At this moment——
The 1st Army Camp, the Commander-in-Chief's Camp——
In the huge commander's camp, there were only three figures, one old and two young.
The older one, holding a military badge in his hand, wearing mighty armor and a gorgeous battle feather robe, sat upright on a stool.
The two younger ones, one sitting next to the old guy, were also wearing armor and clothing, and were young generals.
The other one knelt on one knee in the middle of the tent, wearing only ordinary soldier armor.
"...Thank you for your hard work in reporting." The old man waved to the young soldier in armor who was kneeling on one knee in front of them, "Go down and rest first."
"Yes!" The young soldier kneeling on one knee in the middle of the camp responded loudly, saluted to the old and young sitting in front of him, and then quickly left the tent.
After the young man left the tent, the old man used his military uniform as a fan and fanned himself a few times, then said softly:
"Kuroda-kun, what do you think?"
The old man wasn't someone with mental problems, so he was naturally asking the young general sitting next to him.
"Lord Gui, since there is no obstacle ahead, I think we can move forward boldly, speed up a little, and head straight for the Red Moon Fortress." The young general sitting next to the old man said slowly.
This young general was none other than Kuroda, one of the “Seven Spears of Xianzhou”.
The injuries on his palms have not yet healed, and his palms are still wrapped in thick linen.
The old man sitting next to Kuroda at this time was the new general-in-chief of their First Army - Katsura Yoshimasa.
Their army of 10,000 was composed of the shogunate army and the feudal armies of the northeastern feudal domains, and naturally there were many factions among the generals.
Among them, the most powerful factions are naturally the "Shogunate faction", "Aizu faction" and "Sendai faction", which rank in the top three in terms of the number of troops dispatched.
Originally, the three most powerful factions each commanded an army, which just happened to achieve a delicate balance of power.
However, after the death of Sheng Tianmu, the leader of the "Sendai Faction", this created a very awkward situation - no one knew who would lead the First Army.
The remaining generals of the "Sendai faction" - Akizuki, Kuroda and others - do not have sufficient ability and qualifications.
The leader of the Aizu Domain, Gamo, is already in charge of the Third Army, so it would be inappropriate to let someone from the Aizu Faction lead the First Army.
As people from other factions are too weak, it would be difficult to convince the public to let them lead the First Army.
So not long after the First Army and the Second Army joined forces, after much consideration, Inamori finally decided to avoid disputes - have people from the "shogunate faction" take over the First Army.
The "Shogunate faction" undoubtedly holds a dominant position in the entire army, so it is naturally easier to convince the people if someone from the "Shogunate faction" leads the First Army than if someone from other factions were to lead the First Army.
And this Katsura Yoshimasa was a general of the "shogunate faction".
This veteran, who is 54 years old this year, was born into a hatamoto family with an annual salary of 7,000 stones. Although he is old, he is quite trusted by Inamori.
After Kuroda's observation over this period of time, he found that the new general's abilities were quite outstanding.
After being airdropped into their First Army, he took over all command and direction work with a swift and resolute style.
According to Kuroda's observation, Katsura Yoshimasa's command and management abilities may not be as good as Namatemuro's, but at least they are much better than his. Katsura Yoshimasa's abilities are fully qualified for the position of the general of the First Army.
After Katsura Yoshimasa was parachuted into the First Army, Kuroda was demoted to the deputy general of the First Army, responsible for assisting Katsura Yoshimasa.
Although Katsura Yoshimasa's abilities were quite good, there was one thing about him that made Kuroda very impatient.
That is - this old guy loves to show off his knowledge.
He would recite "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu when he opened his mouth, and "The Art of War by Wu Zi" when he closed his mouth, and from time to time he would quote a sentence from these military books.
As expected - after Kuroda finished speaking, Katsura Yoshimasa nodded gently:
"Great minds think alike. The Art of War says: 'Speed ​​is the essence of war.' Since the road ahead is smooth, we do need to speed up a bit."
Hearing Keiyoshi showing off his knowledge once again, Kuroda resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
The day after Gui Yizheng was airdropped to become the chief general of their First Army, their First Army was separated from the Second Army again and continued to fulfill the important task of serving as the vanguard and paving the way for the entire army.
A large army must have a unit to serve as the vanguard, conduct reconnaissance and clear the way for the entire army.
Moreover, the First Army and the Second Army together had a total of 8,000 people, and in the Ezo land which was still in its primitive state, there were basically few roads that could accommodate an army of 8,000. Only by dividing the troops could the marching efficiency be improved, so it was inevitable that the First Army and the Second Army would be separated again.
After the First Army and the Second Army separated, Matsudaira Sadanobu also returned to the Second Army and acted together with Inamori.
Just now, Kuroda and Katsura Yoshi were listening to the scout's report.
The soldier who was kneeling in front of them in the center of the tent was a scout who had returned to the camp to report on his reconnaissance.
Since the "Ogata Attack" incident, under Inamori's orders, the number of scouts they sent to scout the way ahead has increased to three times the previous number.
What a pity - this dense reconnaissance network has not yet discovered Ogata Ittosai.
Although Ogata Ittosai was not found, the reconnaissance efficiency was much higher than before because the number of scouts sent out for reconnaissance increased.
According to the report from the scout who just returned to the camp, the road ahead is smooth, and there are no rivers or other things that require bridges.
Therefore, there was the scene where Kuroda said bluntly, "The road ahead is smooth, you can move forward boldly and speed up a little."
Gui Yizheng gently tapped the central military device on his right hand to his left hand and said, "Since you and I have the same opinion, let's make a decision immediately."
"Kuroda-kun, please help me gather the generals."
"I want to convey the order to 'speed up the march' to all the generals!"
"Let's have a good rest tonight. We will speed up our march tomorrow."
"Make sure we reach the Red Moon Fortress within four days!"
…
…
Red Moon Fortress——
After saying "of course", Kunoya, who was taking medicine from the huge Chinese medicine cabinet, turned her head and cast a puzzled look at Ating.
"Why? Is it possible that you have something important to do and can't just stay here and rest for a month?"
Just as Atachi was about to say something, Ogata suddenly raised his hand and tugged at Atachi's sleeve, then said to Kunoya:
"Then please treat my wife." Ogata bowed to Kunoya and said loudly, "If you need any reward, please tell me. I will do my best ."
"No need for rewards or anything like that." Kunoya smiled with an ambiguous smile and shrugged, "You probably can't give me what I want."
"Since you were brought by Asuma, you must be Asuma's friends."
"Aisuma has always taken good care of me, so I won't charge you for this treatment."
"As long as you can cooperate with my treatment."
"I hate patients who don't cooperate with treatment or who think they are smart and go against the doctor's advice."
"Okay, I'm going to re-sew your wound."
Kunoya took a variety of herbs and instruments and knelt down next to Ating again.
"Here, bite it in your mouth. This way, you will feel more relaxed later."
Kunoya held a clean cloth to A-Machi's mouth.
"I'm going to use the Lucia people's wound suturing technique to sew up your wound. It might be a little painful, so just bear with it."
A-Machi turned her head and looked at Ogata - although it was hidden, there was still a hint of worry in her eyes.
Ogata raised his hand and held A-machi's hand when she gave him a worried look.
"A-Ming, the most important thing now is to make sure your injury can be healed first." Ogata said softly.
After hearing what Ogata said, Atachi pursed her lips.
After thinking for a while, he opened his teeth and bit the cloth handed to him by Kunoya.
"Bite it tight." Kunoya put on a clean cloth like a mask, then picked up the tools and began to suture Ating's wound again.
After Kunoya began to treat Ating's injuries, Asuma, who was standing by, seemed to finally be unable to suppress her curiosity and asked Ogata:
"Mashima-san, how did Miss Atachi get injured so badly? Her wound looks like she was stabbed by a spear..."
"... Before I tell you what happened to us after we left Heyezhe... Aisuma, tell me what happened to Heyezhe these days."
Ogata turned his head to look at Asuma, and then said seriously:
"Just now when I was outside the gate, I noticed that the people on the wall were acting strangely."
"Many people looked nervous and panicked."
"After entering Heyezhe, the people watching us on the roadside were also like this. They all looked at me and A-Ting with nervous and panicked eyes."
“It wasn’t like this before.”
"During the time we were away from He Yezhe, what happened to He Yezhe?"
When Asuma heard the question from Ogata, she was stunned.
After a moment of hesitation in the depths of Asuma's eyes , she sighed softly:
"I'm sorry... Mr. Majima, please forgive me. We are just... a little scared... afraid that you are the enemy..."
"Enemy?" Ogata frowned slightly.
"A few days ago, two guests came... no... it's not quite right to say they were guests. It should be that two uninvited guests suddenly came to our He Yezhe..."
"It is because of the second uninvited guest who 'visited' us that He Yezhe has become so nervous now..."
Asuma cleared his throat, and then slowly told Ogata what happened a few days ago...
…
…
Time goes back to a few days ago——
…
…
A few days ago——
Red Moon Fortress, outside Chanup's house——
"It's so slow... What on earth is father talking about with that Tang Shen? Why is he talking for so long..." Asuma pouted unhappily while looking at the door in front of her.
Kimship, who was ordered by Chanup to guard the door and not let anyone in, heard Asuma's muttering with a strong sense of displeasure and smiled bitterly.
Just now, after learning that an old Japanese man named "Tang Shen" suddenly came to visit his father, Aisuma rushed back home to see what was going on - but was turned away.
Chanup did not allow anyone in, so Aisuma was turned away directly.
She had been waiting for nearly half an hour, but the door of her house had not been opened, and her father and the man named Tang Shen had not come out.
"It's so boring... I won't wait any longer." Asuma stood up and patted his butt.
"Ms. Asuma, are you leaving?" asked Kim Heep.
"Yeah. It's really boring to just wait here." Asuma patted the bow and arrow on his back, "I'll go practice my archery again."
"Ms. Asuma, you are really hardworking." Kim Heep said sincerely, "If only my son could be half as hardworking as you..."
"After all, I don't have any other hobbies besides hunting."
After saying goodbye to Kimship, Asuma strode towards her favorite archery practice area.
My own home was left far behind.
My favorite archery practice area is getting closer.
Just as the archery training ground appeared in Asuma's field of vision, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure running towards her out of the corner of her eye.
"Otunpuyi." Asuma stopped and said, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
This familiar figure was none other than Azuma’s younger brother, Otunpuyi.
“Sister!” Otunpuyi ran to Aizuma and said breathlessly, “Ha… Sister… I finally found you… Ha… Sister, something happened! Villagers from Takta Village are here!”
"Huh? Is it strange that the villagers from Takta Village come to our place?" Aisuma showed a puzzled expression.
Taketa Village, which is not too far from them, has a very good relationship with their Heyezhe, and the two places often exchange gifts, so it is quite normal for villagers from Taketa Village to suddenly visit their Heyezhe.
Otunpuyi shook his head vigorously.
"The villagers from Takta Village who suddenly came to us didn't come to give us gifts! They came to ask for help! He said that their Takta Village was attacked by the Japanese! The whole village was destroyed, and he hoped that our He Yezhe could help him!"
"What?!" Asuma's eyes widened suddenly.
"That man is outside the wall now." Aotongpuyi added, "Everyone on the wall is at a loss now..."
"Let's go! Let's go and take a look!" Asuma spread his legs and ran all the way towards the direction of the city wall.
After the city wall came into view, Aisuma saw that many villagers who had heard the news and rushed to join in the fun had gathered under the wall.
After running to the bottom of the inner city wall, Aisuma heard a series of shrill shouts coming from outside the wall:
"Our Takta village was massacred by the Japanese!"
"Please help me! I'm homeless!"
The shouts were so loud and shrill that even standing at the bottom of the inner city wall, one could hear them clearly and feel the sadness in the words...
…
…
Time goes back to the present——
…
…
"Taketa Village?" Ogata's pupils shrank slightly.
Ating, who was biting the cloth pad tightly and enduring the pain of stitching his wound, also had a slightly changed expression.
Takta Village——It was the village where Lilata, whom they had rescued earlier, came from...
The tragic situation in Taketa Village... Ogata didn't know whether Atachi still remembered it, but he still remembered it vividly.
Without noticing the slight change in Ogata and Atachi's expressions, Asuma continued:
"After the villagers from Takta came to us, the person who was standing guard on the city wall informed my father immediately."
"After my father let that man in, we finally found out what was going on."
"This villager from Takta who escaped to our place is a very young man."
"Just one night a few days ago, Takta Village was suddenly attacked by a group of armored soldiers."
"The young man managed to escape from the village by luck. He hid in the mountains until dawn before he dared to return to the village to check on its current situation."
"After returning to the village, I saw that the village had been completely slaughtered and there was no one left alive..."
“The young man was homeless and could only seek help from us, who had a good relationship with his village of Takta.”
"He originally planned to walk to our Heyezhe, but he was very lucky to meet a kind person from another settlement on the way."
"After learning about the boy's experience, the kind-hearted man personally used his own dog sled to send the boy to our Heyezhe."
"Ever since the survivors from Takta Village came to our Heyezhe, rumors have been flying around in Heyezhe these days..."
Asuma gave a wry smile.
"Everyone is in a panic... They don't know why the Japanese army appeared, and they don't know why the Japanese army suddenly attacked Takta Village, which had never done anything to offend the Japanese..."
“So gradually all kinds of rumors spread.”
"Some say that the people are finally planning to launch an all-out war against the Ainu people. Some say that the group that attacked Takta Village was a group of gold thieves who stole the army's armor... In short, there are all kinds of rumors..."
"It is because of these rumors that the tribesmen are so nervous when they see you with human faces."
"In short - please forgive me..."
“…So that’s how it is.” Ogata closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Mr. Majima, Ms. Atachi." Aizuma's face was filled with anxiety. "You are the Ainu. Before you left your country, did you hear anything about us Ainu? For example, your Ainu army was going to attack somewhere or something..."
Ogata did not immediately answer Asuma's question.
Just closed your eyes and remained silent.
After reopening his eyes, Ogata whispered to Asuma beside him:
"Ms. Asuma, could you please take me to see your father later?"
"Ah? Of course I can... But my father is probably busy right now, so I may not be able to see him in time..."
"It's okay." Ogata continued, "Just take me to see him. I want to meet him as soon as possible."