I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 1422

Qingdeng took the letter, waved his hand, and signaled the messenger to leave.

After the messenger left, he tore open the seal, took out the letter, spread it out, and read it quickly, skimming through it.

Immediately afterwards, his facial expression underwent a subtle change.

About 10 seconds later, as he put away the letter in his hand, he said with a smile:

"...Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news to tell you."

"The blockade of the Imperial Palace by the Allied Forces of Hui and Satsuma has been a complete success!"

“The people of Changzhou and the nobles of the Zunran faction were kept out.”

"The Emperor issued an edict, revealing to the world the wolfish ambitions of the Sovereign and Expulsion Faction, and issued a decree condemning the Tenchu Group as a rebellious army that was causing chaos in Yamato, demanding that all the feudal lords of the land join forces to attack them!"

After hearing Qingdeng's words, the atmosphere at the scene immediately brightened!

The group looked at each other, and all of them saw excitement on each other's faces.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense can understand how beneficial the Emperor's series of political declarations will be to their upcoming campaign to quell the rebellion!

Qingdeng raised his head and straightened his chest, continuing:

"We have achieved the great cause of destroying the Heavenly Punishment Group!"

How could we not be victorious?

"It won't be long before the rebels learn that the court they revere has already demoted them to rebels."

"At that time, their morale will definitely waver, and they will no longer have their current fighting spirit."

In other words, time is on our side!

"The longer it drags on, the more uneasy and anxious they will feel."

"It won't be long before they collapse without a fight!"

At this point, Qing Deng suddenly raised his voice.

"Listen up, everyone!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present knew that Qingdeng was about to give important instructions, so they all straightened their backs, looked at Qingdeng, and listened attentively.

"Next, we will spend five days assembling the supplies."

"Five days from now, we will march south to quell the enemy!"

Qing Deng said this with intonation.

Everyone present replied in unison:

"Yes!"

……

Kyoto, Takaji Residence——

Unable to enter the Imperial Palace, Sanjo Sanetomi and others were escorted by the Choshu Army to the Takatsukasa Residence, which was closer to the Imperial Palace, to discuss strategies.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

A handsome man in full armor walked briskly down the corridor, his footsteps making a loud thud.

Upon closer inspection—it was none other than Hisaka Genzui, who currently held real power in the Choshu Domain.

After the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Shimonoseki, Kusaka Genzui returned to Kyoto.

At this moment, the Takatsukasa residence was filled with Choshu soldiers who were either dejected, terrified, or indignant, like birds startled by the twang of a bow.

Suddenly, a burly man darted out from the side, rushed up to Kusaka Genrui, and grabbed him by both shoulders.

"Kusaka-kun, if this continues, we will..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kusaka Genrui rudely interrupted him:

"I understand! That's why I'm trying to figure something out!"

After saying that, he pushed the burly man aside and continued forward.

Before long, he arrived at the room where Sanjo Mimi and the others were.

"Sanjo-sama!"

He knelt on one knee, his face resolute.

"Please rest assured!"

"Although we have been outmaneuvered by the Huisa Alliance, we are not helpless!"

"Even if we are shattered to pieces, we will still attend and fight to the death!"

He had barely finished speaking when Sanjo Mimi hurriedly waved her hand and said:

"No, no, no! Wait!"

"To be an enemy of the Huisa Alliance would be to disobey the imperial decree!"

"We will become traitors and enemies of the court!"

Upon hearing this, Kusaka Genzui immediately became agitated:

"Lord Sanjo! That may be true, but as long as we defeat the Kaisatsu Alliance and reclaim the Imperial Palace, it will be them, not us, who become enemies of the court!"

"We will transform into heroes who defeat treacherous officials!"

*******

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Chapter 728 The Changzhou Army Retreats! [4500]

Hisaka Genzui's impassioned speech completely changed the atmosphere of the scene!

Sanjo Mimi remained silent.

He gritted his teeth, his cheekbones bulged, and his facial expression changed rapidly.

As for the other nobles and officials present, they all looked at each other with complicated and indescribable expressions.

Although they always "recite scriptures" on a daily basis, constantly talking about respecting the emperor and expelling foreigners, how great the emperor is, and how great the court is, they portray themselves as loyal ministers who are concerned about the country and its people.

But in reality, they were also very clear in their hearts that they had never taken the Emperor seriously from the beginning!

They treated the Emperor no differently than ordinary people, simply regarding him as a useful tool!

Unless someone has been brainwashed by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, who in their right mind would develop a strong sense of loyalty to a "stranger" who usually hides behind a curtain and rarely speaks?

The so-called "enemy of Korea" is a relative concept, not an absolute one.

In short—if we defeat the Kai-Satsuma alliance that is currently blocking the Imperial Palace and regain control of the Emperor, we can reverse the current predicament in one fell swoop!

Just like the Muromachi Shogunate hundreds of years ago!

The Northern Court, supported by the Muromachi Shogunate, defeated the Southern Court, established by Emperor Go-Daigo, thus ending the Nanboku-chō period and regaining control of the narrative.

Legally speaking, the Southern Dynasty was the legitimate regime, while the Northern Dynasty was a pseudo-regime.

As a result... due to military disadvantages, the Northern Dynasty conquered the Southern Dynasty.

With the fall of the Southern Court, the Ashikaga clan transformed from heinous enemies of the court into heroes who unified the country and reshaped its landscape.

As for the Northern Dynasty... this pseudo-regime has continued to this day.

Strictly speaking, all emperors from the Muromachi period onwards were illegitimate rulers, lacking any legitimacy whatsoever.

The legitimate emperor's bloodline is cut off, while the false emperor sits firmly on the throne... It's both comical and ironic.

What's even more ironic is that all the rulers after the Southern Court—from Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Tokugawa Ieyasu—knew that the current emperor in the Imperial Palace was a puppet emperor.

However, for their own benefit, they tacitly lied and tried their best to avoid the sensitive topic of "Which dynasty, the Southern or the Northern, is the legitimate one?"

When the Edo Shogunate was compiling its history, although they advocated that the Northern Court was the legitimate dynasty, they also knew that this theory was untenable. So they added a sinister phrase, "two dynasties coexisted," which meant that both the Northern and Southern Courts were legitimate.

If you have enough power, you can even replace the emperor, let alone the mere title of "enemy of Korea".

The winner takes all, the loser is condemned – an eternal truth.

However... although Kusaka Genzui's words were very beautiful and pleasing to the ear, Sanjo Mitsumi and the others were not mediocre people who were blinded by cleverness and wisdom, and they would not lose their composure because of his few words.

Someone shouted sternly:

"Kusaka-kun, you make it sound so easy!"

"Let me ask you, how can you guarantee that the Changzhou army can defeat the Huisa coalition?"

"Don't think I don't know, the total strength of the Huisa allied forces is a full 3000!"

"Currently, the Choshu Army stationed in Kyoto has only a mere 2000 men."

"With 2000 against 3000, how dare you claim 'certain victory'?"

The speaker's name was Nishiki Koji Ryūdō.

He was one of the core leaders of the Zunfang faction of nobles.

These words immediately drew echoes of agreement from the other nobles present who were of the "respectful and aggressive" faction.

"Yeah yeah!"

"The enemy has superior military strength and also holds the moral high ground in sending troops. How do you expect to win?"

"Kusaka-kun, do not act rashly! Reckless use of weapons could lead to unforeseen consequences!"