Red Moon Fortress (Heyezhe), northwest corner——
The northwest corner of Red Moon Fortress is a very special place for the residents of Red Moon Fortress - because this area is where the villagers of Kapasi Village live.
The villagers of Kapasi Village can be considered the most special group in the Red Moon Fortress.
Because - they participated in the "Battle of Kunasi Limenasi" three years ago, which ended in the Ainu's disastrous defeat...
After the disastrous defeat of the Kapasi village, which participated in the battle, the remaining villagers abandoned their homes and fled in panic to escape the revenge of the enemy, and finally fled to the vicinity of the Red Moon Fortress.
Chanup felt very sympathetic about the plight of the Kapasi village, so he agreed to take them in and live in Heyezhe. Thus, the villagers of Kapasi village finally ended their wandering lives.
If you walk around the area where the villagers of Kapasi Village live, you can clearly find that compared with other areas of Red Moon Fortress, the area where the villagers of Kapasi Village live has two very significant characteristics:
1. The number of adult males is extremely small.
2. Among the remaining males, the disability rate is particularly high.
These two remarkable features are due to the tragic "Battle of Kunasilimenasi"... A large number of men in Kapasi Village died in this war, and many of the men who survived by chance became disabled...
At this moment - in the area where the villagers of Kapasi Village live, a woman is weaving cloth meticulously with weaving tools in her house.
While the woman was weaving seriously, a little girl who looked somewhat similar to the woman was playing the Ainu's traditional musical instrument, the Mukuri.
The so-called "Mukuri" is a musical instrument similar to the harmonica. Because it is easy to learn, even a child can play the Mukuri well.
"Sister! I brought new firewood!"
A loud shout came from outside the door.
Then, a young man carrying a large bundle of firewood, lifted the door curtain and strode into the house.
There was something about this man that was particularly eye-catching - he had only one hand, and his left sleeve from his left shoulder down was empty.
"Oh, you're here." The woman temporarily put down what she was doing and greeted her brother, the one-armed young man, with a smile on her face.
The little girl who had been playing with Mukuli just now rushed towards the one-armed young man with a smile on her face: "Uncle!"
The one-armed young man put the bundle of firewood on his right shoulder to the ground, and then stroked the head of the little girl who rushed towards him with his only right palm:
"Nonoka, I just heard your piano playing outside the house. Your Mukuli is getting better and better."
Nonokha – the girl’s name.
After praising his niece, the one-armed young man looked at his sister:
"Sister, I got a lot of good stuff from my friends today, including half a deer, a few fat rabbits, and a lot of mushrooms! I can't finish them all by myself, let's eat them together!"
The two siblings had a very close relationship, so the woman didn't act pretentiously and nodded directly.
"All this food is now in my house." The one-armed young man continued, "There are too many prey. I can't move them all by myself. Sister, come with me to move the food over!"
The woman nodded again: "Okay!"
After instructing the little girl, her daughter, to take good care of the house, she and her brother strode towards her brother's residence.
As soon as the two of them left the woman's house, the one-armed young man leaned his head towards his sister and whispered:
"Nonoka has finally become energetic again recently."
"Hmm..." The woman sighed softly, "What a troublesome child..."
"Before, when I learned that the child actually went to seek revenge on that person who came to our Heye Zhe, my legs were so weak from fear..."
If Ogata saw the woman's daughter named "Nonoka" now, he would be able to recognize her quickly - this child was the little girl who had "stabbed" him with a stone before.
On the first night after Ogata followed the villagers of Qina Village to Heyezhe, he was "assassinated" by the little girl.
That night, the little girl shouted "Give me my father back" while holding the stone tightly in her hand and ran towards Ogata who had a human face...
"Fortunately, in the end, nothing serious happened or caused any disaster..." The one-armed young man smiled bitterly, then raised his arm and gently stroked his left arm, which was only his shoulder left.
"...Sister, you can't really blame Nonoka for being ignorant and worrying."
"I quite understand Nonoka... If possible, I also want to drive out all the people who enter Heyezhe..."
At this point, the one-armed young man frowned and looked painful, as if he had recalled some very bad memories.
The woman walking beside him also looked gloomy at this moment.
The one-armed young man once sacrificed his life and shed his blood in the Battle of Kunasilimenasi - his left arm was chopped off by a Japanese soldier during the battle.
Although he became disabled, he was lucky - at least he saved his life.
His brother-in-law, the woman's husband and Nonok's father, died on the battlefield, and even his body was not found...
Almost every family in Kapasi Village is like the one-armed young man's family - the family has been broken up by the war and is no longer complete.
"Ah, sorry, I seem to have said something too heavy..." The one-armed young man put down his right hand that was stroking his left shoulder and apologized to his sister, "These are all things of the past. Let's talk about something more interesting."
"Sister, the mushrooms I got this time are all very fresh. We can have a feast for our stomachs."
"Really?" The woman put away the gloom on her face and smiled, "Then let's cook you and Nonoka's favorite rabbit stew with mushrooms tonight!"
"Sister, are you going to cook mushroom stewed with rabbit tonight?" The one-armed young man grinned, "Then I have to cook less for lunch today, so that I can have more in my stomach for dinner."
The brother and sister walking on a path talked and laughed.
Because it was almost time for lunch, many of the houses on both sides of the path were now emitting smoke and the smell of food.
Walking on the street, you can occasionally come across children playing around.
Such a peaceful and beautiful scene.
However... at this moment, at this very moment, a sudden and sharp sound, one faster than the other, destroyed this quiet and beautiful scene.
Woo—— ! Woo——! Woo——!
“What’s that sound?!”
"What's wrong? What's wrong? What happened?"
"It seems to be a sound coming from outside!"
…
Most of the people in the Red Moon Fortress had little contact with humans, so they didn't recognize the voice.
But - some people recognized this voice.
After this strange sound exploded, the one-armed young man was stunned for a moment. Then, the blood on his face faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then he shouted in horror:
"It's a conch shell! It's the sound of the Japanese army's conch shells! Why are there conch shells sounding?!"
The people who could recognize the sound were naturally the villagers of Kapasi Village who had fought a bloody battle with the Japanese.
For a surviving "veteran" like the one-armed young man, I'm afraid they will never forget this voice...
…
…
The sudden sound of the conch shell made Ating, who had just heard the rare good news, change his expression drastically.
"The Conch... Is the Shogunate army coming...?" Although he tried to remain calm, Atachi's tone was still filled with obvious uneasiness and fear.
Compared to Atachi, whose expression changed drastically, Ogata was much calmer.
After the conch horn was blown, Ogata's expression only changed slightly, and then he quickly regained his composure.
"A-Ming, wait here for me." Ogata said calmly while picking up the Daishikuten placed on the right side of his body. "I'll go outside to check the situation. I'll be back soon."
"Okay..." Ating nodded and took a deep breath , trying to calm his panicked heart.
After inserting the Daishikten back into his left waist, Ogata rushed out of the clinic in one step.
As soon as he left the clinic, Xu Fang saw many residents dropping what they were doing and running towards the direction where the conch sound came from - the south.
Ogata followed the crowd and ran south.
After the southern city wall came into view, Ogata gradually heard other sounds besides the sound of the conch shells - the rumbling of horse hooves and the sound of people's feet stomping on the ground...
…
…
Red Moon Fortress, south——
"Is this the Red Moon Fortress? It's much smaller than I imagined."
After Sheng Tianmu was killed in battle, Gui Yi, who was airdropped into the First Army and served as the new commander-in-chief of the First Army, was standing on a high slope at this time.
Wearing a helmet and armor and holding a military uniform, he used the uniform as a fan to fan himself while gazing at the Red Moon Fortress not far away.
Kuroda, who had been responsible for assisting Katsura Yoshimasa during this period, was now standing beside Katsura Yoshimasa, holding the sword at his waist.
Gui Yizheng is now smiling and looks very high-spirited.
Kuroda beside him looked similar, with a smile on his face.
After the terrible incident of "Ogata Ittosai's attack", which could be called a "major scandal", the reputation of the First Army suffered a great blow.
For the generals of the Second Army and the Third Army responsible for the rear guard, "teasing the First Army" has become their main topic of conversation after dinner during this period.
They all laughed at the First Army - with 3,000 soldiers, they were made so embarrassed by Ogata Ittosai who fought alone, and even the general Nakatenmo was killed in the battle.
The generals of the First Army naturally knew that they had now become the object of ridicule.
They felt very aggrieved - the generals of the Second and Third Armies had never realized how terrifying Ogata Ittosai was, so they just stood there and talked without any concern.
While feeling aggrieved, they also felt...quite angry and unwilling.
Although the taunts from the generals of the Second and Third Armies were quite harsh, it was undeniable that it was really embarrassing that they, with an army of 3,000, were no match for Ogata Ittosai who was alone.
In order to restore their reputation and dignity, the generals of the First Army have been working hard and vigorously these days.
After quickly integrating the troops, the entire First Army, under the command of the "awakened" generals, marched to the Red Moon Fortress at a speed far beyond expectations.
Previously, after the scouts had discovered that the road ahead was clear, both Katsura Yoshimasa and Kuroda thought it would take four or five days to reach the Red Moon Fortress.
Unexpectedly, it took them just over three days to successfully reach the city.
"It's a pity that I can't see the expressions of the Ezo people in the Red Moon Fortress right now." Gui Yizheng sneered, "If possible, I really want to see what expressions these barbarians will show after seeing the army we are waiting for."
"What other expression can you show?" Kuroda smiled and shrugged. "Apart from shock and fear, what other expression can you show?"
As soon as Kuroda finished speaking, Katsura Yoshimasa burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! That's true!"
…
…
What Kuroda said was absolutely correct.
In order to see what was happening outside the city, the residents who heard the noise rushed to the city walls.
Originally - according to the rules, no one is allowed to climb up the city wall without a good reason.
But because too many people wanted to rush onto the city wall, public opinion was hard to stop, so the people who were currently standing guard on the city wall couldn't stop them, and could only allow these tribesmen who were frightened by the sound of the conch to step onto the city wall.
Crowding onto the city wall and witnessing the huge army that suddenly appeared at their doorstep, the Ainu people in the Red Moon Fortress had only two expressions on their faces - shock and fear.
Many people present were seeing such a scene for the first time.
Flags of all sizes fluttered in the autumn wind, making rustling sounds.
The horn roared like a monster roaring.
Thousands of armored men were like a dense swarm of ants... When had they ever seen so many people, or an army composed of thousands of people?
The residents, who saw this kind of scene for the first time, could hardly hide the shock and fear on their faces.
As soon as Ogata followed the crowd and stood on the inner city wall, he saw the large army outside the wall.
Looking at the large army outside the city, Ogata's eyes narrowed subconsciously and his heart sank.
He had thought before that the shogunate's army might arrive at the Red Moon Fortress before Atachi's body recovered.
But he didn't expect the shogunate army to be so fast...
It was midday, and there was no morning fog or other mess to obstruct the view.
Ogata took out the telescope that he had won from Vasili during the fist fight with Vasili, and observed the current situation and movements of the army outside the city through the telescope.
According to Ogata's estimation, the total number of troops currently outside the city is about 3,000 to 4,000.
They stopped more than a thousand meters outside the wall and did not move forward. They just set up tents - they were setting up camp outside the city.
At this moment, a surprised shout suddenly sounded from behind Ogata:
"Ah! Chanup is coming! Chanup is coming!"
This shout immediately seemed to trigger a chain reaction, and everyone turned their heads towards the sound - including Ogata.
Chanup was seen climbing up the inner city wall surrounded by many people.
Chanup was currently standing not far from Ogata, so Ogata could clearly see that Chanup's face and expression were very bad.
He usually never put down his cigarette, but at this moment, which was very rare, he didn't have his pipe in his hand. He just had a gloomy face and looked at the army outside the city seriously.
But the arrival of the leader Chanup did have some calming effect on the emotions of the people around him.
It was a coincidence that when Chanup climbed up the inner city wall, a military commander wearing armor and robes rode out of the army outside the city in a majestic manner, followed by hundreds of soldiers.
The military commander who suddenly rode out on horseback was none other than Katsura Yoshimasa.
After he led hundreds of soldiers out of the line, the sound of the conch shell slowly stopped.
Gui Yizheng rode his horse to a certain distance from the wall of Red Moon Fortress, then took a deep breath, and then -
"Barbarians! Listen carefully! I am Gui Yizheng, and I am here to warn you!"
As soon as Gui Yizhen finished speaking, the hundreds of soldiers standing behind him shouted in unison, repeating loudly what Gui Yizhen had just said.
The shouts of hundreds of soldiers in unison were loud enough for everyone on the city wall to hear clearly - although only those who understood Japanese could understand what they meant.
Every time Gui Yi Zheng shouted a sentence, the hundreds of soldiers behind him would shout in unison and repeat what Gui Yi Zheng had just shouted.
In order to take care of the Ezo people in the Red Moon Fortress, Katsura Yoshimasa deliberately used only simple words without any complicated rhetoric or embellishment.
"In February of this year, you incited the citizens of Matsumae Castle to riot, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries."
Katsura Yoshimasa first briefly enumerated the "sins" committed by the Ainu people of the Red Moon Fortress, and then changed the subject -
"You have no sense of justice and have resorted to deceit. You are the one who started the fight. It is hard to reason with you!"
"We always believe in peace and are willing to have equal and friendly exchanges with all ethnic groups."
"But now that things have come to this, it is impossible to show any mercy!"
"Let's mobilize the army today, hoping to conquer it quickly!"
Although there are not many Ainu people who understand Japanese, there are still quite a few - at least many people on the south wall of the Red Moon Fortress can understand what Katsura Yoshimasa just said.
The expressions of these residents who could understand Japanese changed drastically after hearing Katsura Yoshimasa's words, "We will mobilize a large army today in the hope of a quick victory."
But Gui Yizheng's shouting had not yet ended.
"I hope you can see the situation clearly!"
"If you surrender, we will definitely take good care of you! We will never harm any of your lives!"
"If you don't change, then please take care of yourself!"
After saying that, Gui Yizheng raised his right hand high and made a gesture.
Kuroda, who had stayed in the army and had been keeping an eye on Katsura Yoshimasa, immediately waved the military instrument in his hand and said, "Blow the conch!"
Woo——! Woo——! Woo——!
The sound of the conch shell, which had just stopped for a short while, rang out again.
As the conch horn sounded, the generals and soldiers shouted in unison.
The shouts of the 3,000 soldiers and the sound of the conch shells mixed together into a huge wave of sound, which rushed towards the people currently standing on the difficult city wall of the Red Moon Fortress with overwhelming force.
Faced with this huge wave of sound, many people on the city wall couldn't help but shrink their necks, and some even almost fell to the ground. The panic and anxiety on their faces were so intense that they couldn't be more intense...