I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

Edo, Edo Castle, meeting room.

The elder Naka Matsudaira sent a letter, and four Wakonen sent: Kitagawa Toshiki, Yoshimoto Choemon, Matsudaira Takaki, Matsudaira Kuniyama—a total of 5 people, sitting around the meeting room.

Matsudaira Sadanobu has never been the kind of person who likes to talk nonsense.

After all the postmen arrived, Matsudaira Sadanobu directly handed them a piece of letter paper for them to read in turn.

After reading the content written on this letter paper at a glance, the four Ruonian postmen all frowned.

Beichuan was the last person to read this letter.

After Beichuan put down the letter paper, Beichuan, whose brows were so tight that it could crush a fly to death, said in a low voice:

"The status quo in the north... is even worse than the phenomenon."

That letter was sent back from the distant Matsumae clan in a hurry.

Matsumae Domain - the northernmost domain in Japan.

The total stone height of the Matsumae clan—that is, the total grain output in one year is only 10,000 stone, which is not even as high as Ogata's hometown, Hirose Fan.

Although Ogata's hometown, the Hirose Domain, is only a small domain as big as a sesame seed, the total stone height of the Hirose Domain is also 30,000 stone, which is fully three times that of the Matsumae Domain.

It's just that although Matsumae Fan is not a rich and powerful fan, but because of its unique geographical location, its status is no worse than any other fan.

Because it is the northernmost vassal state in Japan, Matsumae vassal can be said to be the northern gate of the entire country of Japan.

If the Lucia country goes south, or if the Ezo people in the Ezo region riot again, the first to be attacked is the Matsumae domain.

Since the frequency of expeditions sent by Lucia to Ezo has become more frequent in recent years, the shogunate began to send more troops to the north to monitor and guard against Lucia.

So far, 5,000 troops have assembled in Matsumae Domain.

And the letter that Wakanen sent us just now was sent by Masaya Inamori, the general who is currently leading the 5,000 troops in Matsumae, monitoring and guarding Lucia Kingdom.

Inamori was transferred from Chodo Island by Matsudaira Jonobu this spring.

Transferred to Songqian Fan to sit in town.

And Inamori is also worthy of the trust of Matsudaira Sadanobu. In the past few months, he has been meticulously fulfilling his duties, closely monitoring all the movements of Lucia, and regularly sending letters to Edo to report the latest situation in the north. .

"Now that everyone has read the contents of the letter." Matsudaira Sadanobu said with a blank face, "Then let's express our opinions now."

"How do you think we should deal with the current chaos in Ezo?"

In this latest letter sent back by Inamori, it tells two things in very short sentences.

The first thing: Lucia sent more and more expeditions to Ezo. As of the end of September, their scouts had discovered that Lucia's expeditions were haunting the northernmost border of Matsumae Domain.

The second thing: The surrender of the Ezo who was entrenched in the "Red Moon Fortress" failed again.

"Unexpectedly, there is already an expedition team from the country of Lucia appearing on the northern border of the Matsumae domain..." Gibbon, who usually has a "peacemaker" appearance, rarely has a gloomy face, "This is really not a good thing News..."

"It's just sending expeditions now, maybe in a few years we will send troops directly." Beichuan sneered a few times, "The Lucians are not good at it. greedy."

"...Do you want to try to negotiate with Lucia?" Takaki Matsudaira, who was sitting opposite Beichuan, hesitated.

Matsudaira Takaki is the weakest of the four Wakonen Yosaka.

This personality is the opposite of Bei Chuan's, so the two often put forward completely different ideas.

Sure enough——As soon as Matsudaira Takaki's voice fell, Beichuan immediately said:

"What we should do now is not to negotiate with the Lucians, but to actively prepare for the battle."

"Strengthen the north's defenses. Prepare for emergencies."

"A hundred years ago, the Qing Dynasty on the other side of the ocean also relied on its victory on the battlefield to successfully sign the "Nerchinsk Treaty" with the Lucians, preventing the Lucians from going south."

"If you don't convince the Lucians, I don't think it will be of any use if you just go to negotiate with them so dryly."

As soon as Beichuan's words fell, Matsudaira Sadanobu, who had been silent just now, finally said abruptly:

"I agree with Beichuan's point of view."

"If Lucia was the kind of country that doesn't yearn for land, it wouldn't have fought the Qing Dynasty a hundred years ago."

"Compared to negotiating with the Lucia people, what we should do is to actively prepare for war, strengthen the defense of the north, and beware of the invasion of the Lucia country."

"only--"

Matsudaira Sadanobu suddenly changed the subject.

"Compared to actively preparing for the battle and guarding against the Lucians, I think there is one thing that we need to do immediately."

As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu said this, all the Waka Nianji present showed curiosity.

After everyone focused their curiosity and doubts on Matsudaira, Matsudaira said word by word:

"Our top priority right now should be to completely wipe out the Ezos entrenched in the 'Red Moon Fortress'."

When he said the sentence just now, Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone was always calm.

What Mingming said just now contained words like "total extermination" that were enough to make people shudder.

It was no surprise—after Matsudaira Sadanobu's voice fell, the faces of the four Wakonian, headed by Beichuan, all changed.

"My lord." Bei Chuan said in a deep voice, "You mean...do you want to use troops against the 'Red Moon Fortress'?"

"Didn't you all read the latest letter from Inamori just now?" Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone was still neither sad nor happy, "The Ezos of the 'Red Moon Fortress' rejected our offer to surrender again."

"How many times have you been rejected?"

"I don't have any patience anymore."

When Matsudaira Sadanobu dispatched Inamori Masaya to the north, in addition to letting Inamori monitor the Lucians, he also asked Inamori to be responsible for recruiting the Ezo who were entrenched in the "Red Moon Fortress".

Just like what Matsudaira Sadanobu said just now, he really can't remember how many times he has surrendered to the Eizo of "Red Moon Fortress".

In addition, as Matsudaira Sadanobu said in another sentence just now - he has no patience.

Matsudaira Sadanobu was very dissatisfied with the obstinacy of the Ezo who were entrenched in the "Red Moon Fortress".

"The 'Red Moon Fortress' is located on a piece of land that must be contested by military strategists."

Matsudaira Takanobu continued.

"At the moment when the relationship with Lucia is getting more and more tense, we have to control the 'Red Moon Fortress' no matter what."

"Since the people of the 'Red Moon Fortress' have been unwilling to listen to our orders, we can only resort to force."

The four Ruo Nianji looked at each other.

In the end, it was Beichuan who spoke first:

"...I support the proposition of Mr. Lao Zhong."

Bei Chuan looked serious.

"The location of the 'Red Moon Fortress' is really important."

"We must not let it fall into the hands of the Lucians."

"Even if you want to grab it, you have to grab the 'Red Moon Fortress'!"

"...My lord." After hesitating for a while, Takahiro Matsudaira said slowly, "Don't talk about military matters lightly."

"I also agree that the 'Red Moon Fortress' must be in our hands."

"But I don't think it's time to call in the military."

"What's more, the Ezo who are entrenched in the 'Red Moon Fortress' have firearms and have a tough temperament."

"If you use troops against them, you have to think twice!"

"Longxi. I understand what you mean." Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly.

Because 3 of the 5 people present had the surname Matsudaira, for the convenience of addressing, Matsudaira Takashi and Matsudaira Junshan both called them by their first names when they were both present.

"Of course I know that the ezos of the 'Red Moon Fortress' are not easy to deal with."

"But I think this battle still has to be fought."

"The reason why I want to use troops against the 'Red Moon Fortress' is not just because I want to seize this battleground before Lucia officially invades our country."

"I have another purpose."

"I want to deter those Ezo who are still half-hearted in Ezo through the conquest of the 'Red Moon Fortress'."

"Everyone, you probably haven't forgotten the 'Kunasili Menasi Rebellion' last year?"

"Of course I won't forget." As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu's voice fell, Beichuan immediately answered.

The Kunasili Menasi Rebellion-a turmoil that broke out in Ezodi last year, in the first year of Kansei.

A large number of Azou launched unrest in Kunasi Limenasi to oppose the oppression of them by the shogunate.

After the turmoil broke out, it took a lot of effort for the shogunate to finally suppress it.

"The coveting of the Ezo land shown by the country of Lucia in recent years has reminded me."

Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly.

"We have always ruled Ezo in name only."

"Ezodi is essentially no different from foreign countries to us."

"If we had stronger control over Ezo, we wouldn't have allowed Lucia to send expeditions to Ezo so unscrupulously."

"I plan to officially start the development of the Ezo land right now."

"Gradually increase control over Ezodi."

"If we want to strengthen the control over Ezo, it is necessary to deter those Ezo who do not want to obey our shogunate."

"It's very appropriate to use the knife on the stubborn Ezo who are entrenched in the 'Red Moon Fortress'."

"As long as we annihilate the Ezos in the 'Red Moon Fortress' with a thunderbolt, it will definitely have the effect of killing chickens and monkeys."

"Let the other Ezo see the consequences of disobedience to our shogunate."

The four Ruonianji listened carefully.

Then they reacted differently.

Bei Chuan and Matsudaira Junshan nodded lightly.

Gibbon looked bewildered.

Matsudaira Takashi had a solemn expression on his face, not knowing what he was thinking.

"...My lord." After a moment of silence, Takahiro Matsudaira asked, "Then how many people do you think would be appropriate if you want to use troops against the 'Red Moon Fortress'?"

Matsudaira Sadanobu raised a finger.

"10000."

As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu said this, the four Waka Nianji showed different expressions.

"10,000?" Songping Junshan's reaction was the most excited, "My lord, please forgive me, the total number of ezos in the 'Red Moon Fortress' is only a thousand! Would it be too exaggerated to dispatch an army of 10,000?" some?"

"It costs a lot to dispatch an army of 10,000!"

Before Songping Junshan became Ruonianji, he had done survey and appointment for a long time.

The so-called appointment and implementation can be understood as the minister in charge of finance.

Perhaps it is because of the long-term investigation and implementation that Songping Junshan is often very excited when facing political affairs related to money.

"I know." Matsudaira Sadanobu still had no expression on his face, "So let the feudal clans of Mutsu and Izuba...especially the Sendai and Aizu feudal clans contribute more to the safety of the northern gate of our country. .”

Mutsu and Dewa - the two areas closest to Ezo. Often referred to collectively as the "Ou Region" or "Tohoku Region"

There are 31 vassal states in Ou and Yu.

Among these 31 vassal states, only 2 can be called male vassals: Aizu Fan and Sendai Fan.

Judging from the paper data, the most powerful is the Sendai Domain with a total stone height of nearly 630,000 stone.

But in essence, the most powerful is actually the Aizu Domain.

The Aizu domain is a pro-vassal daimyo, and their domain lord is also surnamed "Matsudaira". They are relatives of the shogunate and are responsible for guarding against foreign daimyos in the Ou area.

Although the total stone height is only 230,000 stone. But because of folk customs and other reasons, in terms of military strength, there are no more than five vassal states that can compete with the Aizu vassal in all of Japan.

Moreover, the Aizu clan is also famously loyal to the shogunate.

The successive feudal lords of the Aizu Domain were the pillars of the shogunate, and the Aizu Domain was therefore known as the "pillar of the Shogunate".

If an order is sent to the Aizu Domain asking them to assist in dispatching troops to the "Red Moon Fortress", the lord of the Aizu Domain will definitely use their power to assist the shogunate without hesitation.

As for another male feudal clan in the Ou area: Sendai Fan, it is actually a foreign daimyo, that is, a feudal state that is not very closely related to the shogunate.

Although the Sendai Domain is a foreign daimyo, among all the foreign daimyos, it belongs to the more obedient one, which is completely different from the Satsuma and Changzhou Domains who have been obsessed with the shogunate for many years.

If an order was sent to the lord of the Sendai Domain asking him to send troops to help out, he would not dare to refuse.

Although the total stone height of the Sendai Fan is nearly 630,000 stone, its military strength is not very strong.

However, with the ability of the Sendai Domain, it should be possible to gather an army of 10000 to 2000 people to help out.

"If these vassal states in the north also contribute their efforts, it shouldn't be too difficult to increase the current army stationed in the north to 10,000?"

Hearing what Matsudaira Sadanobu said, Matsudaira Junshan pursed his lips and said no more.

Let the vassal states headed by Aizu and Sendai help out, and they will naturally be responsible for the supply of the troops they send.

That is to say, the shogunate can use the soldiers sent by the daimyo in the Ou area as much as they want without spending a penny.

So indeed, as Matsudaira Sadanobu said just now, if the daimyos in the Ou region send troops to help out, it is indeed not difficult to gather an army of 10,000 in Ezo.

"...Master Laozhong." The person who spoke was Matsudaira Takaki again, "The matter of dispatching troops... has a lot to do with it. I think we should report it to the General and ask the General to make a decision."

"Of course." Sadanobu Matsudaira nodded without thinking, "I never thought that I would launch an attack on Ezo within a day."

"I plan to report to the General this afternoon."

"My lord general, please put forward his idea, and let your lord general make a decision as soon as possible."

...

...

10 days later——

Kanzheng two years (AD 1790), November 26.

If you want to go to Dewa and Mutsu, the quickest way is naturally to go to the streets of Oshu.

The so-called Oshu Street is a traffic artery starting from Edo and ending at Shirakawa in Mutsu.

For Ogata, it doesn't matter whether he goes to Dewa or Mutsu - anyway, these two places are unfamiliar to him.

It's the same for Ah-cho, in these two places, he doesn't have half acquaintances.

Since these two places are no different in Ogata’s eyes, before leaving, when deciding whether to go to Dewa or to Mutsu, Ogata chose to go to Mutsu without hesitation-there is an Oshu street to Mutsu You can walk, which is much more convenient.

Needless to say, Ogata's physical fitness.

Although A-Machi is a daughter, she has also received complete ninjutsu training.

Although she is the tail of the crane among the ninjas of the same period, she is still a female ninja. In terms of physical fitness, she is only as good as some samurai.

Because both of them are the kind of people with good physical fitness, their footsteps are not slow at all.

As the two traveled northward, the weather became colder and colder.

On the sixth day after departure, the two of them saw snow.

The further north you go, the more snow there will be.

To this day, the snow under their feet is so thick that the entire sole of their feet can sink into it when they step on it.

On the way to the north, apart from the temperature, Ogata and A-machi also felt a very obvious change.

That is the change of folk customs.

The Ou area is currently one of the least developed areas in Japan.

The worse the economy is, the worse the law and order is. When he took A-Machi to Mutsu, Ogata realized very deeply: Although this sentence is a bit absolute, it actually still has some truth.

...

...

"Hey! Samurai!"

A dirty ronin with a bald head drew a sword in his hand, and shouted at Ogata in front of him in an arrogant tone.

"Are you training as a martial artist? You are really extravagant! You even have a woman with you when you are training as a warrior!"

Although the weather is getting colder and colder after going north, Ogata's clothes are still very thin under the influence of "life force".

It's just that I put on an extra piece of clothing under the haori, and put on a thicker scarf, a pair of deerskin boots that can walk in the snow, and a snowproof hat on my head.

Ogata pushed up the bamboo hat on his head slightly, moved his eyes, and looked at the group of people blocking him.

The group of people who stopped him and Ah Ding totaled 9 people.

These nine people were all dirty without exception. Their clothes hadn't been washed for some time. If the mud on their bodies was rubbed off, it felt like they could be rubbed into a mud ball the size of a child's fist.

While they were all dirty, they were also all armed.

All nine of them had knives on their waists.

Some fight with knives and threats.

Some only have knives.

Others only have a threat.

"It's another ronin..." A-Machi, who was standing behind Ogata, muttered in a helpless tone.

She and Ogata were both on their way just now.

Then the nine ronin suddenly ran out from the bushes on the side of the road ahead of them, blocking their way.

Then the bald ronin standing at the front began to mock Ogata who was taking a woman to practice martial arts.

"I'm not practicing as a warrior." Ogata said in a calm tone, "It's just because of some things, I have to go to Mutsu with my wife."

"Aren't you here to steal money too?"

"Oh? You understand very well." The bald rogue sneered a few times, "But now we want something other than money."

After saying that, the bald ronin turned his gaze to Machi who was standing beside Ogata. A bit of greed flashed in his eyes.

"Originally we only wanted your money."

"But now, if you take a closer look, your wife is pretty pretty."

"Keep your money and your wife obediently!"

"But don't worry, we will not take your wife away, and we will kill your wife."

"We're only borrowing for a few days."

"I'll give it back to you in a few days."

After quietly listening to the bald ronin's words, Ogata let out a soft sigh.

This kind of words...he has heard it too many times recently.

In Ogata's right hand, he holds a long wooden stick that can help him travel.

After he uttered this soft sigh——

brake!

Ogata swung the long stick in his hand violently, and drew a circle with himself as the center on the snow.

Headed by the bald ronin, the nine ronin cast suspicious glances at Ogata.

"Hey! What are you doing?" the bald head asked.

"This is my... attack range." Ogata threw the long wooden stick in his hand aside, "I will not leave this circle, nor will I take the initiative to chase you down."

"But my personal self-cultivation is not good enough to dedicate my head and hands to those who want to harm me and my wife."

"Okay. You choose."

"I want to leave obediently."

"Or... step into the circle?"

After saying that, Ogata slowly lowered his body center of gravity.

*****

*****

Yesterday's defense went well!

When I got home, it was already too late, so today I only have 5,700 words. I will think about it tomorrow if I can add more.