I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Damn it! Why are you pushing?! Can't you see there are people here?!"

"Tsk, these country bumpkins are so noisy! It's one thing to be ugly, but they don't even know basic manners, they're just like monkeys!"

"That's exactly right! It's all these country bumpkins' fault; they've ruined the class of Kyoto!"

……

On one side, there was bloodshed and violence.

On one side, it was bustling with activity.

The Shinsengumi and the Zunjō faction fought a bloody battle at Ikedaya.

In contrast, Luoyang was peaceful and serene, without a trace of killing or bloodshed.

Such a stark contrast is truly aptly described as "like stepping into another world."

The annual "Yamahoko Jungo" is arguably one of the most anticipated festivals for the people of Kyoto—perhaps the most anticipated.

Lanterns illuminated the streets, making them as bright as day.

To facilitate the passage of the mountain boat, the center of the street has been cleared, and people have gathered on both sides of the street.

Looking up, everyone was smiling, their faces beaming with joy—everyone was fully enjoying this rare holiday.

Even though it was packed with people, and even turning around was difficult, nothing could dampen everyone's enthusiasm.

That surging heat dominated the air in Luoyang.

To say that "everyone in Kyoto is here" would be an exaggeration.

It would be accurate to say that "most of Kyoto's population is here."

As the climax of the Gion Festival, the "Yamahoko Parade" has such appeal.

As time passed and the scheduled start time drew near, people at the starting point craned their necks, eagerly watching the long line of mountain bikes lining up in the middle of the street.

To put it simply... Yamahoko is actually a uniquely designed float.

People designed various mountain boats with different shapes and sizes, each expressing different wishes.

For example, "Mantis Mountain" is named after the mantis-shaped sacred object on the roof of the vehicle. During the parade, the mantis sacred object of "Mantis Mountain" shakes its head and waves its pincers to convey to passersby the spirit of not being afraid of strong enemies and fighting bravely.

[Note: The term "御神体" can be understood as a deity statue.]

Another example is the "Shōshiyama" (占出山) ride. The shrine doll on the roof holds a fishing rod in its right hand and a sweetfish in its left, mimicking the posture of an ancient Japanese shrine empress fishing for sweetfish and divining about war. The ride itself is adorned with depictions of three Japanese landscapes, making it captivating.

Long sword pots, Hangu pots, Taizi Mountain pots, Baochang Mountain pots... a wide variety of pots, totaling more than thirty, are dazzling to behold.

According to custom, the Yamahoko leading the procession must be the Nagatohoko.

The so-called "long sword hoko" is, as the name suggests, a mountain hoko with a long sword stuck in the roof of the vehicle.

It is not only the leading mountain hoko, but also the most exquisitely shaped and historically significant mountain hoko.

Finally, amidst everyone's anticipation... the time to begin the procession has arrived!

At this moment, people's anticipation reached its peak, and the heat in the air suddenly increased.

Under the watchful eyes of many expectant people, the child on the long sword slowly stood up and raised the sword in his hand.

The child can be understood as a messenger of the gods.

The children on the Gion Festival are there to purify the procession route so that the Yamahoko (mountain boat) can reach the realm of the gods.

Before the parade, strong men carried the young children up the mountain.

Except for the child of the long sword pottery boat, which is played by a 10-year-old boy, the children of the other mountain pottery boats are all puppets.

The child on the long sword has an important mission.

He was about to sever the shimenawa rope on the yamaboko with his sword, symbolizing "opening the barrier" so that the yamaboko could reach the realm of the gods.

Dressed in finery and looking like a porcelain doll, the child solemnly raised the knife in his hand and slashed it down—the sash snapped instantly.

Thus, the "Yamahoko Patrol" officially begins!

"Brothers! Show your courage!"

The long sword blade hilt ripped out a powerful shout.

Ontotori – the commander in the Yamahoko (mountain fire) caravan. During the parade, Ontotori stood side by side on the front of the caravan, waving a folding fan and directing the Yamahoko forward.

As soon as Yin Tou finished speaking, the people gathered around the long sword pot cheered and then spread their arms to push the mountain pot together.

Pullers – as the name suggests, these are the people responsible for pulling the mountain boats. Each mountain boat requires 40-50 pullers to pull and tow it.

Soon, the long sword seemed to come alive, swaying slightly before slowly moving forward.

Immediately afterwards, the other mountain guns behind also started moving, following the long knife gun.

How could such a grand celebration be complete without music?

Accompanied by the shouts of the callers and the drummers, rhythmic music rang out—the miscellaneous musicians had begun to play.

The Zashi-bang (霊子方) is typically composed of 8 gong players, 8 flute players, and 2 taiko drummers, and usually plays more than 30 pieces of music during the parade.

With a division of labor and cooperation among the various roles—including those in charge of directing, pulling, steering, and playing music—these individual tasks transform these mountain scooters into a "living painting."

Whenever the wind blows, sparks fall from the candlelight and fly into the air, giving the sound of the taiko a dreamlike quality.

When these mountain scooters finally started moving, and when the shouts and drumbeats filled the air, it was difficult to describe the lively and jubilant atmosphere in words.

Before long, all thirty-odd cars drove onto the street and formed a long, impressive queue.

The mountain horn moves slowly, and could even be described as clumsy.

Before long, the convoy successfully reached the first bend in the road.

Yin Tou shouted:

"Turn! Turn!"

The drivers slowed down, and the drivers rushed forward to prepare for the mountain car to turn.

The "car crew" refers to the personnel in a convoy of yako (mountain boat) vehicles who adjust the direction of the wheels. When a yako turns, the crew will lay bamboo planks near the wheels and sprinkle water on them to facilitate the turning.

The drivers were busy running around, and the patrol site was briefly bustling with activity.

Because they were turning a corner, the convoy inevitably slowed down and almost came to a stop.

But at that moment... a sudden change occurred!

Suddenly, dozens of solemn-looking samurai emerged from the crowd on the street.

With grim faces and tightly shut mouths, they forcefully pushed aside the crowd in front of them, their actions rough and reckless, drawing a chorus of complaints.

Because the crowd's attention was focused on the procession, the samurai's unusual behavior did not immediately attract widespread attention.

After pushing through the crowd, these samurai pounced on the mountain chariots in the center of the street like hungry wolves!

The first to be hit was the long sword at the very front of the convoy.

Upon seeing this, the sound-attracting device on the long scalpel immediately rebuked:

"Hey! Who are you people?! What do you want?! You are extremely rude! How dare you trespass on the mountain?!"

Ignoring the warning, the samurai took porcelain bottles from their waists and threw them onto the mountain.

Click, click, click, click, click!

As the porcelain bottle shattered, the transparent liquid inside splashed out in all directions.

In an instant, chaos ensued.

"Hey! You bastards! What do you want?!"

"What on earth is this thing?"

"It's oil! It's kerosene!"

Upon hearing the word "oil," the voices of the long sword blade—the initial sounds of "take," "drag," and "cart"—instantly panicked, their faces turning deathly pale, and chaos erupted.

Similar scenes occurred on other vehicles.

Groups of samurai rushed toward the carts, clearly indicating that they had come prepared.

There were as many as eight or nine chariots that were attacked, mainly concentrated at the front of the queue where there were the most people.

Roughly speaking, there were more than a hundred samurai who suddenly attacked the convoy!

As we all know, in crowded places, joy, sadness, anger, fear, and any other emotion will spread rapidly.

Many people standing on the edge of the street corner couldn't see the current state of the convoy at all, let alone know what was happening. They could only hear the increasingly noisy and chaotic commotion, as well as the gradually intensifying shouts, which made them panic and become frightened.

When people saw the group of warriors throwing out oil, many guessed what they were planning to do.

Sure enough... after throwing oil into the mountain pot, they took out tinderboxes from their pockets...

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

"Run! Run!"

"These lunatics are planning to set fire!"

The phrase "changing in an instant" is the most fitting description of the current situation.

From the moment this group of unidentified samurai suddenly appeared until now, less than a minute has passed.

Just as everyone present was terrified by the group of people who wanted to set the fire, a sharp arrow pierced through the air and struck one of the men holding a tinderbox in the chest!

Before the man could even let out a scream, his eyes widened and bulged out, and he died instantly.

This arrow is just the beginning.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

One arrow after another shot out from afar, accurately hitting the vital points of those madmen.

When everyone looked in the direction the arrow had come from, they were surprised to see a young samurai wearing a light blue haori.

He held a bow and arrow in his hand, and rode a large, fat man carrying a long spear.

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