I formed the strongest swordsman group

"He went to Fukui Domain?!"

Although it was a very simple sentence, when it reached Gao Lao's ears, it caused a thunderous shock and made him dizzy!

His eyes were wide open, his eyelids were wrinkled, and his pupils were shrunk into pinholes.

The next moment, he pounced forward like a hungry tiger, completely disregarding his own image, and grabbed the servant's shoulders.

"When did he leave?!"

The ferocious expression, the terrifying roar... the servant was frightened, his cheeks turned pale and cold sweat broke out.

At this point, there is no need to hide it any longer.

What's more, judging from the ferocious look on Gao's face, if we delay any longer, our lives might be in danger!

So the attendant did not dare to be negligent, and stammered and answered in detail:

"One, one hour ago... Lord Ichibashi left from the Bujyoumon Gate... I only know that he was going to the Fukui Domain, but I don't know which way he would take..."

[Note: The Impure Gate: A small wooden door in the backyard of a daimyo or a hatamoto family during the Edo period, used by people collecting feces and urine, criminals, and the dead to enter and exit.]

After hearing this, Gao Lao's already distorted facial lines became even more terrifying.

One hour... After such a long time, God knows where he has escaped to now!

The only thing that could be confirmed was that he was definitely not in Edo now - unless he crawled, he would have definitely left Edo after a full hour.

Even if you send a fast horse to chase him, you will definitely not be able to catch up.

Suddenly, Gao Lao understood many things.

No wonder he was in a hurry to disband the meeting today... turns out he was busy running away!

Gao Lao had no idea whether he had decided to run away early on or decided to run away after listening to that person's advice.

Regardless, the fact that Ichibashi Yoshinobu deserted the battlefield is established...

Instantly, a strong sense of regret swept over his whole body.

In a rage, he suddenly drew the sword from his waist with a "clang" and turned around to chop the wooden pillar next to him.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Every time he shouted "Damn it", he swung the blade in his hand harder.

The knife shadow swayed and wood chips flew.

Everyone around him held their breath and concentrated, trying to minimize their presence for fear of being implicated.

After a while, the tall guy who had been slashing more than ten times gradually stopped.

“Huff…! Huff…! Huff…!”

Along with heavy breathing, his hands trembled violently, and even the wrinkles between his cheeks were trembling slightly - this was the body's reaction to extreme anger.

Master Ichihashi, we still have the strength to fight, and we don't need to run away with our tails between our legs, so why are you retreating in such a hurry? !

Regarding "how to capture Edo Castle before the main force of the Shinsengumi arrives", Gao Lao did not simply emphasize the power of "spiritual theory", he had a specific and effective plan.

The solution he thought of was to have Yoshinobu Ichibashi lead the army in person! Just like Tokugawa Iemochi during the "Edo Siege War"!

It is true that Tokugawa Iemochi is the mortal enemy of the "Ichibashi faction", but Gao Lao has to admire their courage.

It was thanks to Tokugawa Iemochi's personal presence that the morale of the defenders was greatly boosted and they fought the enemy to the death.

The victory of the "Edo Siege War" and the defenders' ability to hold out until Aoto led his troops arrived were inseparable from Tokugawa Iemochi's efforts and courage.

Just imagine, how exciting it would be if the leader of the "Ichibashi faction" and Tokugawa Nariaki's biological son, Ichibashi Yoshinobu, personally went to the front line?

If Ichibashi Yoshinobu could really lead the army in person, it would definitely boost the morale of the entire army!

In this way, there is still a chance to take over Edo Castle in one fell swoop with this god-like morale!

The reason why he suddenly came to find Ichibashi Yoshinobu tonight was to persuade him to lead the army in person and make a final effort.

However... Ichibashi Yoshinobu's escape made all his plans come to naught...!

As soon as he thought of this, new anger surged in his heart, and Gao Lao gripped the handle of the knife in his hand so tightly that it creaked.

Of course, as a rare doer among the "Hitotsubashi School", he is never the kind of person who would succumb to emotions.

He took several deep breaths and tried hard to suppress the boiling emotions in his heart.

Now that things have come to this, there is no benefit in "complaining" or "venting"! All you can do is try your best to make amends!

He lowered his head, deep in thought...his facial expression gradually regained its composure.

After a moment, he turned his head and looked at the young people behind him:

"We can't let anyone know that Hitotsuhiro has fled Edo... Block the news!"

He was about to continue speaking, but a sudden hesitation stopped him.

About 10 seconds later, he gritted his teeth and continued:

"Send a message to the front line... prepare to evacuate!"

…

…

The next morning,

Edo, Edo Castle, Akasaka Gate——

It is still cloudy today, with lead-gray clouds blocking out the sunlight.

With the arrival of a new day, the defenders of Akasaka Palace braced themselves and prepared for today's battle.

The soldiers - whether they were from the Shinsengumi, the Sanbangumi, or the rebel army - were all in high spirits, showing their full confidence.

Since yesterday, more than 2,000 civilians have come to join the battle!

Compared to the total population of Edo, this number is not too large, but it is far beyond Qing Deng's expectations.

Civilians... No, correction. The rebels have proven their ability and courage through their superior performance yesterday.

Nowadays, although it cannot be said that “there is no such thing”, no one in the defenders anymore would say such contemptuous words as “What’s the use of civilians?” or “Civilians should not be allowed to fight in the battlefield”.

Not only that, due to the "increase in auxiliary troops", Akasaka Gomon's defensive capabilities were greatly strengthened.

The trenches are connected to each other, crisscrossing each other, weaving a tight and complex defense line.

Qingdeng issued an order: As long as the war continues, the digging of trenches cannot stop!

Therefore, even after dark, the trench digging work continued without stopping.

Yesterday, after nightfall, while other troops rested, the Rebel Army's "Third Army" - an auxiliary force specializing in logistics - was still fighting.

They fought all night long, adding more and lengthening the trenches.

If this continues, in a few days, the road from Akasaka Gate to Edo Castle will be covered with trenches.

At this stage, no matter from which angle you judge it, Qingdeng has already gained a significant advantage.

There were sufficient supplies stored in Edo Castle, enough for the defenders to spend for three to five years, so they were not afraid of a war of attrition.

What's more, the longer the time drags on, the more advantageous it will be for Qingdeng.

They could have just followed the routine of digging trenches and setting up chevaux de frise.

After finishing the road from Akasaka Gate to Edo Castle, they moved to Edo Castle and dug trenches inside the castle.

Dig a trench between San-no-maru and Ninomaru, then dig another trench between Ninomaru and Honmaru...keep digging!

Having said that, none of the above is likely to happen.

The reason was simple: the main force of the Shinsengumi was already on their way to Edo.

And this means that the "Second Edo Siege War" is about to come to an end!

Generally speaking, it takes at least seven days to travel from Otsu to Edo.

Obviously, the Shinsengumi does not fall into the category of "general".

Qing Deng was well aware of the Shinsengumi's marching capabilities.

With the Shinsengumi's level of organization, it would only take 5 or 6 days at most to join forces with him!

All in all, there is less and less time left for the "Hitotsubashi faction".

Although the balance of the battle has tilted in an irreversible way, Qing Deng will never take it lightly.

In order to achieve complete victory, he issued a special order to the entire army: Unless the enemy is completely defeated, we must never let our guard down!

At this moment, Qing Deng and Tian Zhangyuan stood side by side on the watchtower, carefully observing the enemy camp in the distance.

Their eyes were fixed on the enemy camp, not missing any movement.

Suddenly, their eyes changed.

There was a commotion in the enemy camp, with figures moving back and forth... but it didn't look like they were preparing for an attack.

Qing Deng and Tian Zhangyuan continued to observe with focused expressions, their eyes flashing with emotions of "Could it be?" and "No way?"

Finally, there was a big commotion in the enemy camp.

Teams of soldiers marched out of the camp.

However, it was not heading towards Akasaka Gomon, but towards the north - a direction that had nothing to do with Akasaka Gomon.

At first, they thought they had seen it wrong.

After blinking several times, they finally caught up with reality.

Tianzhangyuan murmured:

“Retreat…”

Qing Deng immediately turned his head and shouted to the messenger behind him:

"Call Sanosuke over here."

The messenger replied quickly, "Yes," and then quickly retreated.

After a while, Harada Sanosuke came striding over.

Qing Deng ordered:

"Zanosuke, you take 500 men to monitor the rebels. If the rebels are defeated, you will act according to the situation and sabotage them as much as you can."

When saying "destroy it as much as you can", Qing Deng emphasized the words.

Harada Sanosuke smiled knowingly when he heard this:

"clear!"

After saying that, he turned around and left in a hurry.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Qing Deng retracted his gaze and looked at the enemy camp in the distance again - but found that Tian Zhangyuan lowered his head, holding the railing of the watchtower with both hands.

"ha……"

She let out a long breath, then slowly sat down on the ground as if relieved of a heavy burden.

Seeing this, Qing Deng said half-jokingly:

"The floor is very cold."

Tianzhangyuan replied in the same half-joking tone:

"It's okay. It's better if it's a little cooler. It can cool down my hot body."

As she spoke, she used her hands as a fan to fan herself in a serious manner.

“It’s not hot today.”

"I know. I was particularly heartened by the retreat of the rebels."

After the two exchanged some meaningless jokes, they returned to the main topic.

Tianzhangyuan said softly:

"The rebels actually retreated... I thought this battle would continue for some time."

Qing Deng said calmly:

"'Ever-changing' is a major characteristic of war."

Tianzhangyuan said again:

"This is really unexpected... The 'Ichibashi faction' has not completely lost its chance of victory, so why did it suddenly retreat?"

Qing Deng answered without hesitation:

"I guess it's because Ichibashi Yoshinobu ran away."

Tian Zhangyuan tilted his head, looking puzzled:

"'Ichibashi Yoshinobu escaped'? Why do you say that?"

Qing Deng curled his lips:

"Because this is something that Yoshinobu Ichibashi would do. Hmm...how should I put it..."

He paused, thinking about his words.

After a while, he said slowly:

"To put it bluntly, Ichibashi Yoshinobu only has a prominent status, but he does not have the qualities of a leader."

After making the point clear, he briefly explained to her the character flaws of Ichihashi Yoshinobu.

Judging from Ichibashi Yoshinobu's life experience, his talent and character are truly admirable.

His father, Tokugawa Nariaki, believed that the gorgeous and frivolous Edo lifestyle was not conducive to the development of a simple and heroic masculine character.

For this reason, when Ichibashi Yoshinobu was less than one year old, he was sent back to the domain of Mito to be raised.

Later, he invited Kaizawa Masayuki and Aoyama Nobumitsu to be his teachers.

Huize Zheng Zhizhai is the author of "New Theory", which is regarded as a classic work on the theory of respecting the king and expelling the barbarians.

Aoyama Nobumitsu was the chief professor of the clan school "Kodokan" and the president of the history bureau "Shokokan".

These two people thoroughly instilled Mito's knowledge and feudal customs into Ichibashi Yoshinobu.

Tokugawa Nariaki also believed that the children of daimyo should be more brave and strong than ordinary samurai, so he supervised and educated them very strictly and did not allow Itohashi Yoshinobu to get involved in bad habits such as drinking, sex, and gambling.

Under the careful training of Tokugawa Nariaki, Ichihashi Yoshinobu indeed grew into an outstanding samurai.

He is both civil and martial, and has high moral character.

He doesn't drink, gamble, or have affairs with women--he currently has only one wife--and has never done anything "human-like."

Compared with others of the same generation and level, Ichibashi Yoshinobu is definitely a model among samurai.

Strictly speaking, Ichibashi Yoshinobu's moral character is even better than Aoto's.

At the very least, as he has three wives and is currently having an unclear relationship with the "Empress Dowager", he has absolutely no right to accuse the other party of "improper conduct".

In this case, it is no wonder that so many people support Yoshinobu Ichibashi.

On the surface, Yoshinobu Ichibashi was indeed a very outstanding young man.

At first, Qing Deng also thought that Ichibashi Yoshinobu was a formidable opponent who could not be underestimated.

It was not until the farce of "May 10th, the expulsion of foreigners began" that he saw through the other party's character weaknesses.

Simply put, Yoshinobu Hitohashi's ability to withstand pressure is extremely weak! His ability to adapt is very poor!

In a relaxed environment without any pressure, his outstanding talents will be fully utilized and he will make very wise decisions from time to time.

But once he enters a high-pressure environment, his rationality will be greatly reduced, and he will be able to perform less than 10% of his abilities.

Not only that, according to Qing Deng's observation, Ichibashi Yoshinobu also has an avoidant personality.

Once you encounter an accident that is difficult to resolve, the only thing you want to do is escape.

The best evidence of this argument is Hai's boast to the imperial court that "on May 10, we will begin to expel the foreigners."

There are no complicated reasons behind this incident.

There was no planning, no careful thought, I just felt annoyed and wanted to leave Kyoto as soon as possible, so I just made up the date "May 10th" - that's all.

In fact, such people are not uncommon.

Anyone who has experienced a lot of vicissitudes of life... no, anyone who has a little social experience has more or less encountered such people.

When the environment is comfortable, there is no big problem; when the environment is urgent, the ugly side of things is exposed... There are too many people like this.

It turned out that Ichibashi Yoshinobu was indeed not suitable to be a monarch.

He is only suitable to be a scholar studying in the study - only a quiet study is his best destination.

After listening to Qing Deng's explanation, Tian Zhangyuan nodded slightly:

"Did Yoshinobu Ichibashi escape? If so, it would make sense why the rebels suddenly retreated."

Qingdeng Road:

"This is just my guess, and it's not guaranteed to be correct. The rebels may have other reasons and had to withdraw their troops."

Having said this, he paused.

Then, he chuckled and put on a faint smile:

"Whatever. In any case, the 'rebel retreat' is an established fact."

"Although it is earlier than expected, but... Your Highness, let us celebrate this hard-won victory now."

After saying that, he extended his hand towards Tianzhangyuan.

Tian Zhangyuan looked at the big hand in front of him, smiled, gently raised his soft hand and placed it on it.

With Qing Deng's help, she stood up again.

Afterwards, the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder as they had just done, looking at the slowly retreating rebels from afar.

…

…

The next day, late at night——

Kyoto, Imperial Palace——

"Are you all ready?"

Iwakura Tomomi glanced at the group of his trusted followers in front of him.

“Ready!”

Someone answered in a resounding voice.

Iwakura Tomomi nodded:

"Very good! Then, follow me! Let's go rescue His Majesty and the Prince!"

After he finished speaking, he took the lead and ran towards the depths of the imperial palace.

In the blink of an eye, it's the end of the month again! Book friends who have monthly tickets, please be sure to vote for this book! (tearful leopard head.jpg)

Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation ticket! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

PS: "His Highness Hitotsubashi, who is good at running away" - I should have used this title for the previous chapter.