I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Please rest assured, my lords!"

"Admittedly, the Huisa coalition forces have a numerical advantage."

"but!"

At this point, he suddenly changed the subject and raised his voice.

"Their total strength is only 1000 more than ours!"

"As long as we show the courage to face death and demonstrate the 'Changzhou spirit' of the men of Changzhou, we will surely win a great victory!"

Ironically, his words only provoked an overreaction from Sanjo Mimi and the others.

Jin Xiaolu Ryder frowned, and snorted coldly indignantly:

“Spirit, ‘Chōshū Soul’... Here we go again! It’s that same old rhetoric!”

As he spoke, he pounded the floor with an excited expression, making terrifying "bang," "bang," "bang" sounds.

"You said the same thing to us not long ago!"

"What are you talking about, 'showing spirit' and 'demonstrating the spirit of Changzhou'?"

“You keep saying that as long as we show the fearless determination to die, the mere Western barbarians are no match for us.”

"But what was the result?"

"The Battle of Xiaguan ended in a crushing defeat! You were utterly defeated by the Western barbarians!"

"The Western barbarians who attacked Xiaguan were only from the United States and France. England, Russia, and other countries hadn't even joined the war yet, and they had already defeated you so badly you couldn't even find your way back!"

"How can we trust you with this kind of performance?"

Upon hearing this, Kusaka Genrui froze on the spot, as if petrified.

Upon closer inspection, a bead of cold sweat the size of a bean seeped out and slid down his forehead.

At the same time, the soldiers of Changzhou, both inside and outside the room, lowered their heads, their faces showing shame, their eyes downcast and their minds blank...

The atmosphere at the scene became incredibly heavy.

No one spoke; only heavy, rapid breathing could be heard.

As the saying goes, "A lie won't hurt you, but the truth is the sharpest knife."

Every word that Ryder Nishikikoji just said was an undeniable truth.

Before the Shimonoseki War began, the Choshu radicals, led by Kusaka Genzui, patted their chests and assured Sanjo Sanemitsu and others: After this battle, the Western barbarians will no longer dare to underestimate the Divine Kingdom!

Unexpectedly... the louder their boasting, the more devastating the slap in the face they would receive afterwards!

To put it bluntly, Sanjo Minami and the others are utterly disappointed with Choshu!

Ryūki Nishiki's words left Kūsaka Genzui speechless.

Even if he wanted to argue, he wouldn't have a point to make...

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the room:

"Kusaka-sama! Kusaka-sama!"

Kusaka Genrui frowned and looked in the direction of the sound—a short, unremarkable young man was hurrying toward him.

This man's name is Inoue Monta. Several years ago, he was secretly sent by Choshu to study in England because of his intelligence, and he studied at the University of London.

After the outbreak of the Shimonoseki War, he and Ito Hirobumi, a samurai from the Choshu Domain who had also been sent to study in England, rushed back to Japan to conduct peace negotiations.

Genzui Kusaka greatly admired Inoue Monta's talent.

But... Inoue Monta's recent performance has greatly disappointed him.

Before studying in England, Inoue Monta was a staunch radical.

But after returning to China, he changed completely.

He no longer advocated for repelling foreign invaders, but instead strongly advocated for opening the country!

As for Ito Hirobumi, who returned to Japan with him, he also stopped supporting the radical Zunpu movement, saying that "Western countries are very powerful and we cannot be enemies with them."

Genzui Hisaka felt utterly disgusted by the spineless behavior of Inoue Monta and Ito Hirobumi!

If it weren't for valuing their talents, he would have really wanted to banish them from Changzhou!

However, despite his dislike for them, Kusaka Genzui had to give them extremely high praise for their talents, even if he held prejudices against them.

The fact that the usually composed Inoue Monta rushed here with such an anxious expression must mean that something major has happened.

"Inoue-kun, what is it?"

Inoue Wenda darted to Kusaka Genrui's side, bent down, and whispered something in his ear.

Kusaka Genrui listened intently, and within a few seconds, his expression changed several times.

After Inoue finished speaking, stood up straight, and moved to the side, Kusaka Genzui clenched his fists, staring intently at the floor in front of his knees, as if deep in thought.

Before he could finish, he raised his head and looked excitedly at the three women in front of him, including Sanjo Mimi.

"My lords, things have taken a turn for the better!"

"Our allies have appeared in the Yamato region!"

……

……

August 18, 1863 (the third year of Bungu), evening—

Kyoto, Imperial Palace, Sakai-cho Imperial Gate—

"Gah—! Gah—! Gah—! Gah—!"

Crows cawed... Crows from who-knows-where swept across the sky above the Imperial Palace, leaving a trail of black shadows.

The "caw caw" sound drifted lightly into the distance.

The sun, setting towards the western horizon, dyed the dense clouds in the sky a vibrant orange-red.

The dim glow of the sunset pierced through the gaps in the treetops, slanting into the streets and alleys, and a cool sensation gradually permeated the air.

On the streets outside the Sakai-machi gate, which are neither too wide nor too narrow, the armies of the two sides have been locked in a stalemate for a whole day.

The allied forces of Huizha held their position firmly.

The Changzhou army was eyeing them covetously.

The soldiers on both sides were waiting for their respective supreme commanders to issue new instructions.

During this period, the soldiers of the Allied Forces of Kosatsu and Satsuma—mainly junior and middle-ranking officers—repeatedly advised Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kichinosuke: launch an immediate attack! Destroy the Choshu army!

The Emperor has issued an imperial edict, revealing the wolfish ambitions of the pro-imperial faction.

With superior troop strength and the righteous cause of the offensive... if we don't fight a quick battle, when will we ever get another chance?

Even if they immediately send troops to launch a surprise attack, no one else can say anything.

Continuing this stalemate and staring at each other in silence with the people of Changzhou will only be a waste of time.

Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kichinosuke both rejected this suggestion made by their subordinates.

Fighting within the city limits of Kyoto is not what they desire.

Firstly, fighting in cramped streets where it's difficult to move an inch makes it hard to utilize the advantage in troop strength.

If things go wrong, it could easily escalate into a bloody war where both sides wear each other down.

Secondly, using Kyoto's city as a battlefield would bring profound disaster to the people of Kyoto.

Both sides in the battle were equipped with powerful guns and cannons.

Leaving aside bullets, artillery shells pose a much greater threat.

A single cannonball fired could easily destroy a longhouse!

Damaging a house is not a big deal, the worst thing is a fire!

In short, if war breaks out in Kyoto, the consequences will be unimaginable; most of Kyoto may be destroyed!

Even if they ultimately defeat Choshu, they will lose the hearts and minds of the people of Kyoto.

Changzhou might even use this to create public opinion, denouncing the Hui-Sa alliance as being like Dong Zhuo, a righteous army in name only, but in reality traitors who destroyed the capital.

What was originally a promising situation has now been shrouded in gloom.

Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kichinosuke would never agree to such a foolish strategy of "killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of their own".

In any case, they have firmly controlled the Imperial Palace, and the initiative in the war is in their hands.

We can't fight in urban areas; we have to fight in the open field!

They planned to lead their troops to catch up with Choshu after he was forced to withdraw from Kyoto due to the situation, and then fight him to the death in the open!

The commanders of the two camps each harbored their own ulterior motives.

Time passed... The sky grew darker and darker, and the twilight that enveloped the town deepened.

All was silent... except for the occasional cawing of crows.

Suddenly, a subtle movement appeared in the Changzhou army formation.

Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kinosuke looked up and saw a young man running towards the Choshu army commander in charge of facilitating the meeting.

The young man said something to the commander.

Because of the distance, Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kinosuke did not hear clearly.

However, they clearly saw the commander's expression change drastically.

"what?!"

He glared at the young man, his eyes seeming to spit fire.

"W-Is this really Lord Kusaka's order?"

The young man nodded vigorously:

"Yes! This is Lord Kusaka's order!"

"..."