I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 839: Qinjin Clan starts war mobilization! [4800]

Qinjin Domain, Otsu——

"Quick! Move quickly!"

"Stop dawdling!"

"Here, here, and there! The rice in these warehouses must be shipped to Kyoto!"

"Mr. Iwasaki! Mr. Iwasaki!"

"What's the matter?"

"Mr. Iwasaki, the livestock loaned from Osaka has arrived!"

"Finally we're here! Hurry up and send these animals to the warehouse! They're in urgent need of animals!"

"Yes!"

……

As the war approached, the people of Qinjin clan became increasingly busy and the scene was filled with excitement.

There is a saying that goes "Before the troops move out, the food and fodder must go first."

The two armies have not yet clashed, but the invisible war has already begun!
In recent days, both Yataro Iwasaki and Elodie have entered a busy mode of "staying away from the ground".

As the two pillars of the Qinjin clan's finances, the two were fully responsible for coordinating the Shinsengumi's logistics.

Yataro Iwasaki went to the front line to command, and Elodie was in charge of the finance office.

Although the large army in charge of this battle is a "joint army" composed of various feudal armies, each feudal state has to provide its own food and fodder, and the shogunate will not help provide supplies - this is also a traditional skill of the shogunate, finding various ways to harm the feudal states and weaken their national strength.

Therefore, Qing Deng only needs to take care of the logistics of the Shinsengumi.

The "big data" that Elodi had previously established for Qin Jinfan came in handy this time!
You can tell at a glance how much old rice, new rice, and fodder are stored in the warehouses and which warehouses they are stored in.

As long as you check the material reserves according to the account books, you will not make any mistakes.

Categorize all the materials in the warehouse and register them accurately - this job looks simple, but it is actually extremely difficult.

Qing Deng dares to guarantee: there are less than five feudal states in Japan that can do this!
The long period of peace, the shortcomings of the system... all these reasons combined to make the shogunate and the various feudal domains like a makeshift team.

Having worked for the shogunate for so many years, Qing Deng has become accustomed to chaos such as random accounting and false accounting.

Take the "Dajin Book" that had driven Qing Deng crazy as an example. The book was filled with all kinds of unreasonable numbers and materials that did not exist in the warehouse.

This phenomenon, which was caused by the working mentality of "just getting by with it", was very common in the shogunate and the various feudal domains.

Thanks to Elodie's ability and dedication, Qin Jinfan's financial books are very clear and easy to understand, without any false information.

Clear and concise account books + decisive action = efficient logistics mobilization!
Under the precise coordination of Elodie and Yataro Iwasaki, bags of rice and bundles of fodder were transported out of the warehouse in an orderly manner, loaded onto trucks, and delivered to the Kyoto front.

Along the way from Kyoto to Otsu, convoys transporting supplies can be seen everywhere.

The astonishingly large transport convoy filled the entire avenue, stretching as far as the eye could see, attracting the admiration of passers-by.

From the very beginning, Qing Deng built his vassal state with the idea of ​​"countering the western vassal states".

Qingdeng's preparation for a rainy day is purely due to the pressure of reality.

After all, the Qinjin Domain was located in the very center of Japan and on the western frontier of the shogunate.

If the Western feudal lords wanted to attack the Eastern Kingdom, the Qinjin feudal lord would be the first to bear the brunt.

Unless they destroy Qin Jin, they can forget about setting foot in the Eastern Kingdom.

Conversely, if the shogunate wanted to invade the western region, Qinjin Domain would become an irreplaceable frontier position and logistics hub.

Occupying such an important strategic position, Qingdeng had no choice but to take precautions.

From reclaiming new fields to introducing industries, most of Qinjin Domain's construction projects were centered around "increasing war potential."

Qingdeng will focus its main efforts on the two major projects of "agriculture" and "industry".

Over the past six months, Qinjinfan's agricultural level has achieved great development through a series of measures such as introducing agricultural talents and promulgating various policies.

Those old fields that had been left idle and abandoned have basically resumed production.

The reclamation of the new fields also went smoothly.

In another one or two years, these new fields will be put into use.

As a time traveler, Qing Deng naturally knew the importance of industry.

As long as the industry develops, even if one feudal domain takes on the whole of Japan, it will be no problem!
Qinjin Domain not only has a flat terrain, but is also adjacent to Lake Biwa and has abundant water resources, making it the perfect place to develop industry.

However... although Qingdeng attaches great importance to industry, unfortunately, industry is an extremely complex subject.

With the help of Huluwu, Qingdeng purchased a lot of advanced equipment at very reasonable prices.

Given Qin Jinfan's size, pursuing "all industrial categories" would be a dead end.

The specialties of Qinjin Domain are tea and porcelain - therefore, Qingdeng, based on its locational advantages, focused on building three types of factories: tea factories, porcelain factories and gun factories.

The first two are responsible for making money, and the importance of the latter is self-evident.

As we all know, industry is not as simple as it seems to be and can be developed simply by purchasing a few machines.

No matter how powerful or advanced the equipment is, it still needs people to operate it.

What Japan is lacking today is such advanced talent who can operate industrial machinery.

Therefore, we can only train talents from scratch.

Fortunately, the training of relevant talents is going very smoothly.

Not to mention porcelain factories and tea factories, gun factories developed the fastest.

Although we cannot yet manufacture guns and cannons independently, we can already produce gunpowder independently!

I believe it won’t be long before Qin Jinfan’s factories can be officially put into use.

What a pity... They will definitely not be able to make it in time for this war.

In this way, under Qing Deng's careful guidance, Qinjin Clan's war potential is increasing day by day!

Saying that Qin Jinfan is a "war machine"... this is an exaggeration, but it is not completely false!

This battle gave Qinjin Clan its initial chance to demonstrate its war potential.

Anyone who sees Qin Jinfan’s terrifying material reserves will find it difficult to remain calm.

Friendly forces will be amazed.

The enemy will feel a chill down their spine.

Raise your soldiers for a thousand days and use them in one moment - Qing Deng intends to use this battle to test the construction results of the Qinjin clan and the training effectiveness of the Shinsengumi!
……

……

Kyoto, Nishi Honganji Temple——

Nishi Honganji Temple is located west of the Kamogawa River and south of Rakuchu.

Because of its vast area and convenient transportation, Qingdeng recruited it as the temporary headquarters of the legion.

At this moment, in a secret room in Nishi Honganji Temple, the commanders of the corps, led by Qing Deng, gathered together.

Qing Deng undoubtedly sat in the first seat, with a three-leaf sunflower flag hanging behind him, symbolizing his status as a general of the shogunate.

Saigo Yoshinosuke and Matsudaira Yoshiyasu - the two with the highest status in the feudal army besides Aoto - sat on the left and right sides below Aoto respectively.

Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, Kondo Isami, and the commanders of other feudal domains took their seats in order of status.

Today's military meeting is a veritable summit meeting.

It was no longer a small meeting held privately by Qing Deng and a few people, but a conference to which every vassal army had to send representatives!
A meeting of this level cannot be neglected.

Everyone, including Qing Deng, attended the event in their best attire.

The clothes worn by Aoto, Hijikata Toshizo and others are naturally the light green haori representing the Shinsengumi.

The leaders of the feudal army, such as Matsudaira Yoshiyasu, all wore armor passed down from their ancestors and covered themselves with gorgeous military feather robes.

The room was full of armored generals... At first glance, it seemed as if we had returned to the Warring States Period three hundred years ago.

There was a long table in the center of the crowd.

On the long table was a three-dimensional map made of clay by Yamanami Keisuke and others in recent days.

Although its level of detail cannot be compared with modern satellite maps, it is definitely much clearer than simple flat maps.

The topographical environment around Kyoto is in everyone's sight.

Seeing that everyone was present, Qing Deng simply skipped the opening remarks, turned his head, and winked at Shannan Jingzhu.

Shannan Jingzhu nodded in understanding and stood up:
"Gentlemen, I am Yamanami Keisuke, the elder of the Hinatsu clan and the chief of the Shinsengumi."

Yamanami Keisuke looked around the scene and said in a strong voice:

"Next, please let me introduce the latest movements of the bandit army."

In order to suppress Choshu and secure its position as the "official army", the shogunate officially called the Choshu army "the bandit army". Yamanami Keisuke took out a booklet from his pocket, opened the first page, and said:

"The First Army, led by the family elder Fukuhara Echigo, totaling 3000 people, has crossed the Seto Inland Sea and landed east of Kobe. If nothing unexpected happens, it is expected to arrive in Fushimi the day after tomorrow."

……

As Yamanami Keisuke spoke, he placed chess pieces one by one on the map to more vividly show the movements of the Choshu army.

These war chess pieces were made of wood by Yamanami Keisuke and others when they were making this 3D map. There are four types of chess pieces: infantry, cavalry, musketeer, and artillery.

Everyone stared at the map and listened carefully.

Choshu Eastern Expedition - although it has a loud name, Japan is just a small island country, so although it is called an "Eastern Expedition", in fact the expedition did not go very far. The straight-line distance from Choshu to Kyoto is only about 400 kilometers.

Therefore, the Choshu army advanced very quickly.

It had only been about ten days since the troops were officially dispatched, and the Choshu army was almost at the gates of Kyoto!
After Choshu sent out troops, Qing Deng immediately dispatched the elite 9th Division headed by Yamazaki Zheng to closely monitor and observe the detailed movements of Choshu's three armies.

As Yamazaki Jun and others went into battle, pieces of information regarding Choshu's movements were constantly transmitted back to Otsu.

Everything that Keisuke Yamanami is reporting now is the result of the work of the 9th Division.

After finishing the report, Yamanami Keisuke turned around and signaled to Qing Deng with his eyes, "I'm done."

Qing Deng said softly:
"Jingzhu, thank you for your hard work. Please sit down."

Shannan Jingsuke nodded in response, then bent down and sat back in his original position.

Qing Deng straightened his back and scanned the entire audience from left to right.

Although he didn't speak, he already exuded the majestic aura of a powerful horse and a golden sword.

Those who lacked courage did not even dare to look Qing Deng in the eye. They subconsciously lowered their heads, looking at their noses with their eyes and their hearts with their noses.

"Everyone, did you hear clearly?"

Qing Deng's voice was clearly heard by everyone present.

"The three armies of Changzhou have arrived in the capital one after another."

"If nothing goes wrong, the day after tomorrow, we will be able to see flags with 'Ichimonji Sanxing' printed on them in Fushimi, Saga Tenryuji Temple, and Yamazaki."

[Note: Ichimonji Sansan: the family crest of the Choshu Mori family]

"That is to say - the day of battle will be three days later!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became a little solemn.

Saigo Yoshinosuke, Matsudaira Yoshiyasu, Hijikata Toshizo and others were all acting as usual, with nothing unusual.

In contrast, the generals of other vassal armies all looked frightened and nervous.

Some people even turned pale and had rapid breathing.

It’s no wonder they are like this.

Although they were dressed like decent men, they had never fought in a war. It was only because of their ancestors' merits and protection that they were able to become generals with armor to wear and troops to command.

It is really too difficult for these "newbies" who have never seen blood to directly participate in such a large-scale battle with more than 10,000 people for the first time.

Qing Deng has been carefully observing the expressions and reactions of the people at the scene.

Seeing these vassal army generals cowardly before the battle, I couldn't help but feel disappointed and thought to myself:
——It is true that there is no way to support a wall with mud...

Judging from the available data, this "joint army" has a total of 3 troops.

But in reality, the vast majority of these 3 people are fools, and the number of real fighters is less than one-third.

These feudal troops were basically forced by the shogunate to come and help in the war.

They have neither the ability to defeat the enemy nor the determination to fight.

A few days ago, Qing Deng took some time to inspect the soldiers and equipment of these vassal troops.

As for the equipment... basically only a spear and a katana.

As for the soldiers... they lack energy and vitality, and lack physical strength! It is really appropriate to describe them as "shrimp soldiers and crab generals"!
Qing Deng could imagine that if they were sent to the battlefield, they would definitely try to take revenge!

Qing Deng knew exactly what these guys were thinking.

Anyway, this is a dispute between the shogunate and Choshu, they will not work for the shogunate!
If we ask them to fight a tough battle, they will definitely end up "fleeing in panic".

At best, they can only act as an atmosphere group on the battlefield to boost morale.

Not to mention sending them to charge into battle, Qing Deng didn't even dare to send them to look after food and fodder, nor did he dare to entrust them with any important tasks or important positions.

The poor performance of these vassal army generals has made Qing Deng more convinced that "these guys are completely useless."

Although the Shinsengumi had 6000 troops, 1000 of them were logistical personnel, and there were only 5000 actual combat soldiers.

The Satsuma and Aizu armies stationed in Kyoto were all capable soldiers of fighting on the battlefield.

Among all the feudal armies, the Satsuma Army and the Aizu Army were the only exceptions.

The Aizu army not only had strong combat power but was also loyal to the shogunate, making them completely trustworthy.

As for the Satsuma army... Satsuma was one of the earliest feudal states to develop industry and was able to manufacture guns and warships independently, so its military strength is needless to say.

However, Qing Deng did not trust Samo and was always wary of him.

God knows what tricks this "fence-sitter" will play on the battlefield.

Therefore, Qing Deng would not reuse the Satsuma army either.

To sum up, the only troops under Aoto that could be of great use were the Shinsengumi (5000 people) and the Aizu Army (2000 people), totaling 7000 people.

After glancing around, Qing Deng quietly withdrew his gaze:

"Don't panic, everyone."

"Although Choshu is coming with great force, they are just a mob."

"Three armies, 12,000 people - it looks scary, but the vast majority of them are ronin and peasant soldiers who were temporarily recruited."

"I can assure you that the number of elite soldiers and generals in the Changzhou Army who can fight tough battles will definitely not exceed 3000."

After hearing Qing Deng's words, the expressions of the feudal army generals present suddenly improved a lot.

Suddenly, someone spoke up:

"Aki-sama is right!"

"The number of soldiers in the Choshu Army who can fight will definitely not exceed 3000."

"In this battle, we have the advantage!"

"Changzhou violated the moral code, and we followed nature, this is the way to victory."

"Changzhou is the 'enemy of the court' hand-picked by the imperial court, and we are the official army sent to fight against the enemy by imperial order. This is a victory of justice."

"Changzhou has come a long way. We should wait for them to tire themselves out. This is the key to victory."

"Changzhou has few soldiers and generals, while our soldiers are like clouds and generals are like rain. This is a military victory."

"If morality, justice, strategy and martial arts are all victorious, how can we not defeat the enemy and return victorious?"

This sudden and eloquent speech immediately attracted the attention of everyone present, including Qing Deng.

Everyone turned to look—the person who spoke was right behind Saigo Yoshinosuke.

This man is short and not good-looking.

It is worth mentioning that his left eyeball does not have a black pupil like that of ordinary people, but is gray and lifeless.

Obviously, this is a blind eye.

The one-eyed man standing behind Saigo Yoshinosuke... Qing Deng thought for a moment and quickly remembered who this person was.

This man's name was Ijichi Ryuemon, his given name was Kiyoshi, and his nickname was Ichiryu. He was born in Sengoku Baba-cho, under the castle of Kagoshima in Satsuma Province.

Since he was young, he showed extraordinary intelligence and was called "Thousand-stone Prodigy" by the villagers.

Unfortunately, he later fell seriously ill, which left one of his eyes and one of his feet disabled.

When he was a little older, he studied the Goden-ryu military tactics under the tutelage of Hokkon Uzaemon and mastered its essence.

Soon, with his outstanding talent, he became a professor of military science at the Satsuma domain school, Zoshikan, at a young age.

In 1862, he followed Shimazu Hisamitsu to Kyoto and was appointed as military magistrate due to his merits, becoming a rare military strategist.

During the Anglo-Satsuma War in 1863, he made many ingenious decisions and made great contributions, causing a lot of trouble for the British army, further proving his military talent.

After that, Saigo Yoshinosuke appointed him as military advisor and entrusted him with important tasks.

In other words, Ijichi Ryuemon is to the Satsuma army what Guo Jia is to the Cao army! He is a resourceful and talented military strategist!

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(End of this chapter)