I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 826 I, Tachibana Aoto, come to the rescue again! [4900]

Facing Prajna's shouting, Saito snorted coldly:
"You want to challenge Mr. Tachibana in a duel? Defeat us first!"

Prajna grinned, with the corners of her mouth almost split to her ears, revealing her scarlet gums and white teeth.

"That's true! Then I'll wait until I defeat you guys before I go fight Tachibana Aoto in a one-on-one duel!"

Hijikata Toshizo glanced at Souji, then looked at Prajna, and said in a deep voice:

"For some reason, Ju has gone to deal with more urgent matters and won't be back for a while."

After saying this, he clenched Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada in his hand and stared at Prajna with a serious expression.

Behind him, Kamo Serizawa and Sadaki Nakazawa looked the same.

He faced off against Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime at the same time, and was not at a disadvantage at all... This picture already shows how powerful Prajna is!

Even the usually arrogant and fearless Serizawa Duck changed his expression and began to sweat after witnessing Prajna's terrifying strength with his own eyes.

Even if the three greatest masters of the Shinsengumi joined forces, they could only fight him to a draw... In this case, I'm afraid Qing Deng is the only one who can fight this guy in a one-on-one duel!

The ever-changing battle does not allow any carelessness.

In the blink of an eye, Souji and others were fighting with Prajna again!

The moonlight stretched out four shadows that moved at high speed and changed repeatedly.

In a flash, Saito launched a surprise attack.

At the same time, Souji rushed forward instantly and Nagakura Shinpachi also jumped up.

Saito Ichi's knife stabbed at Prajna's side.

Souji's sword slashed Prajna's chest fiercely.

Nagakura Shinpachi's sword chopped between Prajna's eyebrows.

Immediately, the loud "clang clang" sound of steel knives colliding was heard.

Prajna twisted her body flexibly, first dodging Souji's slash, and then while dodging, she swung her sword to deflect Saito Hajime's stab.

The next moment, he pulled the knife back to his side and knocked away Shinpachi Nagakura's knife.

The terrifying thing about Prajna is not only its speed and accuracy, its power should not be underestimated.

Nagakura Shinpachi, who has a strong physique and practices Shinto Munen-ryu, is one of the best wrestlers in the Shinsengumi.

But in the end, he didn't gain any advantage in the sword fight with Prajna!
When the strong reaction force came over, Nagakura Shinpachi was still able to keep his body steady with his own weight and muscle strength.

Saito Hajime, who is not known for his strength, does not have this ability.

Due to the powerful force of the sword, after Saito Hajime's sword was bounced away, he was directly knocked away as if he was hit by an elephant. His body violently retreated backwards, his feet left two long marks on the roof, and his body posture showed flaws.

If Prajna pounced forward and started chasing Saito at this time, he would be in great danger.

Fortunately, Souji stepped forward in time and stopped Prajna, buying Saito Ichi precious time to regroup.

Prajna's superb swordsmanship and strong physical fitness put Souji and the other two in danger.

On the other hand, the tacit cooperation and continuous attacks of the three Soujis also caused Prajna to suffer a lot.

Nagakura Shinpachi took a deep breath and relaxed the muscles in his legs slightly.

Just as he lowered his waist again and prepared to launch a new round of attack, he suddenly heard Souji's shout from behind him:
"Shinpachi, stand down!"

Nagakura Shinpachi was stunned for a moment, but out of his understanding of and trust in Souji, he immediately lowered his body and dodged to the side.

As he dodged, Souji, who was standing with a blue-eyed look in his eyes, appeared behind him.

Blue Eyes - Souji's most adept construction.

Souji spread his legs and pointed the tip of the knife at Hannya's chest.

In a flash, the tiny Souji rushed towards Prajna like a cannonball.

The potential energy of the charge, his own weight, his innate explosive power - Souji poured all of this usable power into Kaga Kiyomizu in his palm and launched an extremely sharp stab.

Prajna's pupils shrank to the size of a pinhole in an instant, and she dodged sideways in an extremely thrilling manner.

The piercing attack penetrated Prajna's afterimage, and a strong sword energy shot out! It spread several meters before slowly dissipating.

Souji quickly retracted the knife, but in the blink of an eye he had pulled Kaga Kiyomizu back to his hand.

Before Prajna could catch her breath, a new attack came - Saito moved quietly to Prajna's side like a ghost, attacked from his waist, and swept with a knife.

There was nothing wrong with Saito Hajime's timing and the angle of his sword swinging, it could be described as "perfect".

Even Prajna almost fell into the trap.

Although he dodged it again, the tip of Saito Hajime's knife still grazed his body, cutting his clothes and skin, leaving a conspicuous blood mark.

After fighting for so long, Prajna is finally no longer in the "undamaged" state.

As soon as Saito stopped his attack, Nagakura Shinpachi, who was ready to provide support at any time, immediately changed his pace and rushed towards Prajna at lightning speed.

At the same time, Souji, who had just taken a short break, launched a new fierce attack from the side in coordination with Nagakura Shinpachi.

Don’t underestimate the friendship of the “Shiweiguan faction” who used to eat from the same pot and live under the same roof.

As the best in their respective schools, Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime often learn from each other.

It is even more common to exchange swordsmanship and discuss experiences together.

Over time, they became familiar with each other's swordsmanship and favorite moves.

To put it bluntly and simply - as long as the opponent raises his knife slightly, you can immediately understand what move he is going to make!

For this reason, the three of them were able to display such tacit cooperation and achieved the wonderful effect of "1+1+1>3".

After witnessing the fierce scenes of the "Three Heroes Fighting Prajna" with their own eyes, Hijikata Toshizo and others had to admit that what Souji said just now was right - adding more people would not help, but would only cause each other to trip up.

Anyone who has had combat experience knows that when it comes to a group fight, the more people there are, the better is not necessarily the case.

When there are too many people, they often hinder each other and cannot move freely, so they cannot use even five points of their full strength.

Generally speaking, it is enough to use 3 or 4 people to besiege the opponent, blocking the opponent's front, back, left and right.

In this way, they will not hinder each other and will also make the opponent busy.

Hijikata Toshizo and Nakazawa Sadaki are not strong enough.

Although Serizawa Kame is strong enough, he has a bad relationship with the "Shiweikan faction" and cannot cooperate with them tacitly.

To sum up, the current lineup of "Si, Ba, Yi" is already the best lineup!

Unless someone is defeated, there is no chance for Hijikata Toshizo and others to participate in this battle.

At first glance, the battle between the three heroes and Prajna was hard to resolve, and the situation was unclear.

It is still unclear who will win.

At this time, Hijikata Toshizo slowly turned his gaze and looked towards the distant skyline, as if he was looking at somewhere, as if he was waiting for someone...

……

……

Kyoto, Luozhong——

"Spring water! Cool spring water! Just a sip of this freshly drawn spring water will instantly cool you down!"

"Grilled squid! Freshly grilled squid!"

"Damn it! Why are you pushing so hard? Can't you see there are people here?!"

"Tsk, these country bumpkins are so noisy! Not only do they dress ugly, but they don't even know basic etiquette. They're just like monkeys!"

"That's right, it's all these country bumpkins' fault. They've ruined the style of Kyoto!"

……

On one side there is blood and gore.

One side is bustling with activity.

The Shinsengumi and the Sonjo faction fought a bloody battle at Ikedaya.

On the other hand, Luozhong was peaceful, without any trace of killing or blood.

Such a strong contrast is not an exaggeration to describe it as "as if in a different world".

The annual "Yamaboko Parade" is one of the most anticipated celebrations for the people of Kyoto - perhaps the most anticipated one.

Lanterns lit up the streets, making them as bright as day. To make it easier for the Yamaboko to pass through, the center of the street had been cleared and people gathered on both sides of the street.

Looking around, everyone is smiling and looking happy - everyone is enjoying this rare holiday to the fullest.

Even though the place was packed with people and even turning around was difficult, it couldn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm.

The surging heat dominated the air in Luozhong.

It would be an exaggeration to say that "all the people in Kyoto are here."

It is accurate to say that "most of Kyoto's people are here."

The Yamaboko Parade, the climax of the Gion Festival, has such an appeal.

As time passed and the scheduled start time approached, people at the starting point stretched their necks, looking eagerly at the long line of Yamaboko trucks lined up in the middle of the street.

To put it in simple terms... Yamaboko is actually a float with a unique shape.

The people designed many kinds of yamaboko with different shapes and sizes, expressing different wishes.

For example, "Mantis Mountain" is named after the mantis-shaped deity on the roof. During the parade, the mantis deity on "Mantis Mountain" will shake its head and wave its pincers to convey the spirit of not fearing strong enemies and bravely fighting to passers-by.

[Note: The divine body can be understood as a statue of a deity]

Another example is the "Zhanchusan", where the doll on the roof holds a fishing rod in the right hand and a sweetfish in the left hand, imitating the posture of the ancient Japanese shrine queen fishing for sweetfish and predicting war. The three scenic views of Japan are depicted on the float, which is fascinating.

There are many kinds of Yamaboko, such as the Nagatoboko, Hanguboko, Taizishan, Baochangshan, etc. There are more than 30 Yamaboko in total, which are dazzling.

According to convention, the yamaboko leading the parade must be a long sword hoko.

The so-called "Nagatohoko", as the name suggests, is a mountain hoko with a long sword inserted on the roof.

It is not only the leading Yamaboko, but also the most exquisitely shaped and oldest Yamaboko.

Finally, after much anticipation...it's time to start the parade!

At this moment, people's anticipation reached its peak and the heat in the air suddenly expanded.

Under the expectant gazes, the child with the long sword hoko slowly stood up and raised the sword in his hand.

Zhier - can be understood as the messenger of God.

The children at the Gion Festival are there to purify the procession path so that the Yamaboko can reach the realm of the gods.

Before the parade, the children were carried onto the Yamaboko by strong men.

Except for the child of Nagatoboko, who is played by a 10-year-old boy, the children of the other Yamaboko are all puppets.

The child on the long sword hoko has an important mission.

He was going to swing his sword to cut the shimenawa on the hoko, symbolizing "opening the barrier" so that the yamaboko could reach the divine realm.

The child, dressed in gorgeous clothes and made up like a porcelain doll, raised the knife in his hand with a solemn movement as he had rehearsed beforehand and slashed it downwards - the rope broke immediately.

At this point, the "Yamaboko Tour" officially begins!
"Brothers! Show your courage!"

The Otonodari on the long sword hoko yelled at the top of his lungs with great force.

Ontodori - the commander of the Yamaboko convoy. During the parade, Ontodori stood on the front of the convoy, waving a folding fan and directing the Yamaboko to move forward.

As soon as Ondoto finished speaking, the people who had gathered around the Yamaboko cheered in agreement, then stretched out their arms and worked together to push the Yamaboko.

Pullers - As the name suggests, these are the people who pull the Yamaboko. Each Yamaboko requires 40 to 50 pullers to pull and move it.

Soon, the long sword hoko seemed to be injected with life. It shook slightly and then moved forward slowly.

Immediately afterwards, the other Yamaboko at the back also started up and followed the Nagatoboko.

How can such a grand celebration be without music?
Along with the shouts of the Ondo and the yoshi, the rhythmic sound of music spread out - the music of the yoshiko party began.

The Zashikata troupe usually consists of eight gong players, eight flute players and two taiko drum players. They usually play more than 8 pieces of music during the parade.

There are people in charge of directing, people in charge of pulling, people in charge of steering, people in charge of playing music... Everyone works together and performs their respective duties to turn these Yamaboko into a "moving picture scroll."

Whenever the wind blows, sparks fall from the candle lamp and fly into the air, giving the sound of the taiko a dreamy color.

When the Yamabokos finally started moving and the shouts and drum beats lingered in our ears, it was difficult to describe with concrete words the excitement and jubilation of the scene.

In a short while, more than 30 Yamabokos drove onto the street and formed a long line. The scene was quite spectacular.

The Yamaboko does not move very fast and can even be said to be clumsy.

Not long after, the convoy successfully arrived at the first turning on the parade road.

Ondo shouted:
"Turn! Turn!"

The towmen slowed down, and the drivers rushed forward and began to prepare for Yamaboko's turn.

The chaikata is the person who adjusts the direction of the wheels in the Yamaboko team. When the Yamaboko turns, the chaikata will lay bamboo boards near the wheels and sprinkle clean water on the bamboo boards to facilitate the wheels to turn.

The drivers were busy running back and forth, and the parade scene fell into a brief period of busyness.

Because they were turning, the convoy's speed inevitably slowed down and almost came to a standstill.

Just at this moment...something strange happened!
Dozens of warriors with serious expressions suddenly jumped out from the crowd on the street.

With sullen faces and tightly shut mouths, they used brute force to push away the crowd in front of them. Their actions were rough and reckless, causing a lot of complaints.

Because the attention of the people at the scene was focused on the parade, the unusual behavior of these warriors did not immediately attract widespread attention.

After pushing through the crowd, these samurai immediately pounced on the Yamabokos in the middle of the street like hungry wolves!

The first to bear the brunt was the long sword hoko at the front of the convoy.

Seeing this, Onodori on the long sword Hoko immediately rebuked:

"Hey! Who are you? What do you want to do?! You are so rude! How dare you come to provoke Yamaboko?!"

The samurai ignored his warning, took off the porcelain bottles from their waists and threw them onto the Yamaboko.

Click, click, click, click, click!
As the porcelain bottle shattered, the transparent liquid inside splashed out.

Suddenly, chaos descended.

"Hey! You bastards! What do you want to do?!"

"What the hell is this?"

"It's oil! It's kerosene!"

Oil——When they heard this word, Ondo, Ete, and Chaikata, who were holding the long swords and hoko, panicked for a moment, their faces turned pale with fear, and they immediately became a mess.

Similar scenes also occurred on other hokocars.

Groups of samurai rushed towards the hokochas, and it was obvious that they came prepared.

There were as many as 8 or 9 hoko carts that were attacked, mainly concentrated at the front of the queue where there were the most people.

Roughly speaking, the group of warriors who suddenly attacked the convoy numbered over a hundred!
As we all know, whenever there are many people, whether it is joy, sadness, anger, fear, no matter what kind of emotion it is, it will spread and diffuse rapidly.

Many people standing on the edge of the street corner could not see the current situation of the convoy, let alone what had happened. They only heard the increasingly noisy and chaotic noises and the increasingly intense shouting, and could not help but panic and fear.

When people saw the warriors throwing kerosene, many of them guessed what they were going to do.

As expected... after throwing kerosene at the Yamaboko, they took out a bunch of tinder from their pockets...

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

"Run away! Run away!"

"These lunatics are planning to set fire!"

It would be most appropriate to describe the current situation as "changing rapidly".

From the time this group of unidentified warriors suddenly appeared to now, less than a minute has passed.

Just when everyone at the scene was frightened by the group of guys who were trying to set fire... a sharp arrow pierced through the air and hit the chest of a guy holding a fire starter!
The man didn't even have time to utter a scream before his eyes bulged out and he died.

This arrow is just the beginning.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
One after another, arrows shot out from a distance, accurately hitting the vital points of those lunatics.

When everyone looked in the direction from which the arrow came, they suddenly saw a young samurai wearing a light green feather robe.

He held a Japanese bow in his hand and rode a fat man with a spear on his back.

*******
*******
Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

ps: The repeated mention of "Yamaboko Patrol" in the previous article is actually a foreshadowing! (豹嗨.jpg)

There are similar celebrations in Baobaozi's hometown. At the beginning of each year, the birthday of Shen Zugong (a famous general in the early Tang Dynasty and the pride of the family) is celebrated with great fanfare. The statue of Shen Zugong is carried around the village, and it is said that this will bring blessings.