Red Moon Fortress, Treatment Area——
"Cunoya! This guy is about to die! Hurry up and save him!"
"Cunoya! A few more dying people were sent here..."
"Cunoya..."
…
"I understand!" Kunoya, who had always been calm while treating everyone's injuries, showed an expression of impatience. "Take your time one by one! No matter how powerful I am, I can only treat one person at a time!"
As the person with the best medical skills in the Red Moon Fortress, Kunoya naturally shoulders the heaviest responsibilities and the hardest work.
Although Kunoya was a "non-combatant" who was not responsible for directly facing the battle, she also deduced from the fact that the number of casualties today was nearly double that of the previous two days that today's battle would probably be extremely difficult...
After finishing the treatment for the young man who had a broken arm, Kunoya called out to the two assistants beside her - two young girls who were already exhausted:
"Alright! Bandage this guy's wound!"
After leaving this order, Kunoya ran towards another injured person who needed urgent treatment without any rest.
While running towards another injured person who needed urgent treatment, Kunoya couldn't help but turn her head and look at the inner city wall to the south not far away.
"What on earth is Chanup doing... Why are there so many injured today..." She muttered softly in an unhappy tone.
…
…
At this moment——
Red Moon Fortress, on the inner wall -
"...In short, that's it." Lin Ziping spoke in fluent Ainu while glancing at Chanup and the others in front of him, "Compared to the Japanese army outside the city, our biggest advantage is the superb archery skills cultivated through years of hunting."
"Based on my observations these days, there aren't many archers outside the city or in the army."
"Today's warriors are generally in a mess. Most of them would rather spend their energy on prostitutes than on martial arts."
"Nowadays, there are very few warriors who have the ability and willingness to learn archery."
"So there aren't many archers outside the city. This is within my expectations."
"And we also have the advantage of the 'city wall', so in terms of 'shooting', we actually have a slight advantage."
"In war, there are two 'rules' that must be followed."
Lin Ziping raised two fingers.
"Concentrate your forces as much as possible to defeat the enemy with more numbers. And - use your strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses."
"You are not good at close combat. If you engage in close combat with the Japanese troops outside the city, it will become the most foolish thing to do, 'using your own weakness to attack the enemy's strength'."
"So if we want to fight against the Aizu army, our best solution is to further increase the number of archers on the inner city wall and suppress them with a rain of arrows."
"…Is there no powerful tactic that can be used to deal with the Aizu Army?" someone asked at this time.
Lin Ziping shook his head: "Tactics are just to make it easier for people to fight."
"My current defense configuration is the best deployment for our current situation where we lack weapons to defend the city."
"There are no more powerful tactics or deployments."
"If we want to counter the Aizu Army, I can't think of any other way except to increase the combat effectiveness of the soldiers as much as possible."
Having said that, Lin Ziping turned his head and looked at Reitannoe.
"Mr. Retannoy, have the newly stripped armor been painted in our colors?"
Retannoy nodded: "They have all been painted and some people have put them on."
"That's good..." Lin Ziping said softly.
These days, in order to make up for the disadvantage in equipment, Chanup and his men have been stripping the armor and weapons of the Japanese soldiers left on the city walls and using them for their own purposes.
Although the armor they looted were basically Ashigaru armor whose protection was not very good, it was better than nothing.
In order to avoid accidentally injuring "one's own people wearing enemy armor", the chest area of ​​each set of armor that was taken off was painted red, the characteristic red color of their Red Moon Fortress.
After confirming the "equipment recovery" situation with Reitannoe, Lin Ziping looked around at the people in front of him.
"Does anyone else have any questions?"
No one responded.
"Since there are no questions, let's disband and go back to rest." Lin Ziping said, "There will definitely be another tough battle this afternoon."
"While there is still time, let's take a good rest."
"Especially you—Mr. Chanup."
Lin Ziping turned his gaze to Chanup who was standing next to him.
"You haven't rested since the battle began this morning. It seems you didn't even have lunch, right?"
"I think you'd better take a rest now. Otherwise, you will collapse from exhaustion, which will be terrible."
“Haha.” Chanup chuckled a few times. “You really look like my daughter when you advise me to go to bed early…”
Chanup scratched his long hair.
"Don't worry. I'm not stupid enough to take a break."
"I had planned to go back to my home and rest after this meeting."
…
…
Red Moon Fortress, Chanup's home——
Tang Shen, who had been sitting in the corner with his eyes closed, heard very familiar footsteps outside the house. He recognized who was coming without opening his eyes.
"You're back." After saying this, Tang Shen slowly opened his eyes, looked towards the door, and looked at Chanup who had now walked through the door and entered the house.
Chanup, with a tired look on his face, was holding his pipe and puffing out smoke.
After entering his home, he looked around first.
“Where are Esuma and Otunpuyi?”
"Haven't seen either of them since this morning ."
“I see…”
Chanup didn't say anything else, just continued to smoke his cigarette, walked in front of Tang Shen, and sat down cross-legged.
After Chanup sat down in front of him, Tang Shen looked at Chanup hesitantly for several times, then took several deep breaths as if to encourage himself, and then asked Chanup softly:
"The battle this morning was... quite fierce... the shouting and killing was so loud that I could hear it clearly. Was the battle today difficult?"
Chanup took the pipe out of his mouth and nodded gently: "It was a tough fight this morning..."
Chanup briefly informed Thompson of the battle situation this morning.
"The Aizu army is here..." Tang Shen's eyes widened, "No wonder the battle today is so fierce..."
"Although I had expected the Aizu Army to be extremely powerful," Chanup smiled bitterly, "I didn't expect it to be this strong."
"We will strengthen our archers this afternoon."
"I hope our archers can suppress the Aizu army a little bit..."
After he finished speaking, Chanup raised his pipe and took several deep puffs.
"...It's rare that we both have time now, and there are no outsiders around, so - let's talk about your business now." Chanup blew out two big smoke rings, "Tang... No, Shen Du, what are your plans for the future?"
"I asked you to break out and leave here with Mr. Majima before, but you refused because you thought it was dangerous."
"He stayed at home for the past few days, either eating or being in a daze. He neither helped us nor made any moves that might suggest he was trying to escape."
"What on earth are you going to do after this?"
Facing Chanup's sharp gaze, Tang Shen silently lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Looking at the silent Tang Shen, Chanup shrugged: "It doesn't matter if you don't say anything. I can probably guess what you want to do."
"You probably want to wait until the city is captured and then sneak away in the chaos, right?"
Chanup used an affirmative tone to say this sentence, which was clearly a question.
As soon as Chanup finished speaking, Tang Shen's body shook slightly a few times.
"...I was afraid of offending you, so I didn't want to tell you about my plan." Tang Shen's expression was helpless and bitter. "How did you guess my plan?"
"No matter how you look at it, we are friends for life and death." Chanup said slowly, "Based on your usual way of thinking, it is not difficult for me to guess your intentions."
"Besides, I can't think of any other way for you to leave here, except to take advantage of the chaos after the city is breached to escape."
Chanup raised his pipe and took another deep puff.
"You don't have to worry about offending me or anything."
"You want to live, and that's understandable. I'm not in a position to blame you for anything."
"But, Shen Du. As your old friend, I feel I have an obligation to remind you that your method is not very safe."
"You are old after all. I don't believe that you can still be as agile as you were when you were young."
"If you were the young you who could sneak into other people's villages without being noticed, take their heads, and leave the village without being noticed, I would still believe that you have the ability to escape from here safely during the chaos after the city is broken."
"As for you now..."
"...I know." Tang Shen nodded, "I know this kind of thing is quite difficult for me now that I am old."
"But apart from this method, I have no other way to leave here. I can only give it a try."
After hearing what Thompson said, Chanup put down the pipe in his hand and cast a complicated look at Thompson in front of him.
"...Shendu. No matter what... you are unwilling to help me? If we have your help, we will be able to gain the strength of a thousand people..."
Tang Shen raised his eyes and looked at Chanup.
He didn't say anything, just nodded slightly with a gloomy face.
"...Haha." Chanup suddenly chuckled a few times, "I just realized now - this situation is similar to the situation when we first met when we were young."
"I begged you desperately, hoping that you could help my father get revenge. But no matter what I said, you refused to do so."
"It was not until I offered to teach you the hunting techniques passed down from generation to generation in my family that you finally agreed to be my 'killer'."
"But that time and that moment are completely different from this moment." Tang Shen suddenly said, "At this moment, no matter what kind of reward you offer, I will not help you."
After saying that, the gloom on Tang Shen’s face became even darker.
"... Chanup. I'll make things clear today."
He said slowly.
"Although 'leaving here during the chaos after the city is broken' is extremely dangerous."
"But no matter how dangerous it is, it's not as dangerous as 'assisting you in defending the city'."
"'Leave here during the chaos after the city is captured' is a 90% chance of survival. But 'Assist you in defending the city' is a 100% chance of survival."
"I can't imagine what hope there is in helping you."
"And now... I don't want to die..."
The more Tang Shen spoke, the lower his head drooped.
"Chanoop, what I am about to say may make you laugh."
"But you can laugh if you want."
"There's no complicated reason why I don't want to help you. It's just because I'm afraid of death."
"I am... very afraid of death now. Very afraid of death."
"When I was still 'Shendu Fujingzhai', I had to wield a sword in order to stand out. I wielded a sword to make a name for myself. I faced death every day and lived a life where I didn't mind dying at any time."
"But - ever since I learned the hunting techniques passed down from your family from you and made a living by selling pets, I have finally lived the peaceful life I had not seen for a long time..."
“Although I’m not rich, this peaceful life is like a treasure to me who is tired of living a life where I might lose my head every day.”
"I have gotten used to and fallen in love with this peaceful life. I want to live, and I want to continue living this kind of life."
"Chaanup, just think of me as 'a bear that has been used to a comfortable life and whose teeth and claws have become dull'."
"I am no longer the 'Shendu Bujingzhai' who can face powerful enemies and death. I also no longer have the ambition to 'make a name for myself even if I die.'"
"Now there is only the 'Old Man Tang Shen' who has become materialistic and afraid of death because of his habit of a peaceful life. I just want to live now... I don't want to do anything that may cause my death."
"When I thought about facing those vicious Japanese soldiers, and thinking about how I would die in some unknown way, I was terrified... I was so scared that even my hands were shaking."
Tang Shen raised his hands and showed his slightly trembling hands to Chanup in front of him.
"So... Chanup, please understand me, an old man whose ambition and spirit have long been worn down..."
Chanup had been listening quietly to Tang Shen's narration. Because he was concentrating on listening, he didn't even smoke a puff of his cigarette and didn't even notice that the cigarette had gone out.
It was not until Tang Shen's voice fell completely and his consciousness returned to the real space that Chanup realized belatedly that his cigarette had gone out.
"...Shen Du. There is one thing I don't understand." Chanup smiled meaningfully while adding new tobacco to the pipe in his hand.
"You said you don't want to do anything that might kill you... Then why did you go to the trouble of coming to me to report after you learned that the shogunate was going to use troops against me, He Yezhe?"
"And he has stayed here all the time, persuading me to leave here and escape every day, causing me to miss the best opportunity to leave here."
After hearing Chanup's question, Tang Shen's expression froze, his lips pursed, and a look of confusion and bewilderment appeared on his face.
Chanup ignored Tang Shen's drastic change in expression and demeanor. After refilling the pipe with tobacco and lighting it, Chanup took a big puff of the cigarette and said slowly:
"Shendu. I understand everything you just said."
"How should I put it... I can understand your fear of death."
Having said that, Chanup put down the pipe in his hand and changed his tone to one of emotion.
"Because I've been used to a peaceful life, my fighting spirit has been worn down and I've become afraid of death... Shendu, am I not the same?"
"Shen Du, let me tell you something... something I have never told anyone before - before the Japanese army arrived at the city, I actually seriously considered surrendering."
Tang Shen suddenly raised his head and cast a shocked look at Chanup.
Facing Tang Shen's shocked gaze, Chanup continued:
"Just like you are used to a peaceful life - after the construction of this Heyezhe, I have lived a peaceful and prosperous life for 10 years."
"I don't have to worry about food and clothing. I have status and fame. I have both a son and a daughter, and my daughter is a very hardworking one. These 10 years of peaceful and affluent life have not only made my belly swell."
Chanup touched his slightly large belly.
“It also smoothed my mind.”
"After learning that the Japanese army was coming, I was actually quite scared... and I seriously considered surrendering to save my life."
“But fortunately – at the most critical moment, I turned back into my younger self.”
Chanup raised his hand and patted the ground in front of him.
"This Heyezhe is not just a new home that we built with so much hardship."
"At the same time...it's also my dream."
"Dream...?" Tang Shen's eyes widened as if he remembered something.
"This is something that can take a long time to talk about in detail."
Chanup smiled, and then continued with a look of reminiscence on his face:
"God Tang, you must have heard about our great migration to the south 10 years ago. How difficult it was, right?"
“During that migration south, I also experienced despair several times.”
"In the midst of despair, a ridiculous thought popped into my mind several times: it would be nice to have a refuge."
"If there was a 'shelter' that could rescue us, so many people wouldn't have died..."
"Although I was looking forward to the appearance of the 'sanctuary', it never appeared in the end."
"However, after finding this fortress left by the Lucia people and building a new home here, a new 'absurd' idea came into my mind - since there is no such 'refuge', I will build a 'refuge' myself."
"And this 'absurd' idea gradually became... my dream."
Chanup turned his head and smiled at Tang Shen.
"I dream of building a 'shelter' that can help my compatriots in times of crisis."
“I have been working hard for this over the past 10 years.”
"We are working hard to build a 'sanctuary' and trying to help our compatriots to the best of our ability."
"After 10 years of hard work, my dream has finally come true. The Kapasi village, which was forced to flee due to the defeat, and the Qina village, which was targeted by the Russians... these villages have been reborn because of my help."
"However... just when my dream was about to come true, the Hejun army arrived..."
"So - whether it's for this big family home or for my little dream, I don't want to give in to anyone."
"Even if it means death."
“People are just weird.”
Chanup shrugged.
"Whether men or women, they will always risk their lives for something that others cannot understand... Hmm? Shen Du, what's wrong with you? Are you in a daze?"
It was not until then that Chanup discovered that Tang Shen looked strange.
Tang Shen stared at Chanup in a daze, as if he was in a daze.
His lips moved as he whispered something in a tone that even Tang Shen himself might not be able to hear.
"Desperate for something that others cannot understand..."
Tang Shen didn't notice that his eyes were filled with memories.
I didn’t notice that my hands weren’t shaking as much anymore.
…
…
At this moment, outside the city, the Third Army (Aizu Army), the main camp——
Pu Sheng looked up, and while predicting the time based on the current sky, he slowly said:
"It's almost time."
"All armies can launch an attack at any time now." A close confidant beside Kusanagi added at the right time.
Gamo nodded: "Then let's not waste time. Send a message to the entire army - prepare to attack the city again!"
"Also inform the entire army - I will personally charge this afternoon!"
…
…
Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!
The sound of the conch, like sharp arrows, pierced into the ears of Chanup and Tang Shen.
"Are they here..." Chanup looked towards the south where the conch shell sound came from with a gloomy face, "They are attacking much earlier than we expected..."
After saying that, Chanup turned his attention back to the God of War in front of him.
"The Japanese army is attacking again. I have to get back to the city wall."
"Today at noon, we had a long chat for the first time in a long time."
"When we have time and opportunity later, let's talk slowly."
Chanup's tone was so relaxed that it was hard to imagine that he was heading to a bloody battlefield.
After saying that, Chanup didn't say any more to Thompson, nor did he stay any longer, and quickly left from Thompson's side.
Tang Shen did not stand up to see him off, nor did he watch Chanup leave.
He just continued to sit cross-legged there, staring blankly at the air in front of him.
He looked like he was in a daze.
But it also feels a bit like thinking.