Red Moon Fortress, outside the city, the Third Army (Aizu Army), main camp——
"Is this the Red Moon Fortress..." Gamo, who was not very tall, stood in front of his stool, one hand on the sword at his waist and the other hand on his waist.
"Except for the two city walls, there doesn't seem to be anything special about it. In terms of being easy to defend and difficult to attack, it should be worse than our Edo Castle." At this point, Gamo changed his tone to mocking, "Faced with such a fortress, the people of the First Army have made no progress for two consecutive days..."
"Heh, I thought the First Army would have troops from the Sendai Domain, so its combat effectiveness wouldn't be that bad, but I didn't expect it to be just like that."
After mentioning the "First Army", Pu Sheng's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to last night...
…
…
Last night——
"... Lord Inamori, I understand all the details."
The tent of Inamori's commander was particularly crowded at this time - because this was the first time that the generals of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd armies had gathered together since the troops officially set out.
Compared with the First and Second Armies, the generals of the Third Army... or the Aizu Army seemed a little exhausted.
However - despite being exhausted, they all looked resolute without exception.
Just now, Inamori briefly explained to Gamo his future battle plan - Inamori, who didn't want to spend any more time on those barbarians, planned to let the Aizu army take over the "main attack" position.
After listening to Inamori's brief summary of the order, Gamo gave the above answer without hesitation.
"...Can you really do it?" Although he knew that Gamo would agree without hesitation, Inamori still couldn't help but ask Gamo, "Your Aizu army just carried out a forced march, right? Wouldn't it be too much of a stretch for you to participate in the attack the next morning?"
"No." Gamo answered without hesitation again, "This level is nothing to us from Aizu!"
"Master Inamori, please leave our mission to Aizu with confidence!"
"I can't guarantee anything else."
"But we have the courage to guarantee that we, Aizu, will take down the outer wall of the Red Moon Fortress within one day!"
Pu Sheng's words caused an uproar in the commander's tent.
For the samurai who valued honor and bravery, Gamo's bold words attracted a lot of admiring glances.
But at the same time - it also attracted some strange looks and sneers.
"...Ha." A cold laugh sounded out at an inopportune moment, "Lord Gamo, I'd better remind you - the barbarians in that fortress are not easy to deal with."
"Their cannons are very powerful, and they have an expert who is good at defending the city to help them. The outer wall of the Red Moon Fortress is not that easy to attack."
Gamo turned his head and looked at the person who spoke - Gamo recognized him, he was the general of Yonezawa Domain.
After hearing the obviously sarcastic words from the general, Pu Sheng was not angry.
He just pulled the corners of his mouth and sneered.
"Then you just watch." Gamo's sneer turned into a confident smile, "See for yourself whether the prestige of our Aizu clan was earned or just boasted about!"
After saying that, Gamo patted the katana at his waist - his favorite sword: Thunder Walk.
…
…
Time goes back to the present——
"Lord Gamo."
A calm male voice without any sadness suddenly came into Kamasutra's ears, freeing Kamasutra's thoughts from memories and returning to reality.
The person who spoke was one of Pu Sheng's confidants.
"All troops are in place," the confidant said slowly, "and can launch an attack at any time."
"Okay." Kasumi nodded gently, "Then - let's get started."
Gamo placed his hand on the sword Raizou, which was of astonishing length and curvature, at his left waist, slowly pulled it out, and raised it high above his head.
"attack--!"
Pu Sheng swung the lightning in his palm downward heavily, and it looked as if he wanted to split the fortress in front of him into two halves from a distance.
…
…
Red Moon Fortress——
"Hello, Mr. Lin." Reitannoe now addressed Lin Ziping as "Mr. Lin". "Is this army outside the city really that powerful?"
Just now, Lin Ziping suddenly summoned Reitannoe and others through Chanup.
As soon as Reitannoe and his men arrived, Lin Ziping told them directly that the Japanese troops outside the city had been replaced by other troops to attack them. And this new force was extraordinary.
It was impossible for Reitannoe not to be puzzled by Lin Ziping's sudden and serious tone in saying such an unexpected thing.
As soon as Reitannoe finished speaking, Lin Ziping said in a deep voice without hesitation:
"Very impressive. The troops outside the city are well-known in our 'He Ren Di'..."
"Although I have never seen this army in action."
"But since he is so trusted by the Edo Shogunate and his reputation spreads so quickly, he is probably not someone who does not deserve the reputation."
"In short - don't take it lightly!"
Lin Ziping's expression was so solemn that it seemed to freeze the air around him, and the hearts of the people around him couldn't help but tighten.
At this moment——
Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!
The sound of conch shells, which we have become accustomed to hearing these days, suddenly assaults everyone's eardrums at this moment.
“Are they here…!” Chanup, who was standing next to Lin Ziping, turned his gaze to the troops outside the city holding the “Aizu Sankui” and slowly moving as the conch shell sounded…
…
…
"Kazuto is coming! Kazuto is coming!"
"Ready! Everything is ready!"
"Just like the last two days! Push down anyone who climbs up!"
…
Similar remarks were constantly heard on the inner and outer city walls.
Lin Ziping had just asked Reitannoe and others to spread the reminder throughout the inner and outer city walls that "the Japanese outside the city are different from before. They are the elite troops among the Japanese and should not be taken lightly."
However, even after hearing this reminder, many people still look full of confidence.
The success of the battles in the previous two days gave everyone great encouragement and confidence.
Everyone's confidence in defending their homes is now at an unprecedented high.
Everyone believed that they could make it impossible for the people to even climb up the city wall today, just like they did in the previous two days.
However... before long, the "confidence" on some people's faces slowly disappeared...
…
"Hey, the Kazuto outside...his movements are really different from the previous Kazuto..."
“Really…”
…
The people in the inner city wall, who were at the highest altitude and had the best view, and who also launched the attack first, were the first to discover that the people outside the city were different from the previous people.
At this moment , the group of Japanese outside the city, holding unified military flags and carrying wooden shields, ran quickly towards the outer city wall under the cover of their own archers - although the speed was fast, the order was not chaotic.
Soon, the Japanese outside the city, under the cover of bullets and arrows, rushed to the base of the outer city wall, set up a long ladder, and officially began the attack on the Red Moon Fortress.
"Get down now!" A young tribesman stabbed the Kazuto who had just climbed up the ladder with the spear in his hand menacingly.
The young tribesman originally thought that he could shove down the man who had just climbed up, just like he had stabbed down countless men in the previous two days - but the scene that unfolded before his eyes made the young man unable to help but widen his eyes in surprise.
The Japanese man nimbly dodged the spear by twisting to the side, and then chopped down the tribesman with his katana before he could put away the spear.
Unless one is an expert swordsman, a katana that was not designed to "break armor" will not be able to cut armor no matter what.
However, the Ainu people happen to be a people without armor.
It might be a bit difficult to use a katana to cut armor, but it is extremely useful for cutting flesh.
I saw a slanting ray of light passing over the body of the young tribesman.
Blood splattered right after the knife flashed.
After the knife light completely disappeared, the young tribesman's upper body was covered with a huge knife wound from the left shoulder to the right abdomen, and blood and internal organs flowed out from the huge wound.
“Ahhhhhhhh——!” The young tribesman fell to the ground, covering the wound on his upper body, and screamed so shrilly that it gave the listeners goose bumps.
As for the Japanese man, after severely injuring the young tribesman with one blow, he no longer paid attention to the enemy who had lost the ability to resist and was not far from death. Instead, he raised his knife and looked for his next opponent.
Similar scenes continued to appear at various places on the outer city wall.
…
"Quick! Push down all these guys who are climbing up!"
“Aaaaaaaaa——!”
"Hey! Somebody get some help here! We can't hold them back!"
“Ugh…! My head…”
…
As soon as the battle started, both the commanders headed by Chanup on the inner city wall and the ordinary tribesmen on the outer city wall quickly discovered that the attackers were extraordinary.
Be it his skills or his fighting spirit, he was no match for those from the previous two days.
Not long after the battle began, the Aizu samurai who climbed up successfully occupied a small area on the outer city wall and built a stronghold from which they could steadily transport troops upward.
"Shoot over there!" Lin Ziping shouted to the dozen or so archers beside him, "Shoot those people who have built the stronghold!"
"Give me 20 men, come here! We're about to lose this place!" Chanup ordered loudly, "Retannoe, bring 80 reserve troops to the city wall, just in case!"
Since the battle began, in order to fight against today's extremely powerful army, the commanders headed by Chanup have been much busier than ever before.
But... even with Chanup and his men's strenuous command, as well as the strenuous resistance of the tribesmen on the wall, they still couldn't reverse the situation where they were at a slight disadvantage.
…
…
The Third Army (Aizu Army), Main Camp——
"...The battle situation is just as I expected." Gamo, who was observing the battle situation through a telescope, slowly put it down. "The troops of Sendai Domain and other feudal states, facing such barbarians, have not achieved any results for two consecutive days..."
Kasumi, who usually has little expression, raised the corner of his mouth in a rare mocking arc.
He looked at the fortress in the distance.
Then he lowered his head and looked at the sword on his left waist.
There was a thoughtful look on his face.
…
…
The main battle of the whole army——
As soon as the battle began, Inamori was already standing on a high slope with a good view, observing the battle situation with a telescope.
Looking at the battle situation on the outer city wall where the Aizu army had a slight advantage, Inamori couldn't help but smile with joy.
"As expected of Aizu," said Inamori. "It didn't disappoint me."
The senior generals of the First and Second Armies are now standing behind Inamori, accompanying him to observe the battle situation.
After hearing what Inamori had just said, the generals of the First Army - especially those from Sendai Domain, such as Akizuki and Kuroda - all turned pale.
The generals of the First Army...their current mood, to put it simply, is - frustrated.
They attacked for two days but were unable to defeat the Red Moon Fortress. The Aizu army gained the upper hand on the first day of the attack.
This strong contrast cruelly and directly shows that the First Army’s combat effectiveness is far inferior to that of the Aizu Army.
This made the generals of the First Army extremely frustrated.
Generals from Sendai Domain, such as Akizuki and Kuroda, who had always regarded Aizu Domain as their rival, were so frustrated that it was hard to describe in words...
Some generals of the Second Army, who had been slacking off these days, were secretly casting mocking and gloating glances at the generals of the First Army.
The Second Army consists of 5,000 direct descendants of the shogunate, so all the generals of the Second Army are direct descendants of the shogunate.
As direct generals of the shogunate, they already had a sense of superiority over the generals of the First Army, which was composed entirely of feudal troops.
Naturally, they would not miss this rare opportunity to ridicule the First Army.
"Tsk..." Qiuyue, who was holding one of the only remaining "Seven Spears of Xianzhou" and whose upper body was still wrapped in thick linen, felt the mocking gazes from the generals of the Second Army. He turned his head away and tried hard not to pay attention to their gazes.
…
…
Red Moon Fortress, Chanup's residence——
Chanup, Aisuma, Otunpuyi - the whole family is now involved in the front-line fighting in different ways.
But Chanup’s residence did not become deserted.
Because, God Tang still lives here.
At this moment, Tang Shen was huddled in the corner of the house, looking at the ground in front of him expressionlessly, as if he was in a daze.
It was not until loud shouts and screams came from the south that Tang Shen's expression finally changed.
"The noise is so loud this time..." Tang Shen turned his head and looked outside the house, looking in the direction where the loud noise came from - the south.
Just like a magic trick, after turning his head to look south, the expression on Tang Shen's face changed several times.
At first, he had a blank expression on his face.
Then his brows slightly frowned, and a look of pity appeared on his face.
Finally - the look of reluctance turned into helplessness.
Tang Shen raised his hand.
Gently stroking the thick crutch placed at his side.
…
…
The fierce attack by the Aizu army continued until noon.
No matter how powerful the Aizu samurai are, they are not made of iron.
After a fierce attack that lasted for nearly an hour and a half, the movements of the Aizu samurai had become noticeably sluggish.
Therefore, after the sun was high in the sky, Pu Sheng issued an order to retreat, asking his soldiers to retreat to have lunch and take a break during the lunch break.
On the inner and outer walls of the Red Moon Fortress, the tribesmen stared at the retreating Aizu army with dazed eyes.
"The He army has retreated..."
" Finally retreated..."
"But it's only a temporary retreat... They'll attack again in the afternoon..."
"Hey! Some people come over here to help! This guy is going to die if he doesn't get treated! Hurry and take him to the hospital for treatment!"
"Here too! There are so many wounded! Hurry and take them to treatment!"
…
At this moment, after the people withdrew, the inner and outer city walls no longer had the same atmosphere of joy and confidence as before.
The air was filled with the smell of blood, uneasiness, and fear...
Chanup glanced at the outer city wall. According to his observation, the casualties this morning, in just one morning, were probably equal to the total casualties of the previous two days...
"Chanoup..." Retannoy murmured in a deep voice, "There are so many casualties..."
"... Let's treat the wounded first." Chanup said in a deep voice, "Go to the wall and bring some people up, and carry the wounded down quickly."
"The Japanese troops outside the city are different from the previous Japanese troops. It won't be surprising if they launch another attack at any time."
"Let's all have lunch quickly and take a break."
…
…
The Third Army (Aizu Army), Main Camp——
Kasumi sat upright on his mat, eating the rice ball in his hand with big mouthfuls.
He lives and eats the same place as the soldiers - this is the philosophy that Pu Sheng has always adhered to.
As the general commander of the 2,000-man Aizu army, he did not eat any delicacies. Like ordinary soldiers, he ate the most ordinary rice balls with no fillings in them.
Regarding eating rice balls, there has always been a custom that originated from an unknown time - that is, before eating the rice balls, put the rice balls on the fire to roast them. After the rice balls are roasted a little, the burnt taste can make the boring rice balls more flavorful, and can also serve as an appetite whet.
Kamo especially likes this burnt rice ball.
When Kasumi was happily chewing the rice ball in his hand, one of his confidants suddenly ran towards him from the side.
"Lord Gamo! Lord Inamori sent a message!"
"What message did Lord Inamori convey?" asked Kamo.
"Nothing much. He just praised our Uetsu Army for being so brave and for not disappointing him. He hoped that we would keep up the good work."
"Keep up the good work..." Gamo shrugged, "Please tell Inamori a message for me - we will definitely conquer the outer wall of the Red Moon Fortress before the sun sinks into the ground today!"
The confidant was surprised and said, "Take down the outer wall of Red Moon Fortress today? Isn't this... a bit too much of a stretch..."
"Those barbarians are nothing to be afraid of. But... please forgive me for being blunt - it is unlikely that we can take down the outer wall of Red Moon Fortress in one day."
"I know." Pu Sheng responded without hesitation, "If we continue to fight as usual this morning until the sun sets, we probably won't be able to take down the Red Moon Fortress."
"so--"
Pu Sheng slowly stood up from the stool.
With eyes emitting cold light, he looked towards the distant fortress.
"This afternoon, I will personally lead the army to attack the city!"