Katsura Yoshimasa was not alone - Inamori's face changed drastically almost at the same time as Katsura Yoshimasa's.
Inamori suddenly put down the telescope in his hand and cast an incredulous look at the Red Moon Fortress in the distance.
“What the hell is going on…?!”
The confidant standing next to Inamori asked anxiously:
"Master Inamori! What's wrong?"
Inamori ignored his confidant and quickly raised the telescope in his hand again, watching the battle situation in the distance intently.
However - no matter how Inamori looked at it, the scene in his eyes did not change at all.
These barbarians were clearly in a state of panic in the morning.
But after just one noon, the barbarians had completely changed.
Although one can see some awkwardness in the running movements of those barbarians, it is obvious that their deployment has already been done in a proper manner.
There have always been soldiers who can fill the positions where combat power is needed at the most timely opportunity. Until now, there has not been a stronghold built on the city wall that can steadily supply troops upward.
"..." Inamori put down the telescope with a gloomy face, "There is a master who is good at defending the city in this fortress...!"
…
…
Red Moon Fortress, on the inner wall -
"It seems that this guy is not bragging..." Retannoe muttered in a low voice that only he and Chanup beside him could hear, and at the same time, he looked at a not very tall figure standing not far from them with an expression of astonishment that could not be concealed.
Chanup was also looking at the owner of this figure at this time.
He was just an old Japanese man with a plain height and build, about the same age as Chanup and Retannoe who were already middle-aged. He wore Japanese clothes that didn't fit in with the people around him, and had a bangs that also didn't fit in with the people around him.
But the person who caused Inamori and Katsura Yoshimasa to be shocked by the changes in the Red Moon Fortress was this seemingly ordinary old Japanese.
This old man has been standing by the inner city wall since the beginning, moving his eyes and scanning the battle situation on the outer city wall.
After scanning back and forth countless times, he finally nodded gently.
"...That should be fine." The old Japanese turned his head to look at Chanup standing not far away, and said in fluent and standard Ainu, "According to my observation, the army outside the city is holding the flags of the northeastern vassal states. The army that is now launching an offensive should be a coalition army composed of the vassal armies of the northeastern vassal states."
"Except for the Sendai Domain army that holds a flag with a 'dragon and sparrow pattern' embroidered on it, which may be more difficult to deal with, the other Domain armies are nothing to be feared."
"Such a deployment should be enough to deal with the troops outside the city."
Chanup turned his head to look at the battle situation on the outer city wall, which was completely different from that in the morning - the Japanese soldiers were blocked outside the city wall, and no one had succeeded in climbing up and establishing a stronghold.
"...Mr. Lin." Chanup said, "I really don't know how to thank you..."
"No need to thank me," the old man called "Mr. Lin" responded, "I am just acting according to my own beliefs."
…
…
About an hour ago——
…
…
It would certainly be impossible to say that Chanup was not curious when he learned that Lin Ziping expressed his desire to meet him and said that he "wanted to fight alongside them."
After saying "I understand" to the young man who came to deliver the message, he left Retanoë alone to help him deal with some post-war matters, and rushed to the prison where Lin Ziping was imprisoned.
As soon as we arrived at the prison, two prison guards came to greet us.
It is wartime and every young man is extremely valuable, so the person in charge of guarding Lin Ziping has been changed to a woman.
However, even though they are women, Ainu women who lead a life of fishing and hunting are not to be trifled with.
"I understand the details of what happened," Chanup said. "Please move aside and let me go in and talk to him."
"Mr. Chanup, are you going in alone?"
"When I was young, I was as powerful as the heroes described in epic poems," Chanup said half-jokingly. "Even now that I am old, I am confident that I can beat 10 young men with my bare hands."
"I can go in alone. Even if the person inside wants to do something to me, it won't succeed."
"Then you have to be careful...the man in the prison is weird."
Chanup: “Strange?”
"I clearly heard before that this person who was imprisoned was a talkative and noisy person."
"But for some reason, this person has been unusually quiet these past few days. He sits cross-legged every day, and I don't know what he is thinking about."
"...I understand." Chanup nodded, "Okay, all of you get out of the way."
Chanup quickly entered the prison that smelled of mold and dampness, and saw Lin Ziping, whom he had not seen for three days.
Just as the guard had just said - Lin Ziping was now sitting cross-legged on the ground, his hands naturally placed on his legs, his head lowered, his face full of contemplation - no one knew what he was thinking about.
When Chanup came, Lin Ziping immediately raised his eyes and looked at Chanup in front of him.
"Mr. Chanup," Lin Ziping said, "how was the result of this morning's battle?"
"The sound of battle can actually be heard here."
"I may be old, but my ears are not so old that I cannot hear such a loud noise."
"We successfully defended the city wall." Chanup briefly described the situation of the battle that had just ended. "All the enemy soldiers who climbed up were driven down by us."
Lin Ziping: “…”
After listening to Chanup's brief account, Lin Ziping remained silent, lowered his head, and looked as if thinking.
"I don't have that much free time," Chanup said, "so let's get down to business."
"I've just heard you say you want to fight alongside us. What does that mean?"
"That's just what I mean." Lin Ziping raised his head again and looked into Chanup's eyes with determination. "I want to work with you to repel the Japanese army outside the city."
"I'm not a very capable person."
"But I have learned military tactics. I have read military books since I was a child, and when I grew up, I also learned the military tactics of Europeans."
"I also learned how to defend in this European-style fortress."
"If I come to help, I should be able to help more or less."
As soon as Lin Ziping finished speaking, Chanup's eyes immediately lit up with surprise and a hint of joy.
They just happen to be in need of such people right now...
But the light in Chanup's eyes was only fleeting.
The light just appeared and then disappeared in an instant, then turned into suspicion and confusion, and frowned.
"...You should be... with someone else, right?" Chanup looked Lin Ziping up and down several times, "Let's not talk about whether you have real skills or not."
"I want to find out first: Why do you want to join us in repelling the Japanese army outside the city? Do you have a blood feud with the Edo Shogunate?"
"Although I have many unpleasant memories with the Edo Shogunate, and for some reasons, I was imprisoned several times, and I have survived until now because of luck. I can be considered to have a grudge against the Edo Shogunate. But it is not because of my grudge against the Edo Shogunate that I want to fight alongside you."
"Why?" Chanup asked, "If it's not for revenge, why want to join us, the Ainu, in fighting against your own people?"
Lin Ziping pursed his lips.
After a while, he continued to look directly into Chanup's eyes and said in a leisurely tone:
"...I can figure out why the Edo Shogunate has assembled such a large-scale army to attack you."
"He must have set his eyes on this precious piece of land of yours."
"I don't know if you have discovered that the fortress you are living in now is a treasure land."
"It's located in a strategic location, rich in resources, and it's also a very solid fortress."
"I've heard before that the Edo Shogunate has long coveted the land beneath your feet in order to develop Ezo."
"At the same time, I also saw clues from the various actions of the Edo Shogunate: this is indeed the case."
"The Edo Shogunate must have made up a random excuse and sent troops to invade the border."
Chanup: "..."
Chanup remained silent and listened quietly.
After hearing Lin Ziping's words, "The Edo Shogunate has long coveted the land under your feet," a hint of sadness and anger appeared on his face.
But then - what Lin Ziping said next made the grief and anger on Chanup's face slowly turn into surprise.
"Mr. Chanup, I won't hide it from you either."
Lin Ziping smiled.
"I actually - I strongly agree with the development of Ezo."
"In my plan, the Edo Shogunate should vigorously develop Ezo and reform the military system, build a defense line in Ezo, and prevent Russia, whose ambitions are already obvious, from moving south."
"But... I cannot accept the Edo Shogunate's use of the military to seize land."
"The development of Ezo should be done through peaceful coexistence and joint development with you Ainu people."
“This is the right path to take.”
"Rather than taking the land away from the Ainu in such a brutal way."
Having said this, Lin Ziping paused, as if he was thinking something out.
After a moment, he seemed to have gathered enough emotions, and spoke word by word in a sonorous and powerful voice:
"Weapons are used to protect oneself. The army is used to protect the country. The army must never be used to commit such acts of robbery."
"...I still find it hard to understand." Chanup said in a deep voice, "You are planning to fight against your compatriots just for this reason."
"If you fight with Kazuto, from Kazuto's perspective, you'll be a big villain."
"Traitor... maybe." Lin Ziping laughed at himself a few more times, "But even if I am labeled a 'traitor', I don't want to sit back and watch the Edo Shogunate win this unjust war."
At this moment, Lin Ziping suddenly looked like he was reminiscing, and he stopped talking for a while before changing to a calm tone and slowly saying:
"Although saying this... sounds like bragging, but after reading countless history books and traveling around, I did discover some... characteristics of us and humans."
Chanup: "Features...?"
"How should I put it... I don't know if you can understand. Simply put, we and humans are a nation with very poor 'self-control'."
"What is obtained with great difficulty by the tongue can often be obtained easily by the army."
"For example, population, money, land, and fame."
"So war is like a jar of fine wine, it's easy to get intoxicated."
"If you have strong self-control, you can still resist the temptation of this 'fine wine'."
"But our 'self-control' is quite poor compared to humans... At the same time, the Edo Shogunate happened to be a military-based country, with samurai as the cornerstone of the country."
"If the Edo Shogunate gets a taste of the sweetness of seizing your land, I have no doubt that the Shogunate will most likely become intoxicated by the taste of this 'fine wine'."
"And the samurai who have tasted the taste of promotion and increase in salary in this battle will support the shogunate's indulgence in this 'fine wine'. The samurai who have not benefited from this battle will be eager for the shogunate to start the next war as soon as possible."
"So - even if there is only a 10% chance of this happening, I will eliminate the possibility of the shogunate going down this wrong path."
"and……"
Lin Ziping suddenly changed the subject.
"Letting the Edo Shogunate lose the war at this time...maybe the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages."
Lin Ziping let out a few self-deprecating laughs.
"After I gave up my official position and began to travel around to study, I witnessed with my own eyes how corrupt the Edo Shogunate was and how weak its military was..."
"Especially after arriving in Nagasaki and seeing the Dutch's powerful and advanced military force, I felt even more urgently how urgent it was for our country to reform its military system."
"I can't even remember how many times I wrote to the shogunate, suggesting that they lift the isolation embarrassment, learn from the Europeans, and reform the military system."
"But every time I wrote a letter, it fell on deaf ears."
"Until now, the Edo Shogunate has been superstitious about the power of the samurai and the power of the samurai sword... and is unwilling to open its eyes and look at the world."
"Japan under the rule of the Edo Shogunate... is now like a stagnant pool of water..."
"But - if we can defeat the Ainu people whom they have always looked down upon in this battle, perhaps this pool of 'stagnant water' will be able to see some ripples..."
Lin Ziping's eyes slowly began to light up.
"As long as there is a possibility of giving this country new vitality... even if there is only a glimmer of it, I will not give up."
"...You are such a weirdo." Chanup said softly, "You must have always been called a 'weirdo' by your friends, right?"
"You are really amazing. You actually guessed it right." Lin Ziping said jokingly, "I am always called a 'weird person' by people around me, so not many people are willing to associate with me."
Chanup: "..."
Chanup was silent and looked at Lin Ziping quietly.
Lin Ziping also remained silent, quietly waiting for Chanup's answer.
…
…
Time goes back to the present——
…
…
"By the way -" Retannoe, who was standing next to Chanup, spoke to Chanup again, "When you brought that Lin Ziping here just now and said that you wanted this Lin Ziping to be in charge of the command, I was really shocked. I thought you were crazy."
"Now it seems...I should apologize to you and that Lin Ziping."
"...I actually thought I was crazy at the time." A faint look of reminiscence appeared on Chanup's face, "I actually handed over such an important command to a man I had only met three times in total."
"But I guess that's just my personality. I always do crazy and unreasonable things."
"At that time, after listening to Mr. Lin's heartfelt words in the cell, there was only one thought in my mind: let him have a try."
Retannoy: "What did he tell you?"
"I'll tell you more about this later when I have time," Chanup said. "Let's stop chatting now. Retannoe, go and urge the people in the rear to bring in new arrows and spears as soon as possible. We need to replenish our arrows and spears."
…
…
Lin Ziping, who was standing at the edge of the inner city wall, had once again turned his attention to the outer city wall where a fierce battle was now taking place.
After checking the battle situation again and confirming that there were no problems with his deployment, he turned his attention to outside the city.
Outside the city, flags were flying everywhere, and the military flags of the northeastern vassal states fluttered in the wind.
Looking at the various military flags outside the city, although Lin Ziping tried to conceal it, a bit of complexity still emerged in his eyes.
Especially after seeing the Sendai Domain's military flags, which were the largest in number and embroidered with the "dragon and sparrow pattern", the complexity in Lin Ziping's eyes became even more intense.
…
…
In winter, it gets dark quickly, especially in places as far north as Ezo.
Until dark, the soldiers of the First Army were blocked outside the city walls.
This morning, the soldiers had managed to build several strongholds on the city wall to steadily transport troops. However, this afternoon, the results were truly disappointing.
As the sky began to darken, Inamori looked up at the sky.
"…Send a message to Katsura Yoshimasa." Inamori said solemnly to his trusted confidant, "Let's stop here for today."
"yes!"
Inamori's order soon reached the main camp of the First Army.
After receiving this order, Gui Yizheng, who looked unhappy, nodded slightly, then stood up from his stool and waved the military uniform in his hand heavily: "Retreat!"
…
…
"Look! Look! Kazuto is retreating! Kazuto is retreating!"
"We held on! We held on!"
“Ohh ...
The soldiers on the inner and outer walls of the Red Moon Fortress looked excitedly at the First Army soldiers who were retreating like a tide. Their faces and eyes were all filled with excitement.
Many people cheered loudly as if they were tireless, and the sound waves of their cheers made Retanoë cover his ears.
"Really..." Retannoy said, "I just made it through the first day, and I got a little too proud of myself."
Although Reitannoe said this, there was still a faint smile on his face.
"Let them get carried away for a while." Chanup said with a smile, "Even if they only make it through the first day, it will be a great encouragement to us."
…
…
"Have you made it through the first day ?" Lin Ziping, who was standing by the inner city wall, looked at the slowly retreating army outside the city. He murmured in a low voice and breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately... From beginning to end, I didn't see any military flags embroidered with 'Aizu Sankui'..."
…
…
The shogunate army, the main headquarters of the entire army——
"What we can confirm now is that there is a master who is good at defending the city in that fortress." Daosen said in a deep voice, "Otherwise, there is no way to explain why those barbarians have all changed in just one afternoon."
"Sir," a certain general said, "Since those barbarians have such a master in charge...why not invite such a master to come out and help this morning?"
"Who knows." As soon as the general finished speaking, Gui Yizhen crossed his arms over his chest with a very unhappy look on his face and said in a deep voice.
"Don't worry about such unimportant matters." Daosen glanced at the general who had asked the question just now, "The most urgent task now is to find a way to deal with the barbarians whose combat power has increased dramatically due to the presence of that master."
"...Sir, please use the artillery and cannons." A very young general said at this time, "No matter how powerful that master is, he will never be able to compete with our artillery and cannons."
"No." Inamori said without hesitation, "If we destroy this fortress, we will be the ones who suffer in the end because we have to pay for its reconstruction later."
“When we fight a war, we need to consider other things besides victory.”
At this moment, a loud shout suddenly rang out from outside the tent:
"Commander! A message from Lord Gamo has been delivered!"
"Kamuro?" Inamori raised an eyebrow, "Hand it over!"
"yes!"
A soldier dressed as a messenger quickly entered the commander's tent and handed a well-sealed envelope to Inamori.
After snatching the envelope, taking out the letter inside and reading the contents at a glance, Inamori's brow, which had been furrowed since this afternoon, finally relaxed a little.
"…Finally, we have some good news." Inamori put down the letter in his hand, "The marching speed of Gamo's Third Army is faster than expected."
"According to him - by the morning of the day after tomorrow, they will be able to join us."
As soon as Inamori finished speaking, the camp, which had been somewhat quiet, immediately became noisy.
"The Aizu Army will be here the day after tomorrow morning...!"
"Huh...it's finally here..."
"The strongest army in Northeast China has finally arrived..."
Except for the generals of the Sendai domain headed by Kuroda and Akizuki, and the generals of the other domains, the rest of the generals - including the direct generals of the shogunate, all showed expressions of relief after hearing that the Aizu army was finally coming.