I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

To hunt down these lone warriors, the farmers even formed professional teams.

Some people were responsible for gathering intelligence, some for scouting locations, some for manufacturing weapons, some for launching attacks, and some for selling stolen goods.

Upon hearing of a battle, they would immediately rush to the vicinity of the battlefield, lie in ambush, and hunt down any fleeing or isolated warriors.

Akechi Mitsuhide, who assassinated his lord Oda Nobunaga and created the idiom "three days to rule the country," died under the bamboo spears of peasants.

In 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide engaged in a decisive battle with Toyotomi Hideyoshi at Tennozan, and was defeated and retreated in disarray.

While passing through Ogurisu Village in Yamashina, he was killed by local farmers with bamboo spears, and his head was cut off and sent to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's camp as a reward.

The fact that such a hero met such a ridiculous and tragic end is a prime example of dark humor.

Such a death is strikingly similar to that of Li Zicheng, who died at Jiugong Mountain.

Hunting warriors... they look cold, but that doesn't mean the farmers are too cruel.

Compared to the evils committed by the warriors, who were the ruling class, the peasants' actions were utterly insignificant.

During the Warring States period, it was not uncommon for taxes to be reduced to "nine percent for the public and one percent for the people"... meaning that the warriors and lords raised taxes to 90%, forcibly seizing 90% of the people's income.

As for acts such as abducting women, killing innocent people to claim credit, and burning down farmers' houses for lighting, these were common occurrences.

Farmers are the most cunning; they appear honest but are the most prone to lying. They are the most stingy and cunning, yet it was the tyrannical and ruthless warriors who drove them to this state.

Shimada Kai never expected that even today, there would still be "fallen warrior hunters," and that they would happen to run into them...

Presumably, the farmers in the vicinity learned that Hachioji was at war, so they picked up this long-abandoned "traditional skill" and mobilized their people early on to lie in wait here, ready to make a fortune.

"'Falling Warrior Hunt'...?!"

As soon as Shimada Kai finished speaking, Elodie muttered something and her face darkened.

Although she was unfamiliar with Japanese history, she had heard of this traditional skill of Japanese farmers.

At this moment, both Elodie and Shimada Kai wore complex and indescribable expressions.

It's no wonder they acted that way.

This is the Kanto region.

In other words, all of these people were farmers from Northeast China.

What were they fighting for, united with a thousand others in a bloody battle against the Eight Princes for five days and nights?

This was to stop the advance of the Faki coalition!

This was to buy time for the garrison in Edo to deploy their defenses!

This was to buy time for the people of Kanto to evacuate!

They fought valiantly, suffering countless deaths and injuries, only to be hunted down by the farmers of Northeast China in the end…

The complexity of their feelings is truly difficult to describe with specific words.

At this moment, a thin, sunken-cheeked young farmer stepped forward carrying a dagger—he was probably the leader of the group—licked his lips, and excitedly shouted:

"Kill those two men! Leave the woman alive! Don't hurt her!"

Having said that, he stared greedily at Yamato no Kami Yasusada in Elodie's hand and Izumi no Kami Kanesada at Hijikata Toshizo's waist.

Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that these two knives are no ordinary items.

Besides the two knives, the other thing that was repeatedly examined was Elodie herself.

A series of licking gazes roamed over Elodie's entire body.

Although Elodie is a Westerner and her appearance does not conform to the current Japanese aesthetic, what can you do when she is a woman?

In the lower classes, women are an extremely important resource.

Putting aside her appearance, Elodie's fair skin alone was enough to make these farmers drool.

In ancient Japan, fair skin was considered beautiful for women, and the degree of whiteness of a woman's skin was one of the important standards for judging her appearance.

It was remarkable that they didn't immediately pounce on such a woman with skin as white as snow when she stood before them.

Their undisguised lustful gazes made Elodie, who was used to "talking and laughing with learned scholars and having no commoners among her," very uncomfortable, and she got goosebumps all over her body.

Seeing that these guys were about to attack, Elodie immediately got into a fighting stance, raised her sword to the middle, and instantly entered combat mode.

However, just as she raised the knife, Shimada Kai's voice came from beside her:

"Chief, wait a minute."

Although Shimada Kai came from a samurai family, he was not from a prominent family. He had endured many hardships and often clashed with the lower classes of society. Therefore, he understood and sympathized with the suffering of farmers.

It was purely the harsh living conditions that forced them to become like this.

Therefore, he did not show contempt or hatred towards this group of farmers who were clearly there to hunt them.

Both he and Elodie were covered in wounds and exhausted.

Not only that, he was also carrying on his back a dying Hijikata Toshizo who desperately needed quiet to recover.

Under such circumstances, it would be unwise to clashed with these farmers.

Shimada Kai did not doubt Elodie's abilities, but he was well aware that she lacked experience in dealing with farmers.

So he took the initiative to step forward and begin negotiations.

He stood tall and proud, fearlessly surveying his surroundings, and proclaimed in a loud, resounding voice:

"Gentlemen! I am Shimada Kai, the vice-captain of the First Division of the Shinsengumi!"

Upon hearing the title "Shinsengumi," the farmers, who were just moments before eager to act, were all stunned into silence.

The Shinsengumi's reputation as the retinue of Niou, the strongest force of the shogunate, and the strongest group of swordsmen has spread far and wide, even reaching remote and impoverished areas.

Seeing that the name of the "Shinsengumi" had successfully intimidated these people, Shimada Kai immediately perked up and raised his voice several octaves higher:

"We were just passing by and had no intention of disturbing you!"

Please forgive me if I have offended you!

"We don't want to argue with you! Please let us leave!"

"We just want to leave this place safely; we have no other malicious intentions!"

Having said that, he raised his hand, grabbed the front of his shirt, and yanked it open, revealing a lining inside the shirt—where three small gold coins were hidden.

This was a habit he developed before joining the Shinsengumi, when he was still struggling in the streets.

He sewed the money into the lining of his clothes for emergency use.

This approach has many advantages.

Firstly, it's not easily stolen; secondly, you don't need to constantly check if the money is still there, as you can always feel the presence of the coins on your chest.

"Here are three small gold coins; consider them as toll money!"

One small gold coin is equal to one tael of gold, and three small gold coins are equal to three taels of gold.

Three taels of gold... Although it's not a huge sum of money, it's a considerable amount for impoverished farmers.

He invoked the name of the Shinsengumi first, then offered bribes... a combination of carrot and stick. Shimada Kai wasn't a professional persuader; he was more adept at taking action than talking, and this was the limit of what he could do.

As it turns out, his combination of tactics was effective.

The farmers, who had been so aggressive just moments before, had become much more docile.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with hesitation, fear, and worry.

They weren't swayed by the money in Shimada Kai's hands; they were mainly intimidated by the Shinsengumi's reputation... or more accurately, by Aoto's reputation!

Aoto rose to prominence in Edo.

Whenever Qingdeng accomplishes something great or achieves something, the people of Guandong are always among the first to know.

For this reason, Qingdeng enjoyed extremely high prestige in Kanto, and many scholars and commoners in Kanto respected him greatly.

Because they knew about Qing Deng's many deeds, they were very clear about how terrifying Niou's fighting power was!

Those who tamper with "Nioh"... must consider the consequences that lie behind it.

Unfortunately, their hesitation lasted only a short time.

In just a short while, accompanied by foul curses, shouts rang out:

Don't try that on us!

"That's right! They think they can bribe us with a mere three taels of gold! Who do they think they are?!"

"Kill you, and everything you own will be ours!"

"Don't try to intimidate us with the Shinsengumi! We'll just kill you all, and who knows who did it!"

These shouts mainly came from young people in their teens and twenties.

Young and impetuous, they disregarded everyone, including the renowned King Ren.

After their encouragement, the fear and hesitation quickly dissipated.

Greed, lust, and other emotions regain control of their expressions, causing their demeanor to revert to a ferocious state.

Seeing this, Shimada Kai immediately put on a stern face, put away the carrot, and took out a big stick:

"If you don't let us pass, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

"Even though we are covered in wounds, we are still swordsmen of the Shinsengumi!"

"If we really want to tear off the mask of civility, I guarantee you: before I breathe my last, I can reduce your numbers by more than half!"

Shimada Kai was willing to continue negotiations, but... the other party was no longer willing to give him that chance.

"Stop wasting your breath on him! Just kill him!"

This shout signaled the breakdown of negotiations.

The young men rushed forward and thrust out their bamboo spears with all their might!

Elodie remained vigilant.

Even when Shimada Kai's negotiations were beginning to show promise, she remained vigilant.

Seeing that the farmers were launching an attack, she nimbly crouched down and dodged to the right.

At the same time, Shimada Kai stepped back to the left, hiding in an empty open space.