I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The standard configuration is 6 sedan chair carriers: 4 carry the sedan chair, 1 pulls the rope tied to the front bar, and 1 pushes the rear bar from behind.

The sedan chair bearers would be replaced with a new batch at each post station.

The person inside the sedan chair—the messenger—would never be replaced; they would be jostled all the way to the destination.

On the journey, the sedan chair bearers would not care about the feelings of the people in the sedan chairs and would run and hurry as fast as they could.

Because this method of traveling was so inhumane, the shogunate and feudal states would only dispatch fast palanquins in urgent emergencies where every second counted.

Even modern cars can cause dizziness and nausea when driven fast or in a hurry, let alone the unstable palanquins of the Edo period.

The journey was long and the road conditions were complex, and the sedan chair had to maintain a rapid pace at all times... The shocks and bumps experienced by the people inside the sedan chair were extraordinary.

Therefore, in order to alleviate the pain and save their lives, the messengers riding in sedan chairs had to wear a set of clothes called "early morning attire" (clothing specially for urgent journeys), with a headband tied around their foreheads, their bodies tightly wrapped in a whole bolt of white cloth (about 27 feet long and 9 inches wide), their hands firmly gripping the ropes hanging down from the top of the sedan chair to stabilize their bodies and reduce the violent shaking, and their mouths tightly biting down on a handkerchief to avoid accidentally biting off their tongues.

However, even after going to such lengths, it is still common to vomit stomach acid, and it is not uncommon for the body to be shaken so violently that the internal organs are almost ruptured, and all the internal organs are almost shaken out of the throat.

For example—at this very moment, the man inside the sedan chair is already nearing his limit.

"Ugh...! Ugh...! Ugh, vomit, vomit, vomit!!!"

Along the way, the six sedan chair bearers had long been accustomed to the sounds of vomiting from the person inside the sedan chair.

However, this time the sound of vomiting was truly unusual.

Loud and sustained... as if he were vomiting out all his blood, bodily fluids, and internal organs at once...

The sedan chair carriers stopped in unison.

"Young man, are you alright?"

The sedan bearer closest to the sedan door rushed forward and pushed open the door.

The moment the sedan door opened, a nauseating stench erupted out.

The sedan chair carriers who pushed open the door were nearly fainted from the fumes.

He took several steps back, moving away from the sedan chair, and shook his head violently a few times before he could barely stay awake.

The other sedan bearers held their breath, leaned forward, and looked into the sedan... In an instant, terror dominated their expressions.

It wasn't because the smell was too foul, but because... the scene inside the sedan chair was simply too horrific...

Using the word "mess" to describe it seems too mild and inappropriate.

Inside the sedan chair, the floor was covered with a thick layer of vomit and excrement.

Undigested food, saliva, gastric juice, bile, urine... layer upon layer, one upon another, stacked upon stack... The smell and visual impact are both daunting.

As for the messenger who was bound hand and foot and firmly secured inside the sedan chair... to be fair, judging from his appearance, he no longer looked like a living being.

Even a person who has been dead for only two days might look healthier than him.

His eyes were bloodshot.

Blood was streaming from both nostrils, flowing continuously in a steady stream...

This man, who looked as if he might die at any moment, glanced at the sedan bearers with his lifeless eyes and said weakly:

"What are you doing...? Why did you stop...? Aren't you going to keep going...?"

"Now... is not... the time to rest..."

“Every moment we rest… countless innocent people are brutally slaughtered…!”

"We must...as soon as possible inform the pacification commissioner and Lord Higo of the news of the rebellion...the news of the uprising in Ise...!"

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

The Palu seal's eyes were bloodshot, and it exuded a dangerous aura. It seemed to have little motivation to work; its stress levels were about to explode! It was so stressed that it couldn't get out of bed! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

P.S.: Finally, it's time to start my forte: war stories! This is Leopard's debut novel, a war story! My passion for writing is burning!

Chapter 629 The rampaging rebel army and the Shinsengumi's new formation: the "Mandarin Duck Formation"! [4100]

The sedan bearers looked at each other, their eyes filled with hesitation.

They certainly wanted to fulfill their duty and deliver the messenger to the next station as quickly as possible.

Once they arrived at the next post station, they would hand over the smelly sedan chair to another group of sedan chair carriers, and their task would be complete.

After that, it was no longer their concern.

But... they didn't want to just watch this young man die in this pile of vomit... it would make them look like they were committing murder.

Seeing that the sedan bearers had not moved for a long time, the messenger frowned and raised his voice:

"What are you all standing there for...?! Hurry up and carry the sedan chair...?!"

"Such a large-scale uprising... the casualties... are extremely high...!"

"The sooner we send news of the rebellion to Kyoto, the sooner the pacification commissioner and Lady Higo can make arrangements to stop the rebels' advance!"

"And then more quickly...launch a counterattack...suppress the rebellion...restore peace to the capital region..."

"Now...time is...the opportunity...!"

"If we delay the battle...neither I...nor any of you...can bear this responsibility...!"

After hearing the messenger's words—especially the phrase "take responsibility"—the sedan chair carriers finally dared not hesitate any longer.

They closed the sedan chair doors and returned to their respective places.

Before the sedan chair was carried, one of the sedan chair bearers said to the messenger in a worried tone:

"Young man, just bear with it a little longer! We've already reached Ise, and we're not far from Kyoto!"

The messenger twitched the corners of his mouth a few times, revealing a fearless smile:

"Don't worry... this level of turbulence... won't kill me... let's go!"

The sedan bearers exchanged glances and nodded to each other before setting off in unison.

The wondrous scene of "six people pulling a sedan chair, swift as a galloping horse" has reappeared.

The sounds of running and vomiting carried far, far away.

……

……

Kyoto, Shima, Hiroto Village——

It was late at night, the sky was shrouded in darkness, and the clouds drifted slowly, making the sky almost entirely a deep, dark night.

All around was quiet, except for the occasional chirping of insects; there were no other sounds in the countryside.

Although it was a sunny day without rain, thick, ominous dark clouds lingered in the southwest sky.

The moon gradually dimmed, hanging in the dark clouds above the distant peaks as if it were about to disappear.

"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!"

Aso Shunichiro—the largest landowner and village chief of Hiroto Village—lay naked in his bedding, immersed in a sweet dream, his nose emitting loud, rhythmic snores.

He held a beautiful, equally naked woman nestled in his arms.

This is Aso Shunichiro's new concubine, named A-An. She is slender, fair-skinned, and beautiful, and is only 18 years old this year.

For wealthy landowners like Aso Shunichiro, having several, or even a dozen, wives was commonplace.

A peaceful night, villagers sleeping soundly... a scene of tranquility as always.

However... suddenly, a strange sound entered Aso Shunichiro's ears.

Aso Shunichiro's brow twitched slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the noise grew louder and louder, and the trembling of his eyebrows also increased.

Finally, he slowly opened his eyes, a hint of irritation flashing across his brow.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and muttered irritably in a low voice:

"It's so noisy...! What's going on?!"

As he spoke, he sat up straight and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came—out the window not far away.

He hadn't looked out the window when his eyes suddenly widened, and the lingering sleepiness in his mind vanished instantly.

"Master...it's so noisy...what's going on outside...?"

Ah An was also awakened by the noise.

Her subsequent actions were almost identical to those of Shuntaro Aso.

She rubbed her eyes, complained, and looked out the window... Then, just like Aso Shuntaro, she opened her mouth slightly, her eyes widened like copper bells, and her pretty face was filled with astonishment.

All I could see outside the window was a sea of ​​red, with a bewitching orange-red light illuminating half the sky.

At the same time, Aso Shuntaro and A-An gradually heard the true nature of the noisy sounds that had woken them up.

Those sounds... were actually the sounds of flames burning, the sounds of buildings being destroyed, and a continuous stream of cries, shouts, wails, pleas for mercy, roars, and... laughter.

Without thinking twice, Aso Shuntaro grabbed the clothes from the bedside, put them on haphazardly, and dashed out of the room, running towards the outside.

The moment he pushed open the gate, a wave of scorching heat and a roaring sound rushed towards Aso Shuntaro.

"What……?"

Aso Shuntaro stared blankly at the scene before him.

The raging flames filled his vision.

The hot wind summoned by the flames rolled around.

The trees around the village were rustling.

The merciless fire swallowed up house after house.

The flames spewed out large amounts of black smoke, which spread into the boundless darkness of the night.

Under the bright orange light, two distinct groups of people appeared.