The Ancestral Legacy Begins in the Wild West

Chapter 123 The One-Eyed Dragon: The Shattered City Walls of Zhengjing

Zhang Chang'an flicked his wrist, pulling the spearhead from Uesugi Kenshin's corpse. Blood flowed down the slightly bent shaft, dripping onto the shattered stone slab.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the chaotic battlefield ahead and landing on Ninomaru, the main hall of Nijo Castle.

The inner city gates were wide open, and the surrounding area was densely packed with warriors, their long spears and muskets forming a forest, the barrels of the muskets gleaming coldly in the morning light.

Right above the city gate tower, a familiar figure was standing there.

Takeda Shingen.

His kimono was fluttering in the wind, and the rifle in his hand had just been loaded, with a faint wisp of smoke rising from the barrel.

"Ouch—" Saito Kazuya ripped the bullet out of his arm and tore off a corner of his clothes to bandage it tightly.

It was obvious that the shot that wounded him was fired by Takeda Shingen.

Zhang Chang'an gritted his teeth, but didn't have time to look at him much.

Because closer, in front of that heavy Tang gate, another figure was standing quietly.

Zhang Chang'an squinted, his eagle-eye vision quickly zooming in.

The man was dressed in magnificent armor, with wide, pouch-shaped sleeves characteristic of a great master's robes. The gold ornaments on his armor glittered in the moonlight. He carried two katana, one long and one short, at his waist, his posture casual yet exuding a murderous aura.

When Zhang Chang'an saw the pair of swords, he was startled, but fortunately, his face was more striking than the swords.

This person's silver mask covered not only half their face but also one eye socket, leaving only an empty eye socket. It looked exceptionally eerie. The remaining eye, sharp as a hawk's, was staring directly at Zhang Chang'an.

One-eyed?

Zhang Chang'an's pupils contracted slightly. Above the man's head, a large flag fluttered in the wind, the golden bamboo and sparrow patterns on the flag clearly visible.

"This is the crest of the Sendai Date family, the one-eyed dragon—" Saito Hajime murmured softly.

Date Masamune, another daimyo of the same era as Takeda and Uesugi, was most notable for having one eye gouged out by himself after it died from a childhood illness.

"So there are other Awakened Ones after all—" Zhang Chang'an thought to himself as he saw the figure in the distance slightly raise his chin and glare at him defiantly from a distance of a hundred feet.

Takeda Shingen had already turned and disappeared into the shadows of the arrow tower. It was unclear whether he had entered the inner city or gone to one of the other gates.

Meanwhile, Date Masamune has already begun his activities.

While Zhang Chang'an and his men were dealing with Uesugi Kenshin, Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo were leading a dozen soldiers to attack, heading straight for the Ninomaru Castle gate.

Date Masamune was drawing his sword at them. The strike was incredibly fast. In a flash, the blade was pulled back, and before it could be fully extended, three shogunate foot soldiers who had rushed too close were instantly cut down.

The next moment, after the serious attack was launched, the long katana in his hand collided instantly with the long katana of Hijikata Kenzo.

"clang!"

The Demon Vice-Commander's fighting style was always fierce, but in front of him, he was suppressed and had to take a half step back.

"Another reckless brute who can't distinguish friend from foe—" Zhang Chang'an gritted his teeth, raised his spear and was about to charge forward when he saw Chief Kotetsu draw his sword and charge forward as well.

Meanwhile, Date drew another sword and attacked with both hands, simultaneously facing Hijikata Toshizo and Chief Kondo.

"Clang clang—" Although this one-eyed Masamune was not the famous dual-wielding swordsman Zhang Chang'an had imagined, his swordsmanship was equally superb.

Chief Kondo's sword was even more powerful than Hijikata's. After blocking Hijikata's attack, he drew both swords at once, pressing down on Chief Kondo's sword, causing it to graz his armor and leave only a shallow mark on the golden bamboo and tiger stripes.

However, the strong members of the Shinsengumi in the crowd ahead were not just the two of them.

Okita Souji blocked many foot soldiers for the two from the outside. At this time, with a lot of people falling around, there was a little opening. He suddenly rushed out and stomped his foot with a nameless triple thrust, heading straight for Date's one-eyed man.

Who knew that this daimyo had an eye ailment, but his hands were quick. He suddenly took a step back and swiftly used his twin swords to clamp down on Okita's sword.

"Crack—" His twin swords clashed with Okita's Kaga Kiyomitsu, but in the end, Okita was too small and he was able to stop him.

"Not bad swordsmanship, young man, but you're too weak!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and slashed twice at the foot soldiers who had been clearing away the approaching foot soldiers and then rushed back, where Chief Kondo and Hijikata were talking to Okita.

After he swept the two men away once more, he suddenly thrust his long sword forward, the tip touching the ground, and then sharply flicked it towards Okita's ankle.

Fortunately, Okita Souji was agile and had the support of mechanical lungs, allowing him to maintain his strength. He turned around and stepped on the long sword.

"Ah!" A battle cry erupted once more on the battlefield. As Kondo and Hijikata charged forward again, Okita was scooped into the air and sent flying high backward. He flipped in mid-air, staggered a few steps after landing, and stopped right next to Zhang Chang'an.

Zhang Chang'an had already rushed forward a long way and would be able to enter the battlefield in just a few steps.

At that moment, Okita stopped him and Saito Hajime.

"Mr. Zhang."

His voice was slightly breathless, and the mechanical lungs were running at a slightly faster pace, but his eyes remained calm.

"The chief said to leave this to them; we'll break in first."

Zhang Chang'an was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the battlefield in the distance.

Kondo Isami was locked in combat with Date, Kotetsu clashing with his longsword, sparks flying. Meanwhile, Hijikata Toshizo continued to lead his men to clear out the foot soldiers who tried to approach.

Before he could even reply, Saito Hajime's left arm was already unable to lift, but his right hand, gripping the sword, remained perfectly still. He still hoisted the sword back onto his shoulder, tip pointing forward, assuming the starting stance of a fang-tsubo (a type of sword).

"Go ahead, Mr. Zhang. You two, charge in first."

Zhang Chang'an glanced at him, then looked at Okita, and then said nothing more, drawing the long sword from behind him.

"Click."

He was about to go inside, and the gun in his hand was too long, so he cut off a section beforehand. Then he said, "Let's go!"

Okita once again unleashed his Nameless Thrust, darting out and stabbing a soldier who was about to fire a hidden shot to death. Saito Hajime, however, was even faster. His figure shot out like an arrow, heading straight for the one-eyed figure.

The room was completely silent; this was Zhang Chang'an's first thought upon entering.

The shouts of battle, the sounds of gunfire, and the clash of swords outside seemed to be shut out by an invisible barrier the moment one stepped through this door.

Having spent too much time in a noisy environment, Zhang Chang'an felt that it was much quieter after entering the dilapidated house, even though the soundproofing was terrible.

But it is precisely because the sound field is different.

"Squeak—crunch—"

The sound coming from beneath my feet was exceptionally jarring, sharp and drawn-out, like the cry of a nightingale, or somewhat like the friction of metal, sending chills down my spine.

This is called Nightingale Flooring. It was specially built by the Shogunate to prevent assassins from attacking at night. Loose metal clips were installed under the wooden planks, so stepping on them would naturally produce this indisputable sound.

Looking ahead, there is a long corridor, and the dark wooden planks underfoot have been worn smooth and shiny by countless feet.

Above is a ceiling with flat, paneled panels, and every few steps there are carved beams inlaid with gold ornaments. On both sides are paper-covered lattice doors, painted with ink-wash tigers and pine and bamboo, in the style of the Kano school, lifelike.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a general's palace.

At the far end of the corridor, a more open space can be vaguely seen, most likely the foyer of the large hall.

Nijo Castle has very little indoor space; the things the shogunate hid are just inside, maybe a little deeper.

The path leading there was blocked by a series of latticed gates. Behind each gate, figures moved about.

Just as Zhang Chang'an had feared.

They had only been inside a short while when they suddenly heard a familiar sound: "Bang!"

The flames tore apart the surrounding paper doors.