I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 739: The cooperation between the Fanzhu Party and the Choshu Domain! 【4400】

Kyoto, southern suburbs, camp of Huisa Allied Forces, main camp——

"Lord! The enemy has sneaked into the forest in the western suburbs, relying on the dense bushes to defend!"

"The trees are too dense, and it's too dark, so our vision is limited. It's difficult for us to find the enemy and our attack is blocked!"

"And... the enemy seems to have received strong foreign aid!"

"According to the information passed back from the front line, there were suddenly a young man who wielded two tachi and a bald middle-aged man who wielded a large tachi among the enemy troops."

"These two people are extremely powerful! They both have the courage to do anything!"

"With the help of these two people, the enemy's strength has greatly increased!"

"We have launched multiple rounds of offensives, but so far, we have not captured that forest!"

After listening to the report from his subordinates, Matsudaira Yongho frowned.

Also frowning was Saigo Kinosuke sitting next to him.

Matsudaira Yongho murmured:

"Foreign aid... who are they? They would actually assist Changzhou at this time..."

Since the "August 18th Coup", the people of Changzhou have become street rats that everyone wants to beat.

Anyone with a bit of brains knows that the long-lasting "battle between Zun and Samu" staged in Kyoto has come to an end.

The Zunhuang faction completely lost power! The Rise of the Samu Sect!

Those "centrists" who are swinging between left and right are now busy showing their loyalty.

As for the original forces of the Zunban faction, they were also eager to draw a clear line with Changzhou, for fear of having any relationship with Changzhou.

The so-called "the trees fall and the hozens scatter" is nothing better than this.

Think back to how majestic the people of Changzhou were before August 18th.

Not only did he control the imperial court, he even issued a false edict, forcing the emperor to perform the "Yamato trip" of Lao Shizi, and then took the opportunity to kidnap the emperor to Changshu.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, the people of Changzhou changed from being arrogant to being arrogant.

No one would have imagined that the political situation in Kyoto would undergo such a major change in just one night.

All in all, Matsudaira Yongho really couldn't imagine what kind of people and forces would be so determined to help Changzhou at this time.

This approach... is simply like the whole family taking refuge with Akechi Mitsuhide after the "Honnoji Incident".

Just as Matsudaira Yongho finished speaking, Saigo Kinosuke snorted coldly:

"No matter who they are!"

"No matter what, what we should do remains the same!"

"Our troops have an overwhelming advantage!"

"As long as we continue to attack, sooner or later these insects will be eradicated!"

After hearing this, Matsudaira Yongho nodded gently:

"Yes, that's right. Pass my order! All armies step up their offensive! Be sure to..."

Before he finished speaking——

"My lord! My lord! My lord!"

Suddenly, anxious shouts came from the distance.

A certain general from the Aizu army shouted loudly as he stumbled into the main formation.

Seeing this, Matsudaira Yongho immediately asked:

"what happened?"

"Lord! Something bad has happened! The Imperial Palace has been attacked! The Imperial Palace has been attacked!"

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere inside and outside the formation suddenly changed!

Although Saigo Kinnosuke's expression changed, he was still able to sit on the horse safely.

On the other hand, Matsudaira Yongho... He stood up immediately, his eyes as wide as bells.

"What did you say?! How many attackers are there? How is the battle going?"

The general replied stammeringly:

"The current situation is unclear! I only know that a fierce battle broke out outside the Imperial Palace! The battle situation... is not ideal! It is said that the current battle situation is one-sided!"

Matsudaira Yongho's complexion suddenly turned livid, and he was thinking quickly:

They deployed more than 200 guards outside the imperial palace.

It can put more than 200 guards into a tough fight... This shows that the scale of the invading enemy will be quite astonishing!

Is it the Changzhou Rangers?

Or... other forces are fishing in troubled waters?

Although his mind was filled with questions, Matsudaira Yongho quickly made a decision:

"Xixiang-kun, I'll leave this to you! I'm going to personally lead the troops to rescue you!"

As for Matsudaira Yoshiho's idea of ​​"conquering the imperial army personally", Saigo Kinosuke seemed to have anticipated it in advance and did not react excessively. He just calmly asked:

"How many troops are you taking with you?"

Matsudaira Yongho asserted without hesitation:

"Half! I want to take away half of the troops!"

The total strength of the Huisa coalition is 3000.

Take away half of the troops...that is, 1500 people!

Matsudaira Yoshiyasu's words immediately aroused doubts from some people present.

A certain general of the Satsuma Army couldn't help but question:

"Higo-sama, you want to take away half of the troops... How can this be done! As a result, we will only have 1500 troops left to deal with the Choshu people!"

After the man finished speaking, before Matsudaira Yongho could speak, Saigo Kinosuke took the lead and retorted on his behalf:

"Now is not the time to say such things!"

His face was long and gloomy.

"If the Imperial Guard is lost, we will be stigmatized as 'unable to protect the Imperial Guard'!"

"The righteous reputation we have finally earned will be gone!"

"By then, even if we beat the people of Changzhou into ashes, it will be of no use!"

Saigo Kinosuke has a unique and lofty status in the Satsuma Army.

He had spoken in person, and the generals of the Satsuma Army present were naturally as silent as a cicada, watching their noses and hearts and not daring to say anything more.

"Higo-sama, please leave quickly!"

Saigo Kinosuke turned to look at Matsudaira Yongho next to him, and said seriously:

"Just leave this place to me!"

Matsudaira Yongho nodded vigorously:

"Yeah! Please!"

……

……

Matsudaira Yongho led the personal guards and rushed to the imperial palace at high speed.

The follow-up troops formed a long line and followed closely behind him.

He galloped all the way regardless of his horsepower... Soon, the tall Sakai-machi Royal Gate came into view.

At the same time, the strong smell of blood penetrated directly into his nostrils.

After the distance got closer... Matsudaira Yongho was so shocked by the sight in front of him that his pupils shrank sharply! There are no words to describe it!

Outside the imperial palace, corpses were everywhere!

Corpses were scattered everywhere, with almost no place to go.

If you look carefully, you will find that without exception, these people were all killed with one blow!

A certain Aizu general who was proficient in swordsmanship couldn't help but praise after seeing the wounds on these corpses:

"What a superb swordsmanship...!"

Yōho Matsudaira had no intention of understanding the attacker's skill level.

He glanced roughly at the group of corpses, then stretched his neck and said loudly:

"Is there anyone alive? Is there anyone alive?!"

He shouted three times.

No one answered...

Looking up, he saw neither his subordinates alive nor the enemy.

"Shanchuan-kun, you lead 100 people to search for survivors, and the rest follow me!"

With that said, Matsudaira Yongho got off his horse and walked quickly towards the Sakai Town Imperial Gate.

The officers and soldiers of the Aizu Army were shocked when they saw this.

"Lord! Be careful!"

"The enemy might not have left yet!"

"Why are you standing there? Why don't you go and protect the lord!"

The officers and soldiers of the Aizu Army rushed forward in a swarm, protecting Matsudaira Yongho in three circles inside and three outside.

The Sakai-cho Imperial Gate is intact...with no traces of an attack. Matsudaira Yongho quickened his pace.

A certain general clearly ordered the soldiers to open the royal gate in advance.

Squeak, squeak, squeak... Accompanied by a dry and harsh sound, the thick imperial door slowly opened.

It had just opened a gap that could barely accommodate one person, and Matsudaira Yongho couldn't wait to step inside.

As soon as he stepped into the imperial palace, he bumped into a young minister.

"Higo-sama! You are finally here!"

He spoke in a eunuch-like "gongqing accent" and cried until his tears made the white powder on his face smeared with tears.

"Sorry for frightening you. Did the thief break into the imperial palace?"

The young minister wiped his tears and said hummingly:

"No, no..."

After learning that the thief did not break into the imperial palace, Matsudaira Yongho secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

——Fortunately...the worst case did not happen...

After thinking so secretly, Matsudaira Yongho asked:

"When will the thieves arrive?"

"D-About half an hour ago, we suddenly heard brutal shouts of death coming from outside the imperial palace..."

"How many thieves are here? Have you seen them?"

"This, this... we don't know... we were so scared at the time! We were so scared that we didn't dare to move! How could we have the leisure to count the number of intruders!"

The most critical information was missing... Although Matsudaira Yongho felt depressed, he was helpless.

At this time, Shanchuan Bingwei, who had just been sent by Matsudaira Yongho to search for survivors, returned.

"My lord! My lord!"

"Ah, Yamakawa-kun, you are finally back, how about it? Have you found any survivors?"

Yamakawa Bie swallowed hard:

"I, we... we walked through the 'Nine Gates of the Imperial Palace'... the more than 200 guards deployed here... were all killed! No one survived!"

As soon as these words came out, the temperature at the scene seemed to drop several degrees!

Everyone present - including Matsudaira Yongho - was all shocked!

More than two hundred soldiers... were all killed...

Not only do we not know the identity of the invading enemies, we don’t even know their specific number...

Compared to the lack of information, there was another thing that puzzled Matsudaira Yongho even more.

——The thieves clearly launched an attack on the imperial palace, but why did they only kill the first one and not attack the imperial palace?

——Could it be said that... their real purpose is not to capture the Imperial Palace?

At this thought, Matsudaira Yongho seemed to realize something, his expression immediately changed, and his face darkened little by little.

"I see... surround Wei and save Zhao...!"

……

……

After Matsudaira Yoshiho took away 1500 troops, Saigo Kinnosuke commanded the remaining troops and continued to pursue the Choshu Army.

Being able to kill more than 200 fully armed soldiers in a short period of time... Such a terrifying killing speed can only mean two things -

First, the attackers were an army of staggering size.

Secondly, the attacker is a "one-person army" monster like Tachibana Aoden!

According to the currently known intelligence, the latter is more likely!

If it is a large-scale army with such a conspicuous target maneuvering in the town of Kyoto, it is impossible to escape the eyes and ears of the Huisa Allied Forces.

No matter what, never make the same mistake again!

If their home was really stolen, they would really be in tears.

Although the thieves who attacked the Imperial Palace have disappeared without a trace, no one can say whether they will fight back.

Therefore, Matsudaira Yongho had to personally lead the 1500 soldiers he brought to the imperial palace.

Most of the men and horses taken away by Matsudaira Yongho were soldiers of the Aizu Army.

Most of the troops left for Saigo Yoshinosuke were soldiers of the Satsuma Army.

Saigo Kinosuke is indeed a rare commander.

The Satsuma people also live up to the name "Satsuma Hayato".

[Note: Satsuma Hayato: Because Satsuma is a martial artist, the Satsuma people like to call themselves "Satsuma Hayato"]

Under the command of Saigo Kinnosuke, they launched a fierce attack on the Choshu Army one after another.

It's just that...the number of troops has been reduced by half, and the impact it has is immediate.

The pressure on Katsura Kogoro and others was greatly reduced.

Relying on the weather (night) and location (forest), and with the full assistance of Su Nuo and Umibozu, they resisted tenaciously and pinned the Sa coalition forces to the western suburbs of Kyoto.

During this period, the help of Su Nuo and Master Haifang were of great help.

Especially Su Nuo.

Su Nuo is very familiar with the forest.

He knew exactly where it was suitable to lay traps; where he couldn't defend; where he could effectively intercept the enemy.

At first, Katsura Kogoro's most optimistic estimate was that he could only stay in the woods for an hour.

As a result, due to the sudden decrease in the number of troops that could be put into battle by the Huisa Allied Forces and the two major foreign aids of Su Nuo and Haifangzhu, they managed to survive for 2 hours! Carry it until dawn!

As the sky grew brighter, Katsura Kogoro and others slowly withdrew from the woods and headed west.

After Saigo Kinnosuke learned about the movements of the rear army, he did not order a pursuit, but instead issued an order to "retract troops" to the entire army.

Although he was unwilling to do so, reason finally defeated emotion - Saigo Kinnosuke knew very well: it is meaningless to continue to pursue the Choshu Army.

The desperate fighting of Katsura Kogoro and others successfully bought a lot of time for the Choshu Army to evacuate.

At this point in time, the Changzhou Army's large forces had already withdrawn a long distance.

Even if they chased at full speed, they couldn't catch up with each other.

In this way, this "Kyoto Battle" that lasted for one night came to an end.

From a macro level, it was undoubtedly the Changzhou Army that won.

With only 300 troops, Katsura Kogoro was able to contain the Huisa coalition forces that were ten times their size and achieved the expected goal.

On the other hand, the Huisa Allied Forces failed to realize the strategic plan of "annihilating a large number of the effective forces of the Changzhou Army".

But... the price the Changzhou Army paid for this was not a heavy one!

The rear army of 300 people was almost completely wiped out! There were only 28 survivors, and all of them were injured!

Even Su Nuo and Haifangzhu, who were extremely skilled, had several wounds on their bodies.

As for Katsura Kogoro, who must climb first in every battle, there is no need to go into detail.

Judging from his appearance alone, he seemed to have only half a life left.

Katsura Kogoro and others retreated to the Harima area west of Gyeonggi Province before stopping to rest.

"Huh... I finally caught up with you..."

A sudden familiar voice...

Katsura Kogoro raised his eyebrows, and then followed the sound - Shuten Doji was riding a panting horse, walking slowly towards him.

I saw that Shuten Doji's body was covered in layers of blood...but he himself was intact and not injured at all.

"You...are still alive?"

Shuten Doji smiled slightly:

"For me, this level is nothing at all. At most, it can only warm me up."

"Okay, now that we are safe, we can finally calm down and have a good talk."

As Shuten Doji said this, he got off his horse and moved to Katsura Kogoro.

"Kui-kun, I'll get right to the point."

"The reason why we, the Law Punishment Party, will lend a helping hand to you is to achieve long-term and solid cooperation with you, Changzhou!"

Katsura Kogoro opened his eyes wide.

"our cooperation?"

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