I formed the strongest swordsman group

Chapter 945 Entrust the

"Vairochana...!"

Elody stared at the long object handed over by Shikizaki Kiyose with wide eyes.

When she came to her senses, she had already reached out to take it and peeled off the outer cloth.

The black and purple handle and sheath, the simple sheath decoration that tells of a long history... It is the demon sword Vairochana!

While Elody and Kondo Shusuke were both attracted by it, Shikizaki Kiyose grinned,

"Blond hair and blue eyes foreigner... I have heard of you, you should be the apprentice of Tachibana Aoto?"

Elody nodded subconsciously.

"That's perfect! Since you are the apprentice of Tachibana Aoto, I can safely hand it over to you!"

When he mentioned the pronoun "it", he lowered his head and looked at the Vairochana in Elody's hand with soft eyes.

"Although it took a little longer, I finally accomplished my mission."

"I am willing to use my life as a guarantee. This is my masterpiece!"

At this point, his eyes became softer, as if he was looking at his own child.

"'Wanlian Steel' is indeed an incomparable top-grade steel."

"Even if we used the furnace that has been passed down from generation to generation in our Shikisaki family, it took seven days and seven nights to melt it."

"There is probably no more difficult steel in the world than this."

"Such a great steel can be used to forge a sword... I will definitely not have the opportunity to forge a sword of this quality in my life."

"I am grateful to be able to forge such a supreme sword when the sword is about to be eliminated!"

"Whether it is 'Supreme Great Work' or any other sword, it can't be compared with this sword at all!"

At this point, a flush of excitement rose on his cheeks.

At this moment, he was no longer a prodigal who gave up on himself because of the outdated sword, but a swordsmith full of pride!

After calming down a little, he couldn't wait to say:

"Okay, let's check the goods!"

"Let the legendary 'black sword' appear in the world!"

After saying that, he raised his hand to signal Elodie to draw the sword.

Qingdeng used the rare "ten thousand steel" to recast the blade of Vairocana - Kondo Shusuke had heard about this.

As a swordsman, how could he not be interested in the legendary "black sword"?

Therefore, he leaned over and stared at the scabbard of Vairocana, not even daring to blink, ready to welcome the moment when the black sword appeared in the world.

Facing the enthusiastic gazes of Kondo Shusuke and Shikizaki Kiyomi, Elodie held the Vairocana in her hand with a stiff movement, holding the scabbard with her left hand and stroking the handle with her right hand.

"..."

The coldness of the sheath, the texture of the handle... Elodie carefully and attentively experienced all these touches.

At this moment, she felt her heart beating very fast.

For her, this knife has a very special meaning.

Using the "Wanlian Steel" passed down from generation to generation in her family to forge a magic weapon that belongs to her alone, and then holding this weapon in hand, she becomes a knight who fights for injustice... This is her dream all along.

Because she thinks Qing Deng needs this steel more than she does, and can also better exert the power of this steel, so she is willing to entrust it to him.

At first glance, she seems to have given up her dream.

In fact, it is not.

If it is described in accurate words... She is entrusting her dream to Qing Deng!

I hope Qing Deng can wield the knife forged with this steel.

I hope Qing Deng can hold this knife tightly, become the leading knight, and realize her unfinished dream for her!

In other words, the knife she is holding now is a concrete symbol of her dream...!

When she thought of this, she felt her heart beat faster, and even her hands were trembling slightly.

At this moment, her right hand had grasped the handle of Vairocana, and she could pull it out with just a little effort.

However... her hand stopped, and she hesitated to pull out the sword.

After a while, she shook her head and slowly let go of her right hand.

"... No, I can't pull it out."

Before Kondo Shusuke and Shikizaki Kiyoshi asked further, she explained in an unquestionable and firm tone:

"This Vairocana is the master's sword."

"Only the master is qualified to pull it out!"

"'The appearance of the black sword', 'the first time to draw the sword after recasting'... these precious honors must be left to the master."

"I can't overstep my authority."

At the end of the conversation, she deliberately changed to a half-joking tone to ease the atmosphere.

After hearing this, Kondo Shusuke smiled helplessly and nodded gently:

"Well, Elodie, you are right. We really can't just pull out Qing Deng's sword casually, especially this kind of sword full of special meaning."

Shikizaki Kiyose spread his hands and expressed regret.

"You swordsmen always have unusual obsessions in some strange places."

"But... okay."

"Since you insist so much, you have to hand it over to Mr. Tachibana intact."

After saying that, he turned his body sideways and pretended to leave.

"I have delivered the sword."

"I have to leave Edo before the enemy attacks."

"If it weren't for forging a sword for Mr. Tachibana, I would have wanted to run away long ago..."

Perhaps because he didn't want Elodie and the others to think he was a coward, he just finished speaking and hurriedly added:

"I am just a swordsmith. I have no other skills except swinging a hammer."

"I chose to leave Edo purely out of helplessness!"

Elodie and Kondo Shusuke smiled slightly, seeing through it but not criticizing it.

Let those who cannot fight leave the battlefield - this is a matter of course.

Elodie smiled brightly:

"Mr. Shikizaki, thank you for your hard work!"

Kondo Shusuke said:

"Mr. Shikizaki, I wish you a safe journey!"

After the two said goodbye, Shikizaki Jiyose no longer stayed.

After leaving the words "See you soon", he trotted away.

Elodie and Kondo Shusuke stood still, watching each other silently.

After his figure slipped into the far corner of the street, the girl turned her head and looked at the old man apologetically.

"Mr. Kondo, I'm sorry, but you really want to see the whole "Black Knife", right?"

Kondo Shusuke rubbed his chin and laughed a few times:

"Hoo ho ho ho ho!"

"Elodie, you don't have to worry!"

"You are right. It is very impolite for us to pull out other people's knives without permission."

"Unless we get Qingdeng's permission, we can't draw the sword for him."

"Besides...compared to you, this little shortcoming of mine is nothing worth mentioning."

"You want to pull out this knife immediately more than I do, don't you?"

Although he used a question sentence, his tone was an affirmative one.

Elodie chuckled, showing a playful expression of "I was right."

Why didn't she want to pull out Vairocana immediately?

This black knife symbolizes her dream... It is no exaggeration to say that she now feels as if there are ten thousand ants swimming and gnawing in her heart!

She couldn't wait to pull out the knife, couldn't wait to see the blade of the knife, couldn't wait to let its light fill her eyes!

"Hiss...! Huh...! Hiss...! Huh...!"

She took several deep breaths with exaggerated movements, and used her willpower to forcibly resist the urge to draw the knife.

Then, she lowered her head again and looked at Vairocana in her hand, thinking deeply.

Suddenly, she raised her gaze and cast a fiery look at the old man.

"Mr. Kondo, can you let me keep Vairocana?"

"I want to hand it to the master with my own hands!"

A look of surprise flashed in Kondo Shusuke's eyes.

He stared directly at Elodie, looking at each other as if he was thinking about something.

Regarding the girl's sudden request, he didn't say much and just nodded vigorously:

"sure!"

"I'd love it if you were willing to keep it for me."

"I'm older now and my memory is really bad."

"If you let me keep this knife, I'm afraid I'll forget where I put it after a while!"

…

Three days later, early in the morning——

Edo, Edo Castle, Ohiroma——

Tokugawa Iemo, who was dressed in military uniform, sat on the main seat, holding the tachi on his waist with his left hand, and placed his right hand on his right leg, closing his eyes to relax.

In order to show his determination to defend Edo and never retreat, and to remind himself to always maintain fighting status, he only wore armor in recent days, neatly dressed.

At the same time, he has been staying in the large room a lot recently, and he will sit here even if he has nothing to do.

In this way, it is not only convenient for him to issue orders, but also convenient for his subordinates to find him.

At first, many people felt that his declaration of "vowing to live and die with Edo" was just a rant.

The cowhide blows loudly, but when the danger really comes, he escapes faster than anyone else - such people are everywhere in the long history.

After a few days, send a few eloquent people to say something like "The meaning of the ancient Spring and Autumn Annals: the law is not respected. How can a general and a president kill himself?" and other such beautiful words to give Tokugawa Iemo a step forward. , he will borrow the donkey to get off the slope - most people think so.

Everyone was mentally prepared that "Tokugawa Iemo will definitely leave Edo."

Please...you...collect_6_9_书_Bar (Six//Nine//Books//Bar)

However... today, they suddenly discovered: Tokugawa Iemo seems to be serious!

It seems that he really intends to defend Edo! Don't want to leave!

Although the shogunate was full of insects and "crooks" filled the court, there were still some loyal ministers.

No matter what, Tokugawa Iemo has always been the legitimate supreme leader of the samurai family and the fourteenth generation shogun of the shogunate.

Those loyal ministers could not watch their general in danger.

Therefore, they either wrote letters and submitted suggestions, or met in person and urged them face to face. Every day, people begged Tokugawa Iemo to leave Edo and go to Ou or other places to take refuge.

You know, faced with such a proposal, Tokugawa Iemo had only one response: stern rejection.

"I have said it before, I swear to live and die with Edo! Either I will survive with Edo, or I will perish with Edo!" - He used these words to block all suggestions to leave Edo.

Not only did he not withdraw, he also refused to let his warriors withdraw.

On the day when he ordered preparations for war, Tokugawa Iemo ordered that all samurai in Edo Town - whether it was Hatamoto or imperial family members - must stay! Not allowed to leave Edo!

To put it simply: civilians can withdraw, but warriors cannot!

Any warrior who absconds privately will be regarded as a defector! Impose top penalty!

At first glance, it seems cruel.

In essence, there is nothing wrong with Tokugawa Iemo's order.

What is a samurai?

In a word: professional soldiers dedicated to fighting!

During the shogunate era when the samurai were in power, civilians could not serve as soldiers. Going into battle to kill the enemy and expand territory were the privileges and obligations of the samurai.

Otherwise, where did their name of "samurai" come from?

It was natural for soldiers to fight.

Of course, Tokugawa Iemochi had long been dissatisfied with the direct officials who were drunk and dreaming and did not want to make progress.

[Note: Direct officials: a general term for hatamoto and samurai. ]

Everyone knows Tokugawa Iemochi's hostility towards direct officials.

"Promoting military reform and enhancing the combat effectiveness of the shogunate army" has always been Tokugawa Iemochi's key policy direction.

However, the direct officials have long become an extremely solid interest group that cannot be penetrated by needles or water.

Reforming the current military system is equivalent to affecting their rice bowls, so they naturally want to fight Tokugawa Iemochi to the end.

Their obstruction everywhere made Tokugawa Iemochi's military reform very unsuccessful, and it was not until the past two years that there was finally some improvement.

Considering the grudges between the two sides... Tokugawa Iemochi forced the direct officers to stay, it is hard not to think that he was deliberately taking revenge on these parasites.

In short, relying on this order that "all samurai must stay and cannot be disobeyed", Tokugawa Iemochi managed to gather a 30,000-man garrison!

Although it is far from the famous "80,000 hatamoto cavalry", this is undoubtedly a large-scale army!

However, it is easy to imagine that those direct officers who were forced to do so must have no combat effectiveness.

According to the report submitted by Katsurintaro a while ago, many people could not even put away their swords, let alone swinging them, and there were many people who cut their palms when putting away their swords.

Obviously, these guys can only play the role of "battlefield atmosphere group", and they can't be expected to have any outstanding performance on the battlefield.

The troops that can really be used and fight hard battles are only a few troops represented by the Kobu Army and the Fire Thieves, with a strength of about 3,000 people.

Out of an army of 30,000, only 3,000 were capable of fighting... Tokugawa Iemochi was not surprised by this result.

He had never placed hope on those guys from the beginning.

The reason why he issued the order "must stay" was simply because he didn't want them to live too comfortably.

You have been enjoying the blessings of your ancestors for more than 200 years, but when it's time for you to fulfill your obligations, you just patted your butt and ran away... Where is such a good thing in this world!

To be honest, Tokugawa Iemochi would rather see more of these useless people who only waste money and food die!

Just as Tokugawa Iemochi closed his eyes to rest, he suddenly heard familiar footsteps coming from far away.

He asked without opening his eyes:

"Mother, what's wrong?"

Fully armed, carrying a naginata and a bow and arrow, Tenshoin strode into the big hall and walked straight towards Tokugawa Iemochi.

Like Tokugawa Iemochi, she only wore armor during this period.

"Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to come and see you." She said, moving to Tokugawa Iemochi and sitting down with her knees bent. "Iemochi, I heard that you have a very poor appetite recently and have hardly eaten anything. What happened? It made you lose your appetite." "No, nothing." Tokugawa Iemochi smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Nothing big happened. It's just because... I'm very nervous, so I don't have much appetite, that's all." After that, he showed his right hand to Tenshoin - only to see that his right palm was trembling slightly, like he was having the hiccups. Seeing this, Tenshoin smiled slightly: "Iemochi, you don't have to be ashamed of this. Because..." She stopped at a strange place. Then, she stretched out her right hand - her palm was also trembling. "I'm nervous too. I made a vow to 'defend Edo to the death', but I'm so nervous. It's really embarrassing." Seeing that his beloved mother was the same as himself, Tokugawa Iemochi was slightly startled, and then he laughed dumbly - the magical thing was that at this moment, the frequency of his palm trembling was greatly reduced, and his expression became much more natural.

Suddenly, Tenshoin suddenly threw out a new question:

"Iemochi, is there any news about Shengqing?"

Tokugawa Iemochi replied without hesitation:

"No, no news yet."

"Is that so..."

"..."

"What do you mean, mother?"

"Until yesterday, whenever I mentioned Shengqing, you would always persuade me to leave Edo in a roundabout way. Today you are particularly quiet, and you didn't persuade me to evacuate. For a moment, I was a little uncomfortable."

"Oh, this..."

Tokugawa Iemochi smiled.

"I give up."

"At this point, I have to admit that you, mother, are more stubborn than I am."

"I can't convince you by myself."

"Although I am very reluctant, I have no choice but to give up."

"But instead, I have made up my mind: I must protect you to the end!"

He raised his hand and touched the sword at his waist, his tone firm.

Ten Shoin frowned slightly when she heard it, and her face showed displeasure.

Then she opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something or refute something.

But at this moment——

Boom!

There was an explosion in the distance!

Instantly, both mother and son changed their faces.

The next breath, they stood up, took two steps at a time and ran to the window not far away, crouched on the window, and looked towards the explosion.

In a street north of Edo Castle, dark smoke drifted to the distant sky... There was a flame burning under the smoke.

This explosion was not an isolated "incident".

Woo woo woo...!

Tokugawa Iemochi faintly heard a sharp "woo woo" sound from the sky, which seemed to be the sound of breaking wind.

Before he looked up-

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shells fell into Edo Town like raindrops!

The explosions destroyed the houses and the silence!

The flames rose... The orange-red fire became the brightest color in Edo at that time!

Tokugawa Iemochi looked at all this with a sullen face, and murmured:

"It's coming...!"

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