders, and held her in his arms.

No one knows what he said to her next... The content of their conversation remains a mystery.

About half an hour later, the female officials who were quietly waiting outside the door saw Tokugawa Iemochi holding Kazunomiya's hand and walking out slowly.

"Let's go, Kazunomiya."

Tokugawa Iemochi said softly.

"We are just separated for a short time. It won't be long before we meet again."

Kazunomiya lowered her head and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, mumbling:

"Well... you have to be more careful, don't get hurt..."

Tokugawa Iemochi laughed dumbly:

"Don't worry, I'm just staying in Edo Castle, not fighting on the front line, it's safe."

After that, he raised his hand to tidy up Kazunomiya's hair and clothes, his movements were as gentle as his tone.

"Okay, time is running out, let's go."

Wagongong opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

But until she was surrounded by female officials and left, she didn't say a word.

Tokugawa Iemo pursed his lips and stared straight at Wakiya's back, not even blinking, as if he wanted to imprint the other person's figure forever in his eyes and deep in his mind.

At this moment, just when Wakiya was about to turn the corner of the corridor and disappear from Tokugawa Iemo's field of vision, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and met his eyes.

"General!"

Her face lost the sadness and hesitation just now, and became extremely determined, and she said word by word:

"I wish you good luck in martial arts!"

When Tokugawa Iemo heard this, he was startled at first, and then showed a look of relief and emotion.

After barely calming down his turbulent mood, he nodded vigorously:

"Yes! He Gong, we will definitely defeat the bandits and bring you back as soon as possible!"

He Gong smiled.

After the couple looked at each other for a moment, Wagoniya leaned forward slightly and bowed lightly. After that, she stopped staying any longer and turned around the corner of the corridor, preparing to leave Ou and board the ship to Ou.

Although there was no longer a figure of Wakiya in front of him, Tokugawa Iemo still stared at the position where the other party was standing just now, fascinated by the sight, and he was reluctant to look back.

After a while, a flash of loneliness flashed in his eyes, and he murmured:

"...He Gong, let's meet again if we are destined."

At this moment, a heroic female voice sounded from behind him:

"Jia Mao, I finally found you! So you are here!"

Tokugawa Iemo was startled, then turned around subconsciously.

After seeing clearly the appearance of the visitor, he couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise.

"Mother, why are you...dressed like Tomoe Gozen?"

The visitor is none other than Tianzhang Courtyard.

At this time, she was not wearing the light cyan "widow outfit" or the miko costume with white top and purple bottom. Instead, she was wearing white and cyan armor. She held a naginata in her right hand and a bow in her left hand. What a wonderful female general who stepped out of ancient war paintings!

"Do you even need to ask?"

Tianzhangyuan smiled and shook the sword and bow in his hand.

"Iemo, I want to fight side by side with you! Defend Edo Castle until the last moment!"

After Tokugawa Iemo heard this, he immediately frowned.

"Mother, please forgive my blunt words: I can just stay in Edo! You don't need to get involved! Please go out of the city with Wamiya!"

Faced with Tokugawa Iemo's earnest persuasion, Tenzouin shrugged disapprovingly:

"Jia Mao, do you think I'm Wagongong? I'll give you a few coaxes and I'll be obedient."

"I've heard that Wakomiya won't leave Edo no matter what."

"It seems that you have successfully persuaded her to leave."

After saying that, Tianzhangyuan turned his head and looked at the room where He Gong was staying just now.

"Although I don't get along well with He Gong, I have to admit that she does have deep affection for you."

Tenzōin's resolute attitude made Tokugawa Iemo at a loss.

For a moment, he clenched his fists and lowered his voice:

"...Mother, haven't you already made up your mind to go to Otsu with Mr. Tachibana after the 'Changzhou Expedition' is over and the world returns to peace?"

"In that case, I beg you, my dear, don't take any risks at this juncture..."

"If anything happens to you...I will go crazy."

"If Jun Ju asks me 'Where did Yu Yi go' someday, I don't know how to answer..."

His words were full of sincere emotions... His concern for Tianzhang Academy was palpable.

Even Tianzhangyuan couldn't help but feel soft-hearted, and his facial lines relaxed a lot.

However, even so, she still did not change her determination:

"Jia Mao, who do you think I am?"

"Long before I met Shengqing, I was already the Grand Odaisho of the Edo Shogunate and the queen of the samurai family!"

"After being a member of the Wu family, I ran away from the battle. When I get under Jiuquan one day, I won't be able to see my father!"

Mother and son stared at each other, neither of them willing to give in...

…

…

"Choshu is coming, evacuate immediately" - under the propaganda of the shogunate, this news quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys of Edo.

Panic and turmoil came as expected.

Fortunately, the shogunate had already anticipated and prepared, so these panics and commotions were limited to a small area and did not spread.

It is true that the shogunate has long been characterized by "low administrative efficiency".

But today, in the face of this unprecedented catastrophe, and with the personal supervision of Tokugawa Iemo, it is rare for the shogunate to show amazing efficiency.

Officials at all levels rushed quickly to "empty" Edo step by step.

The biggest goal and the biggest difficulty of this operation is to evacuate the soldiers and people.

Those who had a place to seek refuge would drag their families and families outside the river.

Those who had no place to seek refuge followed the shogunate's arrangements and took refuge in Ou in an orderly manner.

It is worth mentioning that before this, due to the abolition of the "Appointment of Visitors", the permanent population of Edo dropped sharply.

This incident would have had a very bad impact on the Edo economy.

Unexpectedly, due to the sudden drop in population, the pressure on the shogunate to evacuate civilians was greatly reduced, which was a blessing in disguise.

…

…

Edo, Okemachi, Little Chiba Sword Hall——

"Father! Father!"

Chiba Jutaro shouted and rushed into his father Chiba Nobuyoshi's room.

"Huh? Jutaro? What's wrong?"

Chiba Shigetaro didn't care about being out of breath, and hurriedly said:

"Father, have you heard? The Choshu army is coming!"

"Oh, this."

Chiba Sadakichi nodded gently.

"I have heard about it. It is really surprising that I can personally experience 'Edo was attacked and the enemy was at the gates' in my lifetime."

When Sanako was about to give birth, their family went to Otsu to take care of Sanako.

It was not until a while ago, when Sanako gave birth smoothly and recovered well, that they set off to go home.

They never expected... they had just returned to Edo and encountered such a big event!

Chiba Shigetaro swallowed hard, and after stabilizing his breath, he hurriedly asked:

"Father, what should we do now? Should we leave Edo, or..."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Chiba Sadakichi:

"Shigetaro, what do you think?"

"Hmm?"

Chiba Sadakichi raised his eyes and stared straight at Chiba Shigetaro, his eyes deep.

"Do you want to leave Edo, or do you want to...stay?"

"..."

Chiba Shigetaro was silent.

He lowered his head, staring at the tatami in front of his toes, his cheeks full of contemplation.

Chiba Sadakichi watched quietly and waited quietly.

About 10 seconds later, he raised his head again-with a frank, eager smile on his face.

"Father, we are the 'Swordsman Family'. If you run away without even drawing your sword... this will ruin our 'Chiba' brand!"

Hearing this, Chiba Sadakichi raised the corners of his mouth. Although he smiled with his lips pursed, he smiled very happily.

Suddenly, a hearty voice sounded behind Chiba Shigetaro:

"Brother Shigetaro, well said! This is the answer that 'Chiba' should give!"

Chiba Shigetaro was stunned for a moment, turned around and looked back - two young men with swords on their waists, standing not far behind him, one on the left and one on the right.

"Brother Dao? Brother Duomen? Why are you here?"

The person who just spoke was Chiba Duomen Shiro.

Chiba Michisaburo smiled:

"There are more than just the two of us coming."

After saying that, he and Chiba Tamon Shiro both stepped back to the left and right to make way - a young man walked out from between them with firm and powerful steps

Looking at the newcomer, Chiba Shigetaro subconsciously grinned with excitement.

After standing still, the man bowed slightly, bowed slightly, and smiled:

"'Chiba of Skill' Chiba Eijiro, come to help!"

Today is another day of Leopard update! For the sake of another 7,000 Leopards today, please be sure to vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

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PS: It's a pity that this book is not a fantasy. If Chiba Eijiro said "come to help" and a storm of sword energy erupted from his body, it would be very cool!