Before officially sending troops into battle, two things must be prepared - sufficient supplies and a just cause for war.
As long as these two things are prepared, the war is half won.
——Matsudaira Sadanobu/Notes I made while reading history books
…
Matsudaira Sadanobu walked in front with his hands behind his back.
In front of him was a minor official who was responsible for leading the way.
Behind him, there were two people.
One of them was Tachibana.
He was holding Matsudaira Sadanobu's sword, Nagasone Kotetsu, and followed Matsudaira Sadanobu closely.
The other person was the general of the shogunate army and the commander-in-chief of the entire army - Inamori.
Even the loose official uniform could not hide Inamori's extremely strong figure.
At this moment, Matsudaira Sadanobu and his group were walking in a prison cell in Matsumae Castle.
What hit me in the face was the uncomfortable dampness, the unpleasant smell of mold, feces and urine, and... the smell of blood.
In the feudal era, the treatment of prisoners and the construction of prison cells were naturally extremely poor.
In Edo period Japan, only the samurai class and people with special professions such as doctors were qualified to live in cells with better treatment.
Ordinary people can only live in cells that are more disgusting than pig sties and may not be cleaned by anyone even once in a year.
Matsudaira Sadanobu and his companions are currently walking in such a cell.
Tachibana, who was young and had never seen any big storms, frowned and held his breath.
Only when I was about to suffocate would I take a deep breath of the extremely smelly air.
As for Matsudaira Sadanobu and Inamori, they looked as usual. The unpleasant air surrounding them didn't seem to have any effect on them at all.
"Master Laozhong, we have arrived."
The clerk who was leading the way stopped, turned around, and while making a "please" gesture towards a nearby cell, he continued to speak to Matsudaira Sadanobu behind him:
"The person imprisoned in this cell is the instigator of this riot - Maka Nao."
Matsudaira Sadanobu stood in front of the cell, looking at a disheveled, blood-stained guy huddled in a corner of the cell.
The man in the cell was none other than Maka Nao, the mastermind of the riot who was captured alive by Sheng Tianmu.
There was a "guest" at the door of the cell, but Macanao did not look up and continued to lock himself in the corner without moving.
"Is this man still alive?" asked Matsudaira Sadanobu.
"Still alive." The clerk replied hurriedly.
These days, Maka Nao has tried most of the torture instruments and methods used in Japan during the Edo period.
When "trying" the first torture device, Macanao confessed everything he had because he had to endure this inhuman pain.
But the government would naturally not let him go so easily.
With the thoughts that "he might be lying" and "he might be hiding something", they continued to use one torture instrument and one torture method after another on Macanao.
To this day, although Maka Nao is not dead, they have been tortured to the point of being unrecognizable and are half-dead.
He heard a group of "guests" coming to his cell door.
But now he no longer had the energy or mood to even look up.
In addition to Maka Nao, the government also captured a number of people who also participated in the riot.
They were in the same situation as Maka, and their vocal cords were almost broken from shouting in the torture room these days.
After conducting rounds of interrogation on the group led by Maka Nao, it can now be concluded that those who participated in the riot were naturalized Ainu who were extremely dissatisfied with Kazuto.
Inamori, who was standing behind Matsudaira Sadanobu, was also watching Maka making a fuss in the cell with Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Looking at Maka Nao in the cell, Inamori's eyes were full of contempt and disdain.
After the riot was suppressed, Inamori and Matsudaira Sadanobu had discussed the group of people who started the riot in private.
The conclusion of their discussion was that this was a group of people who would never be able to accomplish anything.
Looking at the entire process after the riot, the atmosphere of "lack of ability" and "lack of vision" was revealed everywhere.
A total of more than 300 people participated in the riot, which is not a large number, but not a small number either.
If they had planned well beforehand, maybe this group of people could have changed the outcome.
If the goal is to "retaliate against the Japanese and launch indiscriminate massacres", then a "quick attack" must be launched from the beginning of the battle.
After quickly launching a massacre, they immediately fled Matsumae Castle before the government troops arrived.
If the goal was to "attack the Matsumae domain," then from the very beginning, too much time should not have been spent on killing civilians.
A careful look at the entire operation of Maca Nao and the information they revealed after being arrested shows that Maca Nao and his gang want both.
He wanted to take revenge on the Japanese and also wanted to attack the Matsumae domain.
This behavior of "not focusing strength on one goal" has already laid the seeds for failure.
By the way - after being captured and tortured, Maka Nao quickly betrayed several officials in the feudal government who had close relations with him.
Maka Nao confessed: the reason why he, a wanted fugitive, had not been caught was because he bribed these officials to secretly assist him.
At the same time, he also admitted that it was these officials who told him that Matsudaira Sadanobu was now in the Matsumae domain, and that a large part of the reason why he chose to start the rebellion at this time was to capture or kill Matsudaira Sadanobu alive.
After Maka Nao betrayed all his good friends, the government immediately sent people to arrest these officials.
Only one person committed suicide by seppuku before being arrested because he felt guilty.
Another major reason why Maka's rebellion failed so quickly was because the officials who colluded with him did not provide him with enough information.
The only thing these officials knew was that Matsudaira Sadanobu was there.
I didn't know that the 10,000-strong coalition force of the shogunate and the northeastern feudal domains was also here.
I didn't know that there are elite troops such as the "Aizu clan" and the "Sendai clan" stationed in Matsumae Castle.
The 10,000-strong coalition army of the shogunate and the northeastern feudal domains is currently gathering in the Matsumae domain, and the shogunate has decided to use troops against the Red Moon Fortress - these two things are top secret.
In order to maintain confidentiality, Matsudaira Sadanobu strictly controlled public opinion.
In the entire Matsumae domain, only the lord of Matsumae domain and a few high-ranking officials knew the specific details.
The middle and lower-level officials had no idea that a large-scale battle was about to break out in Ezo.
I don't know that Matsumae Castle is now full of elite troops. I am so stupid to start a rebellion when the government is at its strongest...
After learning that Makanao was still alive, Matsudaira Sadanobu nodded slightly.
The reason why he came to see Maka now was just a whim - he suddenly wanted to see this guy who had helped them a lot invisibly.
After taking a few more glances at Maka, who was almost unrecognizable, Matsudaira Sadanobu withdrew his gaze and walked out of the cell.
After leaving the cell, Matsudaira Sadanobu dismissed the man who had led them, and walked back to his room with Tachibana and Inamori alone.
As he was walking back to his room, Matsudaira Sadanobu suddenly asked Inamori behind him:
"I suddenly feel a little curious."
"If those rioters knew that their riots not only did not cause us any harm, but also helped us a lot, what kind of expressions and feelings would they have?"
As he said this, Matsudaira Sadanobu had a faint smile on his face.
Hearing what Matsudaira Sadanobu said, Inamori was stunned for a moment, then quickly said with a smile:
"I guess they'll be so angry that they want to bang their heads against the wall."
When he learned that naturalized Ezo people were rioting in the city, Matsudaira Sadanobu whispered, "This is a good opportunity."
This sentence actually has a double meaning.
It refers to a good opportunity to test the abilities of generals such as Gamo and Namatenmoku who were from the Aizu and Sendai domains.
It also refers to encountering a perfect reason to go to war with Red Moon Fortress.
Anyone with a little military knowledge knows that there must be sufficient reasons to start a war.
The reasons for starting a war can be any exaggerated, but there must be a reason that can tell all the generals and soldiers why we are fighting.
Matsudaira Sadanobu originally wanted to make up a random reason to go to war with the Red Moon Fortress.
Anyway, they just made up a random reason to start a war - this kind of thing was one of the old traditions of their Edo Shogunate.
Two hundred years ago, when the Edo Shogunate was just opened, the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, made up a very outrageous reason to launch a decisive battle against the Toyotomi clan.
At that time, Tokugawa Ieyasu had seized power from the Toyotomi family through politics and war.
The family that ruled the world changed from the Toyotomi clan to the Tokugawa clan, and Tokugawa Ieyasu successfully established the Edo Shogunate in Edo. The Toyotomi clan became a feudal lord that could only rule Osaka.
Although the Toyotomi clan lost its power, its reputation remained. With just one call from a high place, countless warriors and lords who were eager for fame or favored by the Toyotomi clan would respond. The Toyotomi clan was the only lord who could pose a threat to the Edo shogunate at that time.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, who regarded the Toyotomi clan as a thorn in his side, had been looking for an opportunity to eliminate the Toyotomi clan.
Finally, more than ten years after the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, he got his chance.
At that time, Toyotomi Hideyori, the head of the Toyotomi clan, repaired Kyoto's Honko-ji Temple, which had collapsed due to an earthquake, and placed a huge Buddhist bell in the main hall, which was engraved with numerous bell inscriptions.
There is a sentence in the bell inscription: "The ruler and his subjects are prosperous and happy, and the country is at peace and sound."
Because of this inscription, the war between Toyotomi and Tokugawa broke out again.
Tokugawa Ieyasu believed that the second half of the bell inscription, "The country is safe and sound", separating the two words "Ieyasu", was cursing him, Tokugawa Ieyasu, to death.
So on this basis, he launched the "Battle of Osaka", sent troops to attack Osaka, the capital of the Toyotomi clan, and finally succeeded in destroying the Toyotomi clan.
Even a fool knows that Tokugawa Ieyasu's reason for starting the war is completely far-fetched.
But that's the reason for going to war. No matter how much nonsense you put in it, as long as there is a reason, it will be fine - even if times change, this is an eternal truth.
In modern times, there was a country that practiced this truth: this country took a test tube that might have contained laundry detergent, said it was a chemical weapon secretly developed by a certain country, and then used this as an excuse to attack that country.
Matsudaira Sadanobu originally wanted to emulate their first general and come up with a plausible reason to declare war on the Red Moon Fortress.
But now - this group of Makano who suddenly started causing trouble gave Matsudaira Sadanobu a perfect reason to start a war.
Matsudaira Sadanobu started planning from the day before.
He asked officials of the Matsumae domain to notify the entire Matsumae Castle and the entire Matsumae domain - after investigation, it was found that the instigator of this riot that caused countless civilian deaths and injuries was the Ezo people of the Red Moon Fortress.
The Ainu in the Red Moon Fortress have always hated Kazuto, so they secretly planned this massacre.
Since the government's "investigation results" were announced to the entire city the day before yesterday, Matsumae Castle has been in a state of public outrage over the past two days.
Many civilians died in the riot.
Some extremely angry people even blocked the front of the provincial government and demanded that the government avenge them.
In addition to the angry common people of Matsumae Domain, the generals and soldiers of the Shogunate's coalition forces were also very angry.
Because while telling the people of Matsumae Domain the "truth", Matsudaira Sadanobu also asked Inamori to tell the entire army's generals and soldiers the "truth".
There is no shortage of passionate men in the army.
After learning that the Ezo people in the Red Moon Fortress had done something so outrageous that both humans and gods alike would commit atrocities, many generals and soldiers clamored to pacify the Red Moon Fortress and demand blood debts be repaid with blood.
This is the effect that Matsudaira Sadanobu wanted.
There's no better reason to start a war than revenge.
The truth of the matter does not need to be announced to the public.
It is enough to announce to the public what these rulers want the public to know.
Matsudaira Sadanobu and his group returned to his room without realizing it.
After returning to the room, Matsudaira Sadanobu turned around, looked at Inamori, and said word by word:
“Now the time is ripe.”
Yesterday, Matsudaira Sadanobu held the final pre-war military meeting with the generals led by Inamori.
After repeated confirmation, it has been determined that:
Soldiers from all units are ready to go.
The baggage has been deployed to the northern border of Matsumae Domain.
The reasons for starting a war are sufficient, and the morale of the soldiers is currently high as they are eager for revenge.
The time has come to send troops.
"Inamori, inform the entire army."
Matsudaira Sadanobu spoke word by word.
"All troops out!"
"Defeat the Red Moon Fortress!"
…
…
Matsumae, an ordinary rural village near the northern border.
Yutian was walking back to the village with his bow and arrow in his hand, looking frustrated.
Yutian is an ordinary farmer in this ordinary rural village.
When the cold winter comes, they would pick up bows and arrows and try to hunt small animals to supplement the family income.
There are no large wild beasts like bears and wolves around the village, only small animals like rabbits and squirrels that are easy to bully.
It’s just that Yutian’s hunting skills are really poor.
If you go into the mountains 10 times, you may come back empty-handed 10 times.
Today was also a day of returning empty-handed. After running around in the mountains for most of the day and gaining nothing, Yutian was walking on the road back to the village exhausted.
As he walked back to the village with ease, he could already see the shadows of the village houses.
At this moment, he suddenly heard strange noises coming from the distance beside him.
As a native of Matsumae, Yoda was no stranger to this sound - it was the unique sound of a dog sled running on the snow.
He looked in the direction of the sound - and sure enough, in the distance to his side, there was a dog sled running towards him at high speed.
And the person sitting on the sled was someone Tian knew.
“Old man Tang Shen…” After recognizing who the person sitting on the sled was, Yota waved his hands vigorously in the direction of the sled, “Hey! Old man Tang Shen!”
Sitting on the sled was an old man.
At the same time that Yoda recognized the old man, the old man also recognized Yoda.
“Hey!” The old man waved his hands vigorously at Yota, “Yota, long time no see.”
The sled is pulled by six very strong sled dogs.
The limbs of these six sled dogs are covered with strong and powerful muscles, and it is obvious at a glance that they are dogs that have been carefully and professionally trained.
This old man's name is Tang Shen. He is an ordinary pet merchant in Matsumae City.
If Ogata and Atachi were present, they would definitely be able to recognize him quickly - this old man was the owner of the pet stall who had previously told them the valuable information.
In order to replenish the quantity of goods, Yushin often drove a dog sled out of Matsumae Domain and headed north into the territory of Ezo to hunt animals.
This route, which leads to the village where Yota lives, is the route most often taken by Yugami.
I also have a close relationship with Tian and Tang Shen, and I often meet Tang Shen by chance.
So after a few interactions, Yutian gradually became familiar with this pet dealer.
Yutian has always felt that Tang Shenren is as his name suggests, a god.
In order to catch high-quality animals, Yushin often drove a sled alone into the territory of Ezo.
You know, the relationship between humans and Ezo has always been awkward.
Although there were some Ezo who were not hostile to the Wa people, there were also many Ezo who viewed the Wa people as enemies.
Faced with such an environment, Tang Shen dared to go in and out of the territory controlled by Ezo alone, and he has never encountered any danger so far, and he was able to escape safely every time - just based on such courage, Yota felt that Tang Shen was as his name suggests, a god.
If it were Yota himself, even if he had a hundred times the courage, he would not dare to go north and enter the territory controlled by the Ezo.
After Yushin drove the sled to stop in front of Yoda, Yoda asked Yushin:
"Old Man Tangshen, are you going north to hunt pets again?"
"Yes." Tang Shen said, "A few days ago, an old customer came and bought all my pets at once, so I have to hunt some new pets and restock."
The thick and long crutch that Tang Shen never let go of was placed between his legs.
The sled that Tang Shen rides is a specially made large sled.
At the back of the sled, there was a large cloth bag tied.
Yutian knew that the big cloth bag contained hunting tools and cages that were specially used to collect and release the captured animals.
"Old Tang Shen, I really envy you." Yota sighed, "If only my hunting skills could be half as good as yours."
After saying that, Yota showed his empty hands to Tang Shen.
"Look, I went hunting in the mountains today, but I got nothing again..."
What Yota just said was not a compliment.
He had seen Tang Shen's hunting skills, and he always saw Tang Shen returning with a full load.
"Haha." Tang Shen laughed, "The reason why I can catch so many high-quality prey every time is actually because I have a unique hunting method."
"It is thanks to my unique method that I can always come back with a full load."
"A unique hunting method?" Yota subconsciously stretched his neck towards Tang Shen, "What is it? Can you teach me?"
"I can't teach you this method." Tang Shen continued to smile, "My method is probably only used by me."
“Can’t you teach me…” A hint of frustration appeared on Yota’s face.
"I'll teach you when I have the chance! Okay, let's stop talking. I'll go ahead!"
After saying that, Thompson shouted "Go" to the six sled dogs in front of him that were pulling the sled.
Afterwards, the six sled dogs that were originally lying on the ground to rest immediately stood up, pulling the sled and carrying Tang Shen, and ran straight north.
…
…
Somewhere in Ezo—
"Mashima, Atachi." A middle-aged man ran towards Ogata and the others and shouted to them, "It's time to rest."
The middle-aged man's name is "Ayizan".
He was Chepke's official Japanese translator.
During this period, he, who knew Japanese, was assigned to serve as Ogata and his team's personal translator and butler.
"Is it time for a break again..." Ogata muttered to himself as he turned over and jumped off the radish.
There were many elderly, weak, women and children in their team, as well as some seriously injured people who could only lie on the sleds, so the marching speed was not fast, and they had to stop frequently to rest.
After Ogata got off Radish's horse, Ating beside him immediately rolled off Grape's back as if he had been pardoned, feeling the strange sense of stability and security with his feet connected to the ground.
After Ating landed, Ogata gave him a look of praise:
"A-Ming, your horsemanship has improved rapidly recently. Now you can ride very steadily."
"Thank you for the compliment, although I don't feel happy at all..."
Because of riding horses every day during this period, Ating's horsemanship has improved at a visible pace.
Now, she was able to make the horse under her crotch carry her forward very steadily.
But she still has a long way to go before she can ride a horse...
"How long will it take us to reach the Red Moon Fortress?" Ating swept the snow off a large rock not far away and sat down on it.
Ogata and his companions said goodbye to Skulucci and the others and set off for the Red Moon Fortress - this happened some time ago.
They had been travelling for some time.
"I don't know. You'll have to ask Chief Chepke, but I guess it will be soon."
"Mashima Goro, Omachi."
As soon as Ogata dismounted from his horse, he heard someone calling him and Atachi in rather unstandard Japanese.
This voice was also one that Ogata was very familiar with now—it was the voice of the village chief of Chepke.
Not far away, Chepke was walking towards Ogata and the others at a leisurely pace.
During this period, Chepke often came to visit them in person to ask about their well-being.
Because he was not familiar with the surrounding area, Ogata did not know how far they were from the Red Moon Fortress.
"Mashima Goro, Atachi. How did you sleep well last night? (Ainu)" Chepke asked.
Ayizan, who happened to be present, quickly translated.
It is morning now, and the time is around 10 o'clock in the morning.
"Yeah, not bad." Ogata nodded, "Village Chief Chepke, you look pretty good today, too."
"Well, because I slept very well last night. It was a rare good sleep. (Ainu)" Chepke sighed.
"Chief Chepke, you've come just in time. I want to ask - how long will it take to reach Heyezhe?"
"Hmm...almost." Chepke said, "It will probably take another 4 or 5 days. (Ainu)"
"Four or five days?" Ogata let out a long sigh, "Then it's almost there."
Having said this, Ogata paused.
Then he whispered in a half-joking tone:
"I really hope that when I arrive in Heyezhe, the Ainu people I meet will be kind people."
…
…
At this moment, somewhere——
"How is it, did your team find those gold diggers who escaped?"
An Ainu girl wearing a red headscarf and bright red clothing asked this question to several Ainu people in front of her who were also wearing bright red clothing.
Because she is not old enough, there are no tattoos on the girl's face. She has a regular face and a heroic look between her eyebrows. She is a heroic woman.
“No.”
"Tsk..." The girl curled her lips, "You ran away so quickly, where did you escape to..."
"Aisuma." At this time, a man standing behind the girl said to her, "Everyone is a little tired, how about taking a break?"
Asuma - the girl's name.
Asuma looked around - there were more than a dozen subordinates following closely behind her.
Including the small force they had just joined, there were nearly 20 people in total.
Almost everyone had a look of fatigue on their faces.
After a moment's silence, Asuma nodded:
"Okay, everyone take a break. You, you and the others will be on guard."
As soon as Asuma finished speaking, small cheers were heard around him.
Except for the person who was just named by Asuma to be on guard, the rest of the people immediately looked for a big rock or tree to lean on.
Asuma did not look for a rock or a tree to lean on, but simply sat on the ground.
"Aisuma, what should we do if we can't find those gold diggers who escaped?"
A young man who was sitting not far from Asuma asked.
"What else can we do..." Asuma shrugged, "If we can't find them, we can only go back to Heyezhe."
"I really can't accept this..." said another teenager, "If we don't find those gold diggers who escaped, I really can't swallow this anger."
"Okay," Asuma consoled him, "If we can't find those gold diggers who escaped, then forget it."
"Anyway, we killed most of them, so it can be considered a great victory that we can brag about when we go back."
Asuma took off the leather kettle from his waist, took a big gulp of water, and then, as if remembering something, he spoke to the people around him:
"By the way - do you know that the Qina Village will soon move into Heye Zhe and become our companion?"
"Ah, I know. It is said that the village was attacked by white people, right?" A young man immediately responded, "Although they successfully repelled the white people, they were afraid of retaliation from them, so they moved the whole village to our Heyezhe."
"Yes, I know about this, too." Another young man said, "It is said that many people were killed or injured in that village. I heard that a Japanese man who happened to be in the village at the time saved the village."
"That's right." Asuma nodded, "But do you know how many white people were killed by that Japanese man after he lent a helping hand to Qina Village?"
The people around shook their heads in confusion.
"That man seems to be called Majima Goro. I heard..." Asuma lowered his voice, "On the night when Qina Village was attacked, he killed about 40 white people by himself."
"About 40?"
“Is this true or false?”
"Aisuma, are you remembering correctly?"
There were exclamations all around.
"I remember correctly." Asuma shook her head. "I heard this news from a reliable source."
"That night, hundreds of white people attacked Qina Village."
"Then the man named Majima Goro stepped forward, holding two knives in his hands, and chopped from the north of the village to the east of the village."
"They killed people with swords and slashed all the way, until the white people were driven back without blinking an eye."
"Will your eyes become dry if you don't blink for such a long time?" a young man sitting not far away said suddenly.
"Huh?" Asuma looked at the young man.
She gave him a look that seemed to say, "Little brother, what's wrong with you?"
The boy, feeling uncomfortable under the gaze of Asuma, whispered:
"I'm just a little curious..."
Asuma: (╬▔皿▔) "Don't pay attention to these weird places!"
Boy: “Yes…”
After taking his eyes off the young man, Asuma coughed softly a few times, then continued:
"Let's continue. Anyway, that Majima Goro is an extremely powerful swordsman. The villagers of Kinara Village were saved thanks to him."
"If I had the chance, I would really like to see with my own eyes how such masters usually live and how they train their bodies and skills."
"I heard that the people there might come to Heyezhe with the villagers of Qina Village."
"If you meet that Majima Goro, remember not to waste the opportunity to come into contact with the swordsman among the people."
"If you really meet that Majima Goro, remember to watch carefully and learn from him. Learn how these extremely powerful people live their daily lives. As long as you learn from them, you may be able to reach his level of strength."
After Asuma finished speaking, the people around him nodded seriously.
…
…
After a while——
Among the several teams that came to hunt down the gold diggers -
"Hey, have you heard about the story of the man who saved the village of Qina?"
“I haven’t heard much about it.”
"I heard that the Japanese was called Majima Goro. At that time, more than a hundred white-skinned people attacked the Qina Village. Then the Japanese took two swords and chopped down more than 60 white-skinned people by himself."
“More than 60?!”
…
…
After a while——
"Hey, do you know Majima Goro?"
"I know. We saved the people from the village that was about to move into our Heyezhe. What happened?"
"That Majima Goro seems to be a super powerful swordsman. That night, there were about 200 white-skinned people attacking Qina Village, and then Majima Goro chopped down more than 80 people by himself, and then scared away the remaining white-skinned people."
"Huh? More than 80? According to Kazuto, this is considered a great swordsman, right?"
…
…
After a while——
"Hey, I heard that Majima Goro, who saved the Kina Village, is a famous swordsman among the Japanese."
"He is very famous among the people? Is this true? Why would such a person appear here?"
"You don't understand this! He is training! It is said that this kind of traveling training method is very popular among the people! Majima Goro came here just to practice and improve his swordsmanship."
"I see... Even though he's already so strong, he's still practicing diligently... He seems like someone worthy of admiration."
… …
…
After a while——
"Hey, did you know? There were hundreds of white-skinned people attacking Qina Village. Facing these hundreds of white-skinned people, the man named Majima Goro rushed straight into the white-skinned people's team with two swords in hand. He killed hundreds of people along the way with his swords, and finally defeated the white-skinned people directly."
"Hundreds of people?!"