I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 945 Entrust the "Black Sword"! The Edo Siege War begins! [5000]

“Vairocana…!”

Elodie opened her eyes wide, staring blankly at the long object that Shikizaki Jiyi handed to her.

When she came to her senses, she had already reached out to take it and peeled off the outer layer of cloth.

The black and purple handle and sheath, with the simple sheath decoration telling of a long history... is the demon sword Vairocana!

While Elodie and Kondo Shusuke were focusing on him, Shikisaki Kiyomi grinned.

"A foreigner with blond hair and blue eyes... I've heard of you. You must be Tachibana Aoto's apprentice, right?"

Elodie nodded subconsciously.

"That's perfect! Since you are Tachibana Aoto's apprentice, I can safely hand it over to you!"

When he mentioned the pronoun "it", he lowered his head and looked at the Vairocana in Elodi's hand with soft eyes.

“Although it took some extra time, I was fortunate enough to have accomplished my mission.”

"I am willing to use my own life as a guarantee, this is my greatest masterpiece!"

As he said this, his eyes became softer, as if he was looking at his own child.

"'Wanlian Steel' is indeed an unparalleled top-grade steel material."

"Even if we used the furnace that has been passed down from generation to generation in our Shikizaki family, it still took seven days and seven nights to smelt it."

"There is probably no steel in the world that is more difficult to make."

"To be able to forge a sword with such excellent steel... I will never have the chance to forge a sword of this quality again in my lifetime."

"At a time when swords are about to be eliminated, you can forge such a supreme sword... I am deeply grateful!"

"Whether it's the 'Supreme Great Deed' or any other sword, it can't be compared to this sword!"

As he spoke of this, a flush of excitement appeared on his cheeks.

At this moment, he was no longer the prodigal son who gave up on himself in despair because of the obsolescence of swords, but a swordsmith full of pride!
After calming down a little, he couldn't wait to say:

"Okay, let's check the goods!"

"Let the legendary 'Black Knife' appear in the world!"

After that, he raised his hand and signaled Elodie to draw her sword.

Qing Deng used the hard-to-find "million-refined steel" to recast the blade of Vairocana - Kondo Shusuke had heard something about this.

As a swordsman, how could he not be interested in the legendary "black sword"?

Therefore, he leaned forward and stared straight at the mouth of Vairocana's scabbard, not daring to blink, ready to face the moment when the black knife appeared.

Facing the passionate gazes of Kondo Shusuke and Shikizaki Kiyomi, Elodie held the Vairocana in her hand with a stiff movement, holding the scabbard with her left hand and stroking the hilt with her right hand.

"..."

The coolness of the sheath, the texture of the handle... Elodie experienced all these sensations carefully and attentively.

At this moment, she felt her heart beating very fast.

For her, this knife has a very special meaning.

She wanted to use the "Wanlian Steel" passed down from generation to generation in her family to create a magical weapon that belonged to her alone, and then, holding the weapon in her hand, she could become a knight who stood up for the weak and the weak... This had always been her dream.

Because she believed that Qing Deng needed the steel more than she did and could better unleash the power of the steel, she was willing to entrust it to him.

At first glance, it seemed that she had given up on her dream.

actually not.

If we use accurate words to describe it...she is entrusting her dream to Qing Deng!

I hope Qing Deng can wield a sword forged from this steel.

I hope Qing Deng can hold this sword tightly, become a leading knight, and help her realize her unfulfilled dream!

In other words, the sword he is holding now is a concrete symbol of his dream...!
When she thought of this, she felt her heart beating faster and even her hands were trembling slightly.

At this moment, her right hand had already grasped the hilt of Vairocana's sword, and she could pull it out with just a little effort.

However... her hand stopped and she was hesitant to pull out the knife.

After a while, she shook her head and slowly let go of her right hand.

"No, I can't pull it out."

Before Kondo Shusuke and Shikizaki Kiyomi could ask further questions, she explained in an unquestionable and firm tone:

"This Vairocana is the sword of the master."

"Only the master is qualified to pull it out!"

"'The Black Blade Appears', 'Drawing the Blade for the First Time after Reforging'... These precious honors must be reserved for the Master."

"I can't overstep my authority."

At the end of her speech, she deliberately changed to a half-joking tone to ease the atmosphere.

After hearing this, Kondo Shusuke smiled helplessly and nodded slightly:

"Well, Elodie, you are right. We really can't just pull out Qingdeng's sword casually, especially a sword that is full of special meaning."

Shikizaki Kiyomi spread his hands, expressing regret.

"You swordsmen always have unusual obsessions in some strange places."

"But... okay."

"Since you insist so much, you must hand it over to Mr. Tachibana intact."

After saying this, he turned sideways and pretended to leave.

"I have delivered the knife."

"I have to leave Edo before the enemy attacks."

"If it weren't for forging a sword for Mr. Ju, I would have wanted to run away a long time ago..."

Perhaps because he didn't want Elodie and the others to think he was a coward, he added hastily as soon as he finished speaking:

"I am just a knife maker. I have no other skills except swinging a hammer."

"I chose to leave Edo purely out of helplessness!"

Elodie and Kondo Shusuke smiled slightly, seeing through the situation without pointing it out.

Letting those who are unable to fight leave the battlefield - this is a matter of course.

Elodie smiled brightly:
"Mr. Shikizaki, thank you for your hard work!"

Kondo Shusuke said:
"Mr. Shikizaki, I wish you a safe journey!"

After the two said goodbye, Shikizaki Kiyomi did not stay long.

After saying "see you later", he trotted away.

Elodie and Kondo Shusuke stood still and watched each other silently.

After his figure disappeared into the distant street corner, the girl turned her head and looked at the old man with an apologetic look on her face.

"Mr. Kondo, I'm sorry, but you probably want to see the full picture of the 'Black Blade', right?"

Kondo Shusuke rubbed his chin and laughed a few times:
"Hoo ho ho ho ho!"

"Elody, you don't have to care!"

"You are right. It is very impolite for us to pull out other people's knives without permission."

"Unless Qing Deng agrees, we cannot draw the sword for him."

"Besides... compared to you, my little flaw is nothing."

"You want to pull out the knife more immediately than I do, don't you?"

Although he used the sentence structure of a question, his tone was that of an affirmative sentence.

Elodie chuckled, with a playful look that said "You got it right".

Didn’t she want to pull out the Vairocana in her hand immediately?

This black knife symbolizes her dream... It is no exaggeration to say that she now feels as if there are ten thousand ants crawling and gnawing on her heart!
She couldn't wait to pull out the knife, couldn't wait to see the blade of the knife, and couldn't wait to let its blade light fill her eyes!

“Hiss…! Huh…! Hiss…! Huh…!”

She took several deep breaths in an exaggerated manner, using her willpower to suppress the urge to draw her sword.

Then she lowered her head again and looked at the Vairocana in her hand, as if in deep thought.

Suddenly, she raised her eyes and cast a fiery look at the old man.

"Mr. Kondo, can you let me keep Vairocana?"

"I want to hand it over to the master myself!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Kondo Shusuke's eyes.

He stared at Elodie, their eyes locked, as if he was thinking about something.

In response to the girl's sudden request, he didn't say much, but just nodded vigorously:

"of course can!"

"I should be glad if you would keep it for me."

"I'm old now, and my memory has become very bad."

"If I were to keep this knife, I'd forget where I put it after a while!"

…………

Three days later, early in the morning——

Edo, Edo Castle, Ōhiroma——

Tokugawa Iemochi, dressed in military uniform, sat upright on the main seat, his left hand supporting the sword at his waist, his right hand on his right leg, and his eyes closed to rest.

In order to demonstrate his determination to defend Edo and never retreat, and also to remind himself to always stay in combat readiness, he has only worn armor and been fully armed in recent days.

At the same time, he has been staying in the large hall frequently recently, and would sit here even if he had nothing to do.

This way, it would be convenient for him to give orders and for his subordinates to find him.

At first, many people thought that his statement of "swearing to live and die with Edo" was just empty talk.

They brag a lot, but when danger really comes, they run away faster than anyone else - such people are everywhere in the long history.

Wait a few days and send a few people who are not good at arguing to say something like "The ancient meaning of "Spring and Autumn Annals" is: the law cannot be imposed on the noble. How can a general who leads the army commit suicide?" and so on, to give Tokugawa Iemochi a way out, and he will take advantage of the situation to back down - this is what most people think.

Everyone was mentally prepared that "Tokugawa Iemochi would definitely leave Edo."

However... today, they suddenly discovered that Tokugawa Iemochi seemed to be serious!
He seemed to really intend to defend Edo to the death and was unwilling to withdraw!

Although the shogunate was full of corrupt officials and corrupt officials, there were still some loyal ministers.

No matter what, Tokugawa Iemochi was always the legitimate supreme leader of the military family and the 14th shogun of the shogunate.

Those loyal ministers could not bear to see their general put in danger.

Therefore, every day people would write letters to the emperor to present their suggestions or meet him in person to persuade him face to face, and people would beg him to leave Edo and seek refuge in Ou or somewhere else.

It is understandable that in the face of such a proposal, Tokugawa Iemochi had only one response: a stern rejection.

"I've said it before, I swear to live and die with Edo! Either survive with Edo, or perish with Edo!" - He used this sentence to repel all suggestions for him to leave Edo.

Not only did he not retreat himself, he also refused to allow the warriors under his command to retreat.

On the day he ordered the preparations for war, Tokugawa Iemochi issued a clear order requiring all samurai in Edo Town - hatamoto and samurai - to stay! They were not allowed to leave Edo!

To put it simply: civilians can retreat, but warriors cannot!

Any warrior who escapes without permission will be considered a traitor and will be punished to the maximum extent!

At first glance, it seems cruel.

In essence, there was nothing wrong with Tokugawa Iemochi's order.

What is a samurai?
In a nutshell: professional soldiers dedicated to fighting!
During the shogunate era when the samurai were in power, commoners were not allowed to serve as soldiers. Fighting in battle and expanding territory were the privilege and obligation of the samurai.

Otherwise, where did they get the name "warriors"?
Letting soldiers fight is a natural thing to do.

Of course, Tokugawa Iemochi had long been dissatisfied with the direct advisers who were living a life of drunkenness and had no ambition to make progress.

【Note: Naosan: A general term for hatamoto and gokenin. 】

Everyone knows that Tokugawa Iemochi was hostile to the direct advisers.

"Promoting military reforms and enhancing the combat effectiveness of the shogunate army" has always been Tokugawa Iemochi's key policy direction.

However, the direct participants have long become an extremely solid interest group that is impenetrable to anyone.

Reforming the current military system would be equivalent to endangering their jobs, so naturally they would fight Tokugawa Iemochi to the end.

Their obstruction at every turn made it difficult for Tokugawa Iemochi's military reforms to proceed smoothly, and it was only in the last two years that there was finally some improvement.

Considering the grudges between the two sides...Tokugawa Iemochi forced the direct officials to stay, it is hard not to think that he was deliberately seeking revenge against these parasites.

In short, relying on the order that "all samurai must stay and no disobedience is allowed", Tokugawa Iemochi managed to gather a garrison of 3 people!
Although it is far from the famous "80,000 Hatamoto Riders", it is undoubtedly a large-scale army!

However, it is easy to imagine that those who are forced to participate will definitely have no fighting power.

According to the report submitted by Katsurintaro a while ago, many people cannot even sheath the knife, let alone swing it, and there are many people who cut their palms when sheathing the knife.

Obviously, these guys can only serve as a "battlefield atmosphere group" and cannot be expected to have any outstanding performance on the battlefield.

The only troops that could really be used and fight tough battles were a few represented by the Jiangwu Army and the Huofu Bandits, with a strength of about 3000 people.

Out of an army of 3, only 3000 were capable of fighting... Tokugawa Iemochi was not surprised by this result.

He hadn't given any hope to those guys from the beginning.

The reason for issuing the "must stay" order was simply because we didn't want these guys to have a too comfortable life.

You have been relying on the merits of your ancestors and enjoying blessings for more than 200 years, but when the time came for you to fulfill your obligations, you just walked away... There is no such good thing in this world!
To be honest, Tokugawa Iemochi would actually be happy to see more of these useless people who only waste money and food die!
Just as Tokugawa Iemochi closed his eyes to rest, he suddenly heard familiar footsteps approaching from afar.

Without opening his eyes he asked:
"Mother, what's wrong?"

Fully armed, carrying a naginata and a bow and arrow, Tenshoin strode into the great hall and walked straight towards Tokugawa Iemochi.

Like Tokugawa Iemochi, she only wore armor during this period.

"Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to come and see you."

As she spoke, she moved to Tokugawa Iemochi's side and sat down with her knees bent.

"Jia Mao, I heard that you have a very poor appetite recently and have hardly eaten anything. What happened? It made you lose your appetite."

"No, it's nothing."

Tokugawa Iemochi smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Nothing serious happened. I just... I was nervous, so I didn't have much appetite, that's all."

After saying that, he raised his right hand to show Tianzhangyuan - his right palm was trembling slightly, as if he had the hiccups.

Tian Zhangyuan saw this and smiled slightly:
"Jia Mao, you don't have to be ashamed of this. Because..."

She paused at a strange point.

Then she stretched out her right hand—her palm was also shaking.

"I was nervous, too. I made a promise to defend Edo, but I was so nervous. It's embarrassing."

Seeing that his beloved mother was the same as himself, Tokugawa Iemochi was slightly startled, and then he burst into laughter - the magical thing was that at this moment, the frequency of his hand tremors greatly reduced, and his expression became much more natural.

Suddenly, Tianzhangyuan suddenly raised a new question:

"Jia Mao, is there any news about Sheng Qing?"

Tokugawa Iemochi replied without hesitation:

"No, no news yet."

"That's it..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

“…It’s really surprising.”

"Mother, what do you mean?"

"Until yesterday, whenever I mentioned Sheng Qing, you would always try to persuade me to leave Edo in a roundabout way. Today, you were particularly quiet and did not persuade me to leave. For a moment, I was a little uncomfortable."

"Oh, this..."

Tokugawa Iemochi smiled.

"I gave up."

"At this point, I have to admit that you, mother, are more stubborn than I am."

"I can't convince you by myself."

"Although I was very reluctant, I had no choice but to give up."

"However, instead, I have made up my mind: I must protect you to the end!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and touched the sword at his waist, his tone firm.

Upon hearing this, Tianzhangyuan frowned slightly and looked displeased.

Then she opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something or refute something.

But at this moment——

Boom!

There was an explosion in the distance!
In an instant, both mother and son changed their expressions.

The next moment, they stood up suddenly, ran to the nearby window in two steps, lay on the window, and looked towards the explosion site.

In a certain street town north of Edo Castle, thick black smoke was drifting into the distant sky... and beneath the smoke, flames were burning.

This explosion is not an isolated "case".

woo woo woo woo……!
Tokugawa Iemochi faintly heard a sharp "wooooo" sound coming from the sky, as if it was the sound of wind breaking.

Before he looked up——

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
Shells fell into Edo Town like raindrops!

The explosions destroyed the house and the silence!

The flames rose...the orange-red fire became the brightest color in Edo at that time!
Tokugawa Iemochi watched all this with a livid face, muttering:

"coming……!"

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