I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 1443

As he spoke, he slowly half-closed his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

When he opened his eyes again, a deep, strange light shone in them.

Under the light, his gaze turned "cold" and "still".

With such an expression and such a appearance, at first glance... he looks exactly like a high monk who has no desires or wants.

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Chapter 739 The Lawful Suppression of the Party and the Cooperation Between the Choshu Domain! [4400]

Kyoto, southern suburbs, the main camp of the Hui-Za alliance—

"My lord! The enemy has infiltrated the forest in the western suburbs and is using the dense undergrowth as cover to defend themselves step by step!"

"The dense bushes and the darkness of the night limit our visibility, making it difficult to locate the enemy and hindering our attack!"

"Moreover... the enemy seems to have received powerful external support!"

"According to intelligence relayed from the front lines, a young man wielding two katanas and a bald middle-aged man wielding a greatsword have suddenly appeared in the enemy ranks."

"These two are extremely powerful! Both possess the strength to fight ten thousand men!"

"With the help of these two, the enemy's strength has greatly increased!"

"We have launched multiple offensives, but so far we have not taken that grove of trees!"

After listening to his subordinate's report, Matsudaira Katamori frowned.

Also frowning was Saigo Kichinosuke, who was sitting next to him.

Matsudaira Yongho murmured:

"Foreign aid...who exactly are they, that they would come to Changzhou's aid at this time..."

Since the "August 18th Coup", the people of Changzhou have become rats that everyone hates.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that the long-running "respect for the emperor, opposition to the emperor, and support for the shogunate" struggle that took place in Kyoto has come to an end.

The pro-imperial faction has completely lost power! The pro-shogunate faction has risen!

Those "centrists" who wavered between the two sides are now busy professing their loyalty.

As for the original pro-revolutionary faction, they were also eager to distance themselves from Changzhou, fearing that they would have no connection with Changzhou whatsoever.

The saying "when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter" perfectly describes this situation.

Thinking back to before August 18th, how powerful the people of Changzhou were.

They not only seized control of the court, but also issued a forged edict, forcing the emperor to hold some ridiculous "Yamato Imperial Visit," and then took the opportunity to abduct the emperor to Choshu.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, the people of Changzhou went from being arrogant to being utterly terrified.

Surely no one could have imagined that the political situation in Kyoto would undergo such a dramatic change overnight.

In short, Matsudaira Katamori couldn't fathom what kind of people or forces would be so stubborn as to help Choshu at this time.

This action... is almost like the whole family seeking refuge with Akechi Mitsuhide after the "Honnoji Incident".

Matsudaira Katamori had barely finished speaking when Saigo Kinosuke let out a cold snort:

"Who cares who they are!"

"No matter what, what we should do remains unchanged!"

"We have an overwhelming numerical advantage!"

"As long as we keep attacking, we'll eventually wipe these insects out completely!"

Matsudaira Katamori listened and nodded slightly:

"Yes, that's true. Pass on my orders! All armies, intensify your offensive! You must..."

He hadn't finished speaking—

"My lord! My lord! My lord!"

An anxious shout suddenly came from afar.

An officer of the Aizu army stumbled into the main camp while shouting loudly.

Seeing this, Matsudaira Katamori immediately retorted:

"what happened?"

"My lord! Something terrible has happened! The palace has been attacked! The palace has been attacked!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere inside and outside the main camp changed dramatically!

Although Saigo Kichinosuke's expression changed, he was still able to sit calmly on the stool.

In contrast, Matsudaira Katamori... he stood up abruptly, his eyes wide open like copper bells.

"What did you say?! How many attackers are there? What's the situation?"

The officer stammered in reply:

"The current situation is unclear! All we know is that fierce fighting has broken out outside the Imperial Palace! The battle situation... is far from ideal! It is said that the current battle is one-sided!"

Matsudaira Katamori's face instantly turned ashen, his mind racing as he considered the following:

They deployed more than 200 guards outside the palace.

The fact that over 200 guards were engaged in such a fierce battle suggests that the size of the invading enemy must be quite astonishing!

Is it a special operations team from Changzhou?

Or... are other forces taking advantage of the situation?

Despite his mind being overflowing with questions, Matsudaira Katamori quickly made a decision:

"Saigo-kun, I'm leaving this place to you! I'm personally leading troops to your aid!"

Saigo Kinosuke seemed to have anticipated Matsudaira Katamori's proposal for a "personal military campaign," and did not react excessively, but merely calmly asked in return:

How many men are you taking with you?

Matsudaira Katamori asserted without hesitation:

"Half! I want to take half the men with me!"

The total strength of the Huisa coalition forces was 3000.

They took away half of their troops... that is, 1500 men!

Matsudaira Katamori's words immediately drew criticism from some of those present.

A general in the Satsuma army couldn't help but question:

"Lord Higo, you want to take half of the troops with you... How can this be! If you do, we'll only have 1500 men left to deal with the Choshu people!"

Before Matsudaira Katamori could even speak after this man finished speaking, Saigo Kinosuke preemptively refuted him:

"Now is not the time to talk about such things!"

His face was long and his expression was extremely gloomy.

"If we fail to protect the emperor, we will be branded as 'failing to protect him'!"

"The righteous cause we've worked so hard to gain will be completely destroyed!"

"At that time, what use would it be even if we turned the people of Changzhou to ashes!"

Saigo Kichinosuke held an unparalleled and highly respected position in the Satsuma army.

Since he had spoken personally, the officers of the Satsuma army present were naturally terrified and kept their eyes down, not daring to say another word.

"Lady Higo, you should set off immediately!"

Saigo Kinosuke turned to look at Matsudaira Katamori beside him and said, slowly and deliberately, "..."

"Please leave this place to me!"

Matsudaira Kakuho nodded vigorously:

"Okay! Please help me!"

……

Matsudaira Katamori led his personal guards and rode at full speed to the Imperial Palace.

The follow-up troops formed a long line, closely following behind.

Ignoring the horsepower, they sped along... Soon, the towering Sakai-machi gate came into Matsudaira Katamori's view.

At the same time, the strong smell of blood went straight into his nostrils.

As the distance closed further... Matsudaira Katamori was so shocked by the sight before him that his pupils shrank dramatically! He was speechless!

Outside the palace, corpses littered the ground!