I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After a few days, send a few eloquent people to say something like, "According to the ancient 'Spring and Autumn Annals,' the law does not apply to those of high status. How can a general commanding a large army kill himself?" This would give Tokugawa Iemochi a way out, and he would take the opportunity to back down—that's what most people thought.

Everyone was mentally prepared that "Tokugawa Iemochi would definitely leave Edo".

However... to this day, they have come to the shock that Tokugawa Iemochi seems to be serious!

He seems genuinely determined to defend Edo to the death! He's unwilling to retreat!

Although the shogunate was full of scoundrels and corrupt officials, there were still some loyal ministers.

Regardless of the circumstances, Tokugawa Iemochi was always the rightful supreme leader of the samurai class and the fourteenth shogun of the shogunate.

Those loyal subjects could not bear to watch their general be in danger.

Therefore, whether they wrote letters to offer suggestions or personally visited the emperor to persuade him to leave Edo and seek refuge in Oshu or somewhere else, people pleaded with Tokugawa Iemochi every day.

It's easy to imagine that Tokugawa Iemochi's only response to such a proposal was a firm rejection.

"I've said it before, I swear to live and die with Edo! Either we live together or we perish together!"—He used this sentence to deflect all advice to leave Edo.

He not only refused to retreat himself, but also forbade his warriors to retreat.

On the very day he ordered preparations for war, Tokugawa Iemochi explicitly demanded that all samurai in Edo—whether hatamoto or gokenin—must remain! They were not permitted to leave Edo!

To put it simply: civilians can retreat, but samurai cannot!

Any samurai who deserts without permission will be considered a traitor and punished to the fullest extent of the law!

At first glance, it seems cruel.

In fact, there was nothing wrong with Tokugawa Iemochi's order.

What is a samurai?

In short: professional soldiers who specialize in warfare!

During the shogunate era when the samurai class held power, commoners were not allowed to serve in the military; fighting on the battlefield and expanding territory were the privileges and obligations of samurai.

Otherwise, where did their name "warrior" come from?

It is only natural to send soldiers to fight.

Of course, Tokugawa Iemochi had long disliked his close advisors who were indulging in a life of pleasure and lacking ambition.

[Note: Direct Advisors: A collective term for hatamoto (chieftains) and gokenin (senior retainers).]

Everyone knows that Tokugawa Iemochi was hostile to his direct advisors.

"Promoting military reforms and enhancing the combat capabilities of the Tokugawa army" has always been a key policy direction for Tokugawa Iemochi.

Unfortunately, the direct advisors had long since become an extremely entrenched interest group, impenetrable to any interference.

Reforming the current military system is tantamount to threatening their livelihoods, so naturally they will fight Tokugawa Iemochi to the bitter end.

Their constant obstruction made Tokugawa Iemochi's military reforms very difficult to implement, and it was not until the last two years that they finally began to show some progress.

Considering the past grievances between the two sides... it's hard not to think that Tokugawa Iemochi's insistence on his direct subordinates staying behind was a deliberate act of revenge against these parasites.

In short, by issuing the order that "all samurai must stay and there is no room for disobedience," Tokugawa Iemochi managed to assemble a garrison of 3 men!

Although it is far from the famous "80,000 Hatamoto Cavalry", it is undoubtedly a large-scale army!

However, it's easy to imagine that those who were forced into service would be utterly ineffective.

According to the report submitted by Katsura Rintaro a while ago, not to mention swinging a sword, many people don't even know how to sheathe their swords, and there are many people who cut their palms when sheathing their swords.

Clearly, these guys can only serve as a "battlefield atmosphere group," and you can't expect them to have any outstanding performance on the battlefield.

The only truly effective and hard-fought units were a handful of troops, represented by the Jiangwu Army and the Huofu Thieves, with a combined strength of around 3000 men.

Of the 3-strong army, only 3000 were fit to fight… Tokugawa Iemochi was not surprised by this outcome.

He never had any hope for those guys from the very beginning.

The reason for issuing the "must stay" order was simply because they didn't want these guys to have too comfortable a life.

Lying on the laurels of your ancestors, enjoying blessings for over two hundred years, when it's time for you to fulfill your obligations, you just pack up and run away... Where in this world is there such a good thing!

To be honest, Tokugawa Iemochi was actually happy to see more of these useless, wasteful people die!

Just as Tokugawa Iemochi closed his eyes to rest, he suddenly heard familiar footsteps approaching from afar.

Without opening his eyes, he asked aloud:

"Mother, what's wrong?"

Fully armed, carrying a naginata and a bow and arrows, Tenshōin strode into the Ōhiro-maru and headed straight for Tokugawa Iemochi.

Like Tokugawa Iemochi, she also wore only armor during this period.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly wanted to come and see you."

As she spoke, she moved to Tokugawa Iemochi's side and sat down with her knees bent.

"Jiamou, I heard you've been eating very poorly lately, barely eating anything. What happened that's made you lose your appetite?"

"No, it's nothing."

Tokugawa Iemochi shook his head with a wry smile.

"Nothing serious happened. It's just that... I was nervous, so I didn't have much of an appetite, that's all."

After saying that, he deliberately showed his right hand to Tianzhangyuan—his right palm was trembling slightly, as if he had a seizure.

Upon seeing this, Tenshōin smiled slightly:

“Jia Mao, you don’t need to feel ashamed about this. Because…”

She paused at an odd point in her conversation.

Then she stretched out her right hand—her palm was trembling.

“I’m very nervous too. I made a vow to ‘defend Edo to the death,’ but I’m so nervous. It’s really embarrassing.”

Seeing that his beloved mother was just like him, Tokugawa Iemochi was slightly taken aback, then chuckled to himself—surprisingly, the frequency of his hand trembling decreased significantly, and his expression became much more natural.

Suddenly, Tenshō-in raised a new question:

"Jiamou, is there any news about Shengqing?"

Tokugawa Iemochi replied without hesitation:

No, there is no news at the moment.

"I see..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...That's really surprising."

"Mother, what do you mean?"

"Until yesterday, whenever I mentioned Shengqing, you would always subtly advise me to leave Edo. Today you are unusually quiet, and you didn't try to persuade me to leave. I feel a little uncomfortable."

"Oh, this..."

Tokugawa Iemochi smiled.

"I give up."

"Now that things have come to this, I have to admit that your stubbornness surpasses mine, Mother."

"I am not capable of persuading you on my own."

"Although I was very reluctant, I had no choice but to give up."

"However, instead, I have made up my mind: I will protect you to the very end!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand to touch the katana at his waist, his tone firm.

Upon hearing this, Tenshōin frowned slightly, his face showing displeasure.

Then, she opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something or refute something.

But in that very instant—

Boom!

An explosion could be heard in the distance!

Instantly, both mother and son's expressions changed.

The next moment, they jumped to their feet and rushed to the window not far away, lying prone on the windowsill and looking toward the source of the explosion.

In a town north of Edo Castle, thick black smoke drifts into the distant sky... Below the smoke, flames are burning.

This explosion was not an isolated incident.

Waaaaaah...!

Tokugawa Iemochi faintly heard a sharp, whooshing sound coming from the sky, which seemed to be the sound of wind breaking.

Before he could even look up—

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shells rained down on Edo town!

The explosions shattered the houses and the tranquility!

Flames rose... the bright orange flames became the most vibrant splash of color in Edo at that time!

Tokugawa Iemochi stared at all this with a grim face, muttering to himself:

"They're here...!"

*******

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P.S.: Due to various reasons, there will be fewer updates today. Please forgive me! (Leopard looking aggrieved.jpg)