I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 728 Changzhou Army retreats! 【4500】

Genrui Kusaka’s impassioned speech changed the atmosphere at the scene!

Sanjo Sanimi stopped talking.

He gritted his teeth, his cheekbones bulged, and his facial expression changed rapidly.

As for the other ministers of the Zunbang Sect present, they all looked at each other, their expressions becoming complicated and unspeakable.

Although they are always "reciting scriptures" on weekdays, they talk about respecting the king and fighting against the barbarians, what the emperor is doing, and what the court is doing, and they portray themselves as loyal ministers who care about the country and the people.

But in fact, they knew it very well - they never took the Emperor seriously from the beginning to the end!

They treated the Emperor no differently than ordinary people, they just regarded him as a useful tool!

As long as they are not brainwashed by Cheng and Zhu Lixue, who in their right mind would have a strong sense of loyalty to a "stranger" who usually hides behind the curtain and rarely speaks?

The so-called "facing the enemy" is a relative concept, not an absolute concept.

To put it simply - as long as we defeat the Kaisa coalition forces currently blocking the imperial palace and regain control of the emperor, we can reverse the current predicament in one fell swoop!

Just like the Muromachi Shogunate hundreds of years ago!

The Northern Dynasties, supported by the Muromachi Shogunate, defeated the Southern Dynasties established by Emperor Go-Daigo, which not only ended the Northern and Southern Dynasties era, but also regained the right to speak.

From a legal perspective, the Southern Dynasty was the orthodox regime, while the Northern Dynasty was a puppet regime.

As a result... due to military disadvantages, the Northern Dynasty swallowed up the Southern Dynasty.

With the defeat of the Southern Dynasty, the Ashikaga clan changed from a heinous enemy of the North to a hero who unified the world and reshaped the mountains and rivers.

As for the Northern Dynasties...this puppet regime continues to this day.

Strictly speaking, all the emperors since the Muromachi period were pseudo-emperors with no legitimacy at all.

The bloodline of the orthodox emperor is cut off, and the false emperor is firmly in power... It's funny and ironic.

What’s even more humorous is that all the rulers after the Southern Dynasties—Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu—all knew that the emperor currently in the Imperial Palace was a pseudo-emperor.

But for the sake of each other's interests, they all tacitly told lies and tried their best to avoid the sensitive topic of "Who is the orthodox between the Southern and Northern Dynasties?"

When the Edo shogunate compiled the history books, although they advocated the Northern Dynasties as orthodox, they also knew that this theory was simply untenable, so they added the sentence "two dynasties existed side by side" sadly, which means that the Northern and Southern Dynasties were both orthodox.

As long as the fist is big enough, even the emperor can be replaced, let alone a mere "enemy of the court"?

The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit - an eternal truth.

However... although Kusaka Genrui's words were very beautiful and touching, Sanjo Sanimi and others were not mediocre people who blinded their understanding and would not lose their sense of proportion because of his few words.

Someone shouted sharply:

"Kusaka-kun, it's easy for you to say that!"

"Let me ask you, how can you guarantee that the Changzhou Army can defeat the Huisa Allied Forces?"

"Don't think I don't know, the total strength of the Huisa Allied Forces is 3000 people!"

"The Choshu Army currently stationed in Kyoto only has 2000 people."

"With 2000 against 3000, how dare you claim to be 'a sure winner'?"

The speaker's name is Nishikikoji Ryder.

He is one of the core leaders of the Zunbang faction.

As soon as this statement came out, it immediately caused the other ministers of the Zunbang faction present to echo in succession.

"Yeah yeah!"

"The opponent has superior military strength and at the same time has the right to send troops. How do you win?"

"Kyusaka-kun, please don't act recklessly! If you use weapons without permission, something unexpected may happen!"

……

Hisaka Genzui silently endured the chatter of Sanjo Sanimi and others.

After a while, he responded loudly, neither humble nor arrogant:

"My lords, please rest assured!"

"It is true that the Huisa coalition forces have an advantage in strength."

"but!"

Speaking of this, he suddenly changed the topic and raised his voice.

"Their total strength is only 1000 more than ours!"

"As long as we show our heroic spirit without fear of death and show the 'Changzhou Soul' of our Changzhou men, we will definitely win a great victory!"

It's funny...it would have been better if he didn't say it, but when he did, it triggered an overreaction from Sanjo Sanimi and others.

Jin Xiaolu Ryder frowned and snorted angrily:

"The spirit, the 'soul of Changzhou'...are here again! Such rhetoric again!"

As he spoke, he slapped the floor excitedly, making a horrifying sound of "bang", "bang", "bang".

"You told us the same thing not long ago!"

"What do you mean by 'showing your spirit' and what do you mean by 'showing the soul of Changzhou'?"

"You keep saying that as long as you show fearless determination to die, it's not a problem for a mere Xiyi."

"But what's the result?"

"The Xiaguan War ended in a disastrous defeat! You were completely defeated by the Western Yi!"

"The only Westerners attacking Xiaguan are the United States and France. England, Lucia and other countries have not even joined the war yet, so they will beat you to the point where you can't find your way!"

"With your performance like this, how can we trust you?"

As soon as these words came out, Kusaka Genrui froze on the spot, as if he was petrified.

Looking carefully, a bean-sized bead of cold sweat seeped out and slid down from his forehead.

At the same time, the Changzhou soldiers inside and outside the room lowered their heads one after another, showing shame on their faces, looking at their noses and hearts...

The atmosphere at the scene became extremely heavy.

No one spoke, only the sound of heavy and rapid breathing.

There is a saying that "Lies will never hurt, but the truth is the sharpest knife."

Every word that Kinkoji Ryder said just now is the truth that cannot be denied.

Before the start of the Shimonoseki War, the Choshu radicals headed by Hisaka Genrui patted their chests and assured Sanjo Sanimi and others: After this battle, the Western Yi will no longer dare to underestimate the Kingdom of God!

Unexpectedly... no matter how loudly they boasted, how cruel the slap in the face would be!

To put it bluntly, Sanjo Sanimi and others were extremely disappointed with Choshu!

Ryder's words left Kusaka Genrui speechless.

Even if he wanted to argue, he couldn't do it...

At this moment, rapid footsteps suddenly came from outside the room:

"Kusaka-sama! Kusaka-sama!"

Hisaka Genrui frowned and followed the sound - a short, unattractive young man ran towards him in a hurry.

This man's name is Inoue Wenta. A few years ago, he was secretly sent by Changshu to study in the UK because of his clever mind. He studied at the University of London.

After the Shimonoseki War started, he urgently returned home together with Hirobumi Ito, a feudal lord of the Choshu domain who was also sent to study in England, to conduct peace negotiations.

Kusaka Genrui admires Inoue Munta's talent.

But... Inoue Wenduo's recent performance has made him very disappointed.

Before studying in England, Inoue was a staunch radical.

But after returning home, his whole person changed.

He no longer advocated fighting the foreigners, but instead advocated founding the country!

The same is true for Ito Hirobumi, who returned to Japan with him. He no longer supports the radical pro-protest movement, saying that "the Western countries are very powerful, and we cannot be enemies with the Western countries."

Kusaka Gensui felt disgusted from the bottom of his heart for the soft-hearted behavior of Inoue Munta and Ito Hirobumi!

If he didn't cherish their talents, he would really want to expel them from Changzhou!

However, despite being disgusted, Kusaka Genrui had to give a very high evaluation to the talents of these two people, even if he was biased.

To make the usually calm Inoue Wenduo rush here with an anxious look on his face, something big must have happened.

"Inoue-kun, what's the matter?"

Inoue Wenduo rushed to Kusaka Genrui's side, lowered her waist, put her lips close to his ear, and whispered for a while.

Kusaka Xuanrui listened intently, and in just a few seconds, his expression changed several times.

After Inoue finished speaking, he stood up straight and moved to the side. Hisaka Gensui clenched his fists and stared at the floor in front of his knees, as if in deep thought.

Before he could, he raised his eyes and head, looking excitedly at Sanjo Sanimi and others in front of him.

"My lords, things have taken a turn for the better!"

"Our friendly forces have appeared in the Yamato area!"

……

……

Wenjiu three years (1863), August 8, evening——

Kyoto, Imperial Palace, Sakai-cho Imperial Gate—

"Ga——! Ga——! Ga——! Ga——!" The crow crows... The crow, which comes from nowhere, flies over the imperial palace, leaving behind a black flying shadow.

The "quacking" sound spread lightly into the distance.

The sun setting towards the western horizon dyed the dense clouds in the sky red, turning it orange.

The dim glow penetrated the gaps in the treetops and slanted into the streets, gradually giving off a cool touch in the air.

On the neither wide nor narrow street outside the Imperial Gate of Sakai Town, the armies of the two camps have been in a stalemate for a whole day.

The Huisa Allied Forces tightly guarded the garrison.

The Changzhou army watched with eager eyes.

The soldiers on both sides were waiting for new instructions from each other's supreme commanders.

During this period, the officers and soldiers of the Huisa Allied Forces—mainly middle- and lower-level generals—made suggestions to Matsudaira Yongho and Saigo Kinosuke again and again: attack immediately! Destroy the Changzhou Army!

The emperor has issued Chen Han, indicating the wolfish ambition of the Zunbang faction.

We have superior forces and the right to attack... If we don't win quickly, how long will it take?

Even if he immediately sent his troops to cover up and kill him, others would not be able to say anything.

If the stalemate continues and the people of Changzhou continue to glare at each other, it will only be a waste of time.

Matsudaira Yongyasu and Saigo Yoshinosuke both rejected this suggestion put forward by the generals.

Fighting in the cities and towns of Kyoto was not what they wanted.

Once the fighting started in a narrow street where it was difficult to move, it was difficult to take advantage of the strength of the troops.

If it goes wrong, it can easily turn into a bad battle in which the two armies consume each other.

Secondly, using the cities and towns of Kyoto as a battlefield will bring extremely serious disasters to the fellow citizens of Kyoto.

Both warring sides are equipped with powerful guns and artillery.

Leaving aside bullets, the threat from artillery shells is too great.

Any cannonball fired at it can easily destroy a long house!

It doesn't matter if the house is destroyed, the biggest fear is a fire!

In short, once a war breaks out in the cities and towns of Kyoto, the consequences will be unimaginable, and most of Kyoto may be buried with it!

Even if they finally defeat Choshu, they will lose the hearts and minds of the people in Kyoto.

Changzhou would even use this to create public opinion, denounced the Huisa Allied Forces as Dong Zhuo and his ilk, called rebels, but in fact they were rebels who destroyed Kyoto.

The originally good situation turned into a haze.

Matsudaira Yoshiho and Saigo Kinosuke would never do this stupid strategy of "killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred to oneself".

Anyway, they have firmly controlled the Imperial Palace, and the initiative in the war is in their hands.

You can't fight in the streets, if you want to fight, fight in the field!

They planned to wait for Choshu to withdraw from Kyoto due to the situation, then lead his troops to catch up with him and have a showdown with him in the wild!

The commanders of the two camps just held their own little Jiujiu.

Time passes...the sky becomes darker and darker, and the twilight reflected in the streets becomes darker and darker.

There was silence everywhere...except for the occasional crow, there was no other sound.

Suddenly, there was a slight movement in the Changzhou Army formation.

Matsudaira Yongho and Saigo Kinosuke looked up - a young man was running quickly towards the commander of the Choshu Army who was responsible for pulling strings.

The young man said something to the commander.

Due to the distance, Matsudaira Yongho and Saigo Kinosuke did not hear clearly.

However, they clearly saw the commander's expression change drastically.

"what?!"

He glared at the young man, his eyes seeming to spit out fire.

"Is this really Hisaka-sama's order?"

The young man nodded vigorously:

"Yes! This is Lord Kusaka's order!"

"..."

The commander gritted his teeth, his teeth creaking loudly, and a look of intense confusion appeared on his face.

Before he could, he spat violently and then raised the military equipment in his hand.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

As soon as this order came out, it immediately introduced new "vitality" into the dull atmosphere of the scene.

Needless to say, there is no need to say more about the reaction of the Huisa Allied Forces.

Some people are surprised.

Some people were surprised.

Some people breathed a sigh of relief.

The reaction from the Changzhou Army was basically one of shock, confusion, annoyance and anger.

However, the military order fell like a mountain.

Even though they had various emotions, the soldiers of the Changzhou Army obeyed the orders obediently, and no one raised any questions to the commander.

As soon as the commander said to retreat, the entire army withdrew.

There was a loud sound of "clatter, clatter, clatter" footsteps.

Orders and prohibitions... From this point of view, the Changzhou Army is indeed one of the most powerful armies in the world.

Looking at the rapidly retreating Changzhou Army, the morale of the Huisa Allied Forces... can be said to have increased instantly!

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"

"The Changzhou people have retreated!"

"Hey! Changzhou people! Are you running away now? Is this your 'Changzhou Soul'?"

What's more, they directly and spontaneously shouted Sheng Shu:

"Eh! Eh!"

"Oh oh oh--!"

"Eh! Eh!"

"Ohhhhhhhh-!"

A general of the Aizu Army rushed to Matsudaira Yoshiho excitedly and said cheerfully:

"Lord! The Changzhou Army has retreated! Let's start the pursuit quickly!"

"..."

Faced with the general's request to fight, Matsudaira Yongho did not respond immediately and said nothing.

A similar situation occurred with the Satsuma Army.

Someone suggested a pursuit to Saigo Kinosuke, but Saigo Kinosuke refused to respond.

The two supreme commanders of the Huisa Allied Forces were not as happy as their subordinates.

"...Don't be too happy too early."

Without warning, Saigo Kinosuke said calmly.

"It's not time to be happy yet. Send five people with good legs and feet to follow us and see what Changzhou wants to do."

……

……

After resolving the confrontation with the Huisa coalition forces, the Changshu army retreated southward without stopping, and withdrew from Kyoto in one breath.

After arriving at the southern suburbs of Kyoto, they stopped their retreat and deployed their troops, setting up camp and assuming a defensive posture of "holding this place to the death."

Neither attacking nor retreating, they just stayed on the outskirts of Kyoto.

After learning about the movements of the Choshu Army, Saigo Kinosuke sneered:

"Humph, I see...they are just sitting there waiting for help!"

After hearing this, a general from the Satsuma Army asked:

"Waiting for reinforcements? What reinforcements can they have?"

Saigo Kinosuke shrugged:

"Who else could it be? Of course it's the rebels currently wreaking havoc on Yamato! Choshu wants to wait for the rebels to move north, then join forces with them, and then launch a decisive battle with us when the troops are strong, and take it back in one go. Imperial Palace!”

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