Edo, Edo Castle, Council Room.
The senior councilor Matsudaira Sadanobu and four younger members, Kitagawa Toshiki, Yoshimoto Suzeemon, Matsudaira Takaki, and Matsudaira Kimizan - a total of five people, sat in a circle in the meeting room.
Matsudaira Sadanobu has never been the kind of person who likes to talk nonsense.
After all the young people arrived, Matsudaira Sadanobu directly handed them a piece of letter paper and let them take turns to read it.
After the four young men read the contents of the letter at a glance, they all frowned.
Beichuan was the last person to read the letter.
After Beichuan put down the letter, his brows were so tight that they could pinch a fly to death, and he said in a deep voice:
"The current situation in the north is... even worse than what we saw."
The letter was sent back at full speed from the distant Matsumae Domain.
Matsumae Domain - the northernmost domain in Japan.
The total grain output of Matsumae Domain - that is, the total grain output in a year was only 10,000 koku, even less than that of Ogata's hometown, Hirose Domain.
Although Ogata's hometown, Hirose Domain, was only a small domain as big as a sesame seed, the total koku of Hirose Domain was 30,000 koku, which was three times that of Matsumae Domain.
It’s just that although the Matsumae domain was not a very wealthy and powerful domain, its unique geographical location made its status no worse than any other domain.
Because it is the northernmost domain in Japan, Matsumae Domain can be said to be the northern gate of the entire Japan.
If Russia moved south, or if the Ezo people in Ezo rioted again, the first to be attacked would be the Matsumae domain.
Since Russia has been sending expedition teams to Ezo more and more frequently in recent years, the shogunate has begun to send more troops to the north to monitor and guard against Russia.
So far, 5,000 troops have gathered in Matsumae Domain.
The letter that Young-nen just read was sent by Masaya Inamori, the general who is currently leading an army of 5,000 in the Matsumae domain and monitoring and guarding against the Kingdom of Russia.
In the spring of this year, Inamori was transferred from Choujima to Matsumae Domain by Matsudaira Sadanobu.
And Inamori did live up to Matsudaira Sadanobu's trust. Over the past few months, he had been performing his duties meticulously, closely monitoring all developments in Russia and regularly sending letters to Edo to report the latest situation in the north.
"Now that everyone has read the contents of the letter," Matsudaira Sadanobu said expressionlessly, "let's express our opinions now."
"How do you think we should deal with the current chaos in Ezo?"
This latest letter sent back by Inamori tells two things in very brief sentences.
The first thing: Russia sent more and more expeditions to Ezo. By the end of September, their scouts had discovered that Russian expeditions were appearing at the northernmost border of Matsumae Domain.
The second thing: The attempt to persuade the Ezo people entrenched in the "Red Moon Fortress" to surrender failed again.
"I never thought that a Russian expedition team would appear on the northern border of the Matsumae Domain..." Yoshimoto, who usually appears to be a "peacemaker", had a rare gloomy face. "This is really not good news..."
"Now they are just sending an expedition team. In a few years, they might send an army directly." Beichuan sneered. "The Lucia people are not easy to deal with. They are very warlike and greedy for land."
"…Should we try to negotiate with Russia?" Matsudaira Takayoshi, who was sitting opposite Kitagawa, hesitated.
Matsudaira Takaki is the weakest of the four young novices.
This personality is the opposite of Kitagawa's, so the two of them often put forward completely different ideas.
As expected - as soon as Matsudaira Takaki finished speaking, Kitagawa immediately spoke up:
"What we should do now is not to negotiate with the Lucia people, but to actively prepare for war."
"Strengthen the defenses in the north. Just in case of emergency."
"A hundred years ago, the Qing Dynasty on the other side of the ocean also relied on its victory on the battlefield to successfully sign the Treaty of Nerchinsk with the Russians and prevent the Russians from moving south."
"If we don't defeat the Lucia people, I don't think it will be of any use if we just negotiate with them in such a dry way."
As soon as Kitagawa finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up:
“I agree with Kitagawa’s point of view.”
"If Russia was a country that didn't crave land, it wouldn't have fought with the Qing Dynasty a hundred years ago."
"Compared to negotiating with the Russians, what we should do is to actively prepare for war, strengthen the defense in the north, and be wary of Russian aggression."
"only--"
Matsudaira Sadanobu suddenly changed the subject.
"Compared to actively preparing for war and guarding against the Lucia people, I think there is something more urgent that we need to do right now."
As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu said this, all the young people present showed curiosity.
After everyone focused their curious and puzzled eyes on Matsudaira Sadanobu, he spoke word by word:
"Our top priority now should be to completely wipe out the Ezo people entrenched in the Red Moon Fortress."
When saying this just now, Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone remained calm.
The words he just said contained the word "completely wipe out", which is enough to make people shudder.
Not surprisingly - after Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, the faces of the four young men headed by Kitagawa changed.
"Master Laozhong," Beichuan said in a deep voice, "Do you mean... to use troops against the Red Moon Fortress?"
"Didn't you all just read the latest letter sent back by Inamori?" Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone was still indifferent, "The Ezo people in the Red Moon Fortress have rejected our surrender again."
"How many times have you been rejected?"
"I have no patience anymore."
When Matsudaira Sadanobu dispatched Inamori Masaya to the north, in addition to letting Inamori be responsible for monitoring the Lucia people, he also let Inamori be responsible for persuading the Ezo people entrenched in the "Red Moon Fortress" to surrender.
Just as Matsudaira Sadanobu said just now, he really couldn't remember how many times he had persuaded the Ezo people in the "Red Moon Fortress" to surrender.
Besides, as Matsudaira Sadanobu just said, he has lost his patience.
Matsudaira Sadanobu was very dissatisfied with the stubbornness of the Ezo people entrenched in the "Red Moon Fortress".
"'Red Moon Fortress' is located in a strategic location."
Matsudaira Sadanobu continued.
"As relations with Lucia become increasingly tense, we must take control of the Red Moon Fortress no matter what."
"Since the Ainu in Red Moon Fortress are still unwilling to obey our orders, we have no choice but to resort to force."
The four young men looked at each other in bewilderment.
Finally, it was Beichuan who spoke first:
"…I support Mr. Laozhong's proposal."
Beichuan looked serious.
"The location of the Red Moon Fortress is really too important."
"We must not let it fall into the hands of the Lucia people."
"Even if we have to rob it, we must seize the Red Moon Fortress!"
"… Lord Senior." After hesitating for a while, Matsudaira Takaki said slowly, "Don't talk about military affairs lightly."
"I also agree that we must take control of the Red Moon Fortress."
"But I don't think it's time to call in the military."
"What's more, the Ezo people occupying the Red Moon Fortress have firearms and are fierce in nature."
"If you want to use military force against them, you should think twice before doing so!"
"Takashi. I understand what you mean." Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly.
Because three of the five people present had the surname Matsudaira, for the sake of convenience, Matsudaira Sadanobu called both Matsudaira Takayoshi and Matsudaira Kimizan by their first names when both were present.
"Of course I know that the Ezos in Red Moon Fortress are not easy to deal with."
“But I think this battle has to be fought.”
"The reason why I want to use troops against the Red Moon Fortress is not just because I want to seize this strategic location before Lucia launches a formal invasion of our country."
"I have another purpose."
"I want to conquer the Red Moon Fortress to intimidate those Ezo people who still have second thoughts in Ezo."
"Everyone, I think you all have not forgotten the 'Kunasilimenasi Rebellion' last year, right?"
"Of course I won't forget." As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, Kitagawa immediately took over.
The Kunasilimenasi Rebellion - a rebellion that broke out in Ezo last year, in the first year of Kansei.
A large number of Ezo people launched a rebellion in Kunasilimenasi to oppose the oppression of the shogunate.
After the riot broke out, the shogunate took a lot of effort to finally suppress it.
"Russia's covetousness towards Ezo in recent years has given me a wake-up call."
Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly.
"We have always ruled Ezo in name only."
"To us, Ezo is essentially no different from a foreign country."
"If we had a stronger control over Ezo, we wouldn't have allowed Russia to send an expedition to Ezo so recklessly."
"I intend to officially begin the development of Ezo right now."
"Gradually strengthen control over Ezo."
"If we want to strengthen our control over Ezo, it is necessary to properly deter those Ezo who are unwilling to obey our shogunate."
"It would be very appropriate to start with those stubborn Ainu people entrenched in the Red Moon Fortress."
"As long as we annihilate the Ezos in the Red Moon Fortress with lightning speed, it will surely serve as a warning to others."
"Let the other Ezo see what the consequences are for not obeying our shogunate."
The four young people listened attentively.
Then they responded in different ways.
Kitagawa and Matsudaira Kimizan nodded slightly.
Yoshimoto looked bewildered.
Matsudaira Takaki had a serious look on his face, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"… Lord Rochu." After a moment of silence, Matsudaira Takaki asked, "Then how many troops do you think would be appropriate if we were to attack the Red Moon Fortress?"
Matsudaira Sadanobu raised one finger.
"10,000."
When Matsudaira Sadanobu said this, the four young men showed different expressions.
"10,000?" Matsudaira Kimizan's reaction was the most excited. "Master Rochu, please forgive me for being frank, but the total number of Ezo in the Red Moon Fortress is only a few thousand! Isn't it a bit exaggerated to send out an army of 10,000?"
"It costs a lot to mobilize 10,000 troops!"
Before becoming Wakanyoshi, Matsudaira Kimizan worked as a Kanjo Bugyo for a long time.
The so-called Kanjo Bugyo can be understood as the minister in charge of finance.
Perhaps it was because he had served as Kanjo Bugyo for a long time that Matsudaira Kimizan often became emotional when faced with political affairs related to money.
"I know." Matsudaira Sadanobu's face was still expressionless. "So let the feudal domains in Mutsu and Dewa... especially the Sendai and Aizu feudal domains, do more to ensure the safety of our country's northern gate."
Mutsu and Dewa - the two regions closest to Ezo. Often collectively referred to as the "Ou region" or the "Tohoku region"
There were 31 feudal domains in Oshu and Yushu.
Among these 31 feudal domains, only two could be considered powerful: Aizu Domain and Sendai Domain.
Judging from the data on paper, the strongest domain was the Sendai Domain, with a total koku of nearly 630,000 koku.
But in fact, the strongest domain was the Aizu clan.
The Aizu domain was a close daimyo domain, and their lord also had the surname "Matsudaira" and was a relative of the shogun. He was specifically responsible for guarding against the outer daimyo in the Ou region.
Although the total koku was only 230,000 koku, due to the customs of the people, there were only five feudal states in Japan that could compete with the Aizu domain in terms of military strength.
Moreover, the Aizu clan was also famous for its loyalty to the shogunate.
The successive lords of Aizu Domain were all pillars of the shogunate, and Aizu Domain was therefore known as the "pillar of the shogunate."
If an order was sent to the Aizu Domain, asking them to assist in sending troops to the "Red Moon Fortress", the lord of the Aizu Domain would certainly not hesitate to use all the strength of the domain to assist the shogunate.
As for another powerful domain in the Ou region: Sendai Domain, it was actually an outer daimyo, that is, a domain that did not have a very close relationship with the shogunate.
Although the Sendai domain was a gao-shi daimyo, it was one of the more obedient ones among all the gao-shi daimyo. It was completely different from the gao-shi daimyo like Satsuma domain and Choshu domain who had been secretly disobeying the shogunate for many years.
If an order was sent to the lord of Sendai Domain, asking him to send troops to help, he would certainly dare not disobey.
Although the total koku of Sendai Domain was nearly 630,000 koku, its military strength was not very strong.
However, with the ability of the Sendai domain, it should be possible to gather an army of 1,000 to 2,000 people to help.
"If we can get these northern vassal states to contribute, it shouldn't be difficult to increase the current military strength stationed in the north to 10,000, right?"
Hearing what Matsudaira Sadanobu said, Matsudaira Kimizan pursed his lips and said no more.
Let the feudal states led by Aizu and Sendai help, and they will naturally be responsible for the supplies of the troops they send.
In other words, the shogunate could make full use of the soldiers sent by the daimyos in the Ou region without spending a penny.
So it is indeed as Matsudaira Sadanobu said just now, if the daimyos in the Ou region were asked to send troops to help, it would not be difficult to gather an army of 10,000 in Ezo.
"… Your Excellency." The person who spoke was Matsudaira Takaki again, "Sending troops is a matter of great importance. I think we should report it to the Shogun and ask him to make the final decision."
"Of course." Matsudaira Sadanobu nodded without hesitation, "I have never thought about planning an attack on Ezo within today."
"I plan to report this to the General this afternoon."
"Please ask the General to present his ideas and let the General make a decision as soon as possible."
…
…
10 days later——
November 26, 1790.
If you want to go to Dewa and Mutsu, the quickest way is to take the Oshu Kaido.
The so-called Oshu Kaido is a major transportation route that starts in Edo and ends at Shirakawa in Mutsu.
For Ogata, it didn't matter whether he went to Dewa or Mutsu - he was unfamiliar with both places anyway.
The same is true for Ating. He doesn't have any familiar friends in these two places.
Since there was no difference between these two places in Ogata's eyes, when he was deciding whether to go to Dewa or Mutsu before leaving, Ogata chose to go to Mutsu without hesitation - there was an Oshu Street to go to Mutsu, which was much more convenient.
There is no need to mention Ogata's physical fitness.
Although A-machi is a girl, she has received complete ninjutsu training.
Even though she was the last among the ninjas of the same period, she was still a female ninja after all. In terms of physical fitness, she was just as good as some samurai.
Because both of them are in very good physical condition, their pace is not slow at all.
As the two moved north, the weather became increasingly colder.
On the sixth day after their departure, the two of them saw snow.
The further north you go, the more snow there is.
To this day, the snow under their feet is so thick that their entire feet will sink into it if they step on it.
On the journey north, in addition to the temperature, Ogata and A-machi also felt a very obvious change.
That is the change in customs.
The Ou region is currently one of the least developed regions in Japan.
The worse the economy is, the worse the public security is often. When Ogata took Atachi to Mutsu, he realized very deeply that although this statement is a bit absolute, it actually makes some sense.
…
…
"Hey! Samurai!"
A dirty bald ronin drew his sword and shouted at Ogata in front of him in an arrogant tone.
"Are you doing martial arts training? You are so extravagant! You are doing martial arts training and you even bring a woman with you!"
Although the weather was getting colder as they moved further north, Ogata's clothes were still very thin due to the effect of his "vitality".
She just put on an extra layer of clothing under the haori, a thicker scarf, a pair of deerskin boots that could walk in the snow, and a snow-proof hat on her head.
Ogata pushed the hat on his head slightly upwards, shifted his gaze, and looked at the group of people blocking him.
There were a total of 9 people blocking him and Ating.
Without exception, these nine people were all dirty. Their clothes had not been washed for who knows how long. If the mud on their bodies were rubbed off, it felt like they could be rubbed into a mud ball as big as a child's fist.
While they were all dirty without exception, they were also all armed.
These nine people all had knives on their waists.
Some have both katana and wakizashi.
Some only have swords.
Some have only wakizashi.
"Another ronin..." Atachi, who was standing behind Ogata, muttered helplessly.
She and Ogata were just walking along the road at an orderly pace.
Then the nine ronin suddenly ran out from the bushes on the roadside in front of them and blocked their way.
Then the bald ronin standing in the front began to taunt Ogata for taking a woman with him to practice martial arts.
"I'm not doing any martial arts training." Ogata said in a calm tone, "It's just that I have to go to Mutsu with my wife because of some things."
"Are you guys here to rob money too?"
"Oh? You know a lot about it." The bald ronin sneered a few times, "But now we want something else besides money."
After saying that, the bald ronin turned his attention to Atachi standing next to Ogata, with a bit of greed flashing in his eyes.
“We just want your money.”
"But now that I look closely, your wife is quite pretty."
"Leave your money and your wife behind!"
"But don't worry, we won't take your wife away, nor will we kill your wife."
"We're only borrowing it for a few days."
"I'll give it back to you in a few days."
After listening quietly to the bald ronin's words, Ogata let out a silent sigh.
He's heard this kind of thing too many times recently.
In Ogata's right hand he held a long wooden stick that would help him along his journey.
After he let out this sigh——
brake!
Ogata swung the long wooden stick in his hand violently and drew a circle with himself as the center on the snow.
The nine ronin, led by the bald ronin, cast doubtful glances at Ogata.
"Hey! What are you doing?" asked the bald man.
"This is my... attack range." Ogata threw the long wooden stick in his hand aside, "I will not leave this circle, nor will I actively chase you."
"But my personal cultivation is not good enough to offer my head and hands to someone who wants to harm me and my wife."
"Okay. You guys choose."
"You have to leave obediently."
"Or... step into the circle?"
After saying that, Ogata slowly lowered his body center of gravity.