Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 121 A fortified city is difficult to defend
Edo Castle and Edo are actually two different concepts.

Edo, in fact, refers to the super-large (ancient level) urban area radiating outward from Edo Castle, which includes castle towns where various commercial activities take place, as well as samurai districts, temple and shrine districts, and different towns such as Kanda, Ueno, and Asakusa.

Edo Castle, the center of the Edo region, is a cluster of militarized fortresses surrounded by a moat, and is also known as Chiyoda Castle.

The tallest building is naturally the castle tower in the center, also known as the Honmaru, which was the residence of the shogun.

In addition, there are several city walls arranged in sequence, with several-story defensive buildings erected at intervals, and a complex complex of buildings within the area that is almost the size of a small town.

Looking down from the sky, you'll see that the entire castle is a tightly packed mountain fortress system radiating outwards from the castle tower, with various defensive buildings and layers of fortifications. It would take a lot of manpower and resources to conquer it.

Unfortunately, this time the enemy came from the sky!

The vampire's black ship kept approaching, its unknown magical technology keeping it suspended high in the sky, allowing it to cross layers of obstacles without bloodshed, reach the center of Edo Castle, and then directly launch firepower from above to destroy the black castle tower, which was far larger than the real-life building of the same name.

At that time, the Tokugawa Shogunate, which was already in decline, would completely lose its ruling prestige due to such a humiliating defeat.

This is not just a simple matter of being burned, killed, and looted by a group of foreign bandits; ambitious individuals who have seen through the weakness of the shogunate will rise up to compete for power.

In short, the world is in chaos!

As he entered Edo Castle by carriage, Mitsurugi immediately deduced a series of possible developments. Then, he easily dismissed what he had just thought of.

The old tortoise's rule is over; it was a corrupt system full of feudalistic connotations anyway. Completely overthrowing and rebuilding it might bring a better future to the people.

Well, that's not necessarily true either.

Besides, this is just the ordinary world.

Having just escaped from a barrage of devastating artillery fire, Yu Jian found himself unusually calm, as if observing everything unfolding with detached indifference.

Why is that? Because of what I was just thinking about?
That feeling of looking up from the bottom of time...

Suddenly, a sentence I had read in my past life surfaced in my mind.

'I will forever remain a stranger in a foreign land, yet I will never regret it.'

When and where did he see these words? Yu Jian had no idea. In his time, humanity was inseparable from the internet, constantly absorbing all sorts of information every minute. Most of it was useless noise, but occasionally he would see words like these, whose origins were unclear yet particularly meaningful.

Therefore, where you see it is not the key point; the key point is what it means for you to think of this sentence at this moment.
Just as Mikasa was deep in thought, Hattori Hanzo grabbed a running samurai and asked loudly.

"Who is in charge of the defense of Edo Castle now?"

The samurai was initially in a hurry, but upon seeing that it was Hattori Hanzo, a direct retainer, he was startled.

To give an analogy, it's like a Ming Dynasty official being suddenly grabbed by the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard while walking down the street.

"Lord Abe, Lord Abe is on the city wall directing everyone's defense."

"Is the General still in the citadel?"

"Yes, yes, Lord Kubo has gathered a large number of people, saying that he wants to move all the silk fabrics that were originally collected to be sold to the Nanban to the Honmaru." At this point, the samurai couldn't help but show a strange expression.

Indeed, summoning people to move goods during a major battle is hardly the behavior of a wise and benevolent ruler.

"Just as I thought..." Hattori Hanzo muttered to himself upon hearing this, waving his hand to signal the samurai to leave on his own.

"We must get to the castle tower as soon as possible; the general is making final preparations."

Seemingly noticing the confusion on their faces, he quickly added another sentence.

“Your Highness, those silk fabrics are just like the previous marriage agreement; they are merely a means to deceive the southern barbarians. The General has never intended to abandon you.”

"I see." Akemi murmured twice, but did not show any emotion.

"..." Yu Jian and Milo at his feet exchanged a glance, each revealing a meaningful smile.

The group quickly passed through several city walls and arrived at the area where the castle tower was located.

"Halt!" The guard shouted, blocking the way with his spear.

"You idiot!" Hattori Hanzo cursed without mercy, and at the same time, he slapped him across the face.

"Open your eyes and look carefully! This is Princess Qianhe! Get out of the way at once!"

He was almost laughing out of anger at the person in front of him.

It's understandable that they didn't recognize Chizuru, since this princess was dressed as a commoner and rarely went out, as she usually stayed in the palace.

"But... but that person has a weapon. How can he bring a weapon into the citadel?" The gatekeeper stammered, covering his face.

That's a perfectly reasonable excuse. Hattori Hanzo's eyes widened. Just as he was about to say something more, he suddenly heard the sound of a sword being drawn behind him.

"Step aside."

The young man, holding his sword, spoke and unleashed the Yin Yi - Chizha Yijian.

Then, the gatekeeper felt something pierce his eardrums, travel all the way to the depths of his brain, like an iron rod turning all his thoughts into a mess.

The gatekeeper fell straight backward.

"Let's go, we're in a hurry."

Mitsurugi, pulling Akemi along, stepped over the fallen man's body, followed by the ravenous Inugami Milo, who lashed out with all four paws. Hattori Hanzo shook his head, ignoring the fallen man and following immediately.

Upon arriving at the castle tower, Mitsurugi became increasingly aware of the tower's grandeur, unlike the historical Edo castle tower which was only five stories high.

This castle tower in the world of the dead has twelve floors. It is made entirely of solid rock and anti-corrosion wood treated with pyrography. From the walls to the roof tiles, it is all black, like a dark mountain standing on the earth.

Upon entering the castle tower, one sees a large crowd carrying silk fabrics.

However, they didn't simply move the silk fabrics into the castle tower. Instead, under the direction of several senior retainers, they connected and hung the silk in a certain order, as if setting up some kind of celebration. This puzzled Mitsurugi, but the other retainers immediately breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Hattori Hanzo bring Chizuru to the castle tower.

"Lord Hattori, Prince Chizuru, the Shogun is waiting on the top floor. It should only take about fifteen minutes to complete the setup here. Please go over as soon as possible!" A retainer who was obviously familiar with Hattori Hanzo stepped forward and said quickly.

"I understand." Hattori Hanzo nodded vigorously.

"Your Highness Qianhe, and this Lord Yujian, please come with me."

With Hattori Hanzo leading the way, the journey was naturally smooth and unobstructed.

Yu Jian discovered that similar things were being done on every floor. People used silk cloth to connect different areas to each other. The brass hooks and steel rings that were deeply embedded in the walls or floors were very old. Although they were wiped very clean, you could still see some traces of time.

The silk fabrics connected to the hooks and rings at both ends are intertwined and twisted into thick strips, like blood vessels and muscles running between floors.

Yu Jian grew increasingly curious, and at the same time, he had some vague guesses in his mind.

The expression on his face as he looked at Akemi also became subtle.

As for the dog god Milo, this experienced dog probably noticed something was amiss. Even with its vast knowledge, it still couldn't close its mouth, its soft pink tongue sticking out as if it had forgotten to retract it.

Upon reaching the top floor of the castle tower, there were not many people, and not many silk fabrics were hanging. The only exceptions were two huge silk balls, each four or five meters in diameter, placed on either side, with a large amount of silk fabric piled below them.

On the high platform in the center, an old man knelt, holding a shrine in his hands. His expression was quite gentle, but he raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw Yujian pulling Mingmei in.

"My lord!" Hattori Hanzo bowed respectfully.

"There's no need for further formalities now," the old man waved his hand, no longer looking at his loyal subject.

He raised his eyes and looked at the two young men with a sliver of clarity despite their cloudiness.

"Chizuru, you know what you should do, right?"

“Father, I know.” Mingmei took two steps forward naturally.

“In the past, some people laughed at you for being a mute crane who couldn’t speak, a cripple whose throat had been stolen by a monster, but those were just the shallow views of foolish people.” The old man smiled with relief.

"Now, sing, my daughter. Let the world hear the song of the Crane Maiden."

Mingmei nodded and turned to face Yujian directly.

"Please lend me your courage." She took two steps closer and lowered her voice.

"Please, Little Bangs."

Yu Jian raised his eyebrows high, revealing a slightly teasing and mischievous smile.

"I will obey your orders."

Under the increasingly sharp gazes of the two old men, he directly grasped Mingmei's hand.

Perhaps drawing enough courage from this simple action, Akemi turned around and quickly walked up to the platform.

Then she began to sing.

At first, it was a very hoarse and unpleasant voice, which explains why some people call Chizuru "Dumb Crane".

But Akemi was different. She did not stop singing because of some obstacles. Instead, she tried her best to sing, as if she wanted to release the unwavering will and energy hidden deep in her heart through her singing.

She'd had enough of not being able to sing!

In an instant, something was broken.

The hoarse, parched voice seemed to be nourished by the earth, instantly becoming incredibly beautiful.

The melodious tune soared into the sky, like thousands of birds singing in unison, or like jade beads falling onto a plate, tinkling like rain.

Two enormous silk balls began to slowly rotate, with countless fine threads dancing and wrapping around Mingmei's body, transforming into a magnificent robe that covered the entire floor. Its design was similar to a twelve-layered kimono, but it appeared even lighter and more vibrant, like some kind of living creature that was constantly breathing.

The song could be heard on every floor, and people stopped what they were doing and silently and orderly left the castle tower.

Meanwhile, on the black ship that was constantly approaching from afar.

"Break through the third wall! Those little dwarfs can't even touch our magnificent airship!" The observer's voice came through the brass microphone to the bridge.

“Good!” Nishiki Aoi, who was wearing the 'shell' of the chief executive officer of the Black Ship, slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

She raised her hand and pointed to the castle tower that was so close at hand, her expression one of intense excitement, displaying exceptional acting skills.

"Listen up, everyone! Right there in that castle, there's an endless supply of silk and gold. Let's make a fortune!!!"

Even the undead with only simple consciousness began to cheer and shout. In their eyes, the ancient castle built by a group of backward primitive people could not possibly stop the attack of a powerful warship.

Riding on this momentum, Nishiki Aoi shouted the order to attack the city.

"Pull the boat over!"

For a time, the fighting spirit soared.

The observer's voice was heard again through the transmission tube.

"They've stood up!"

"What's standing up? Your little brother?" the boatswain joked rather crudely.

"The castle has stood up!!!"

"what?"

(besides)
(End of this chapter)