I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The bustling Edo was merely an exception among exceptions in this country.

Just then, a sharp autumn wind swept through the distant mountains and forests. The weeds scattered throughout the village were bent low by their weight. A pungent stench, a mixture of excrement, sweat, and the acrid smell of ruins, spread out in all directions, reminding Qingdeng and all travelers passing through this place—this was a desolate land that had endured countless hardships and vicissitudes of life.

……

……

That night--

My grandson gathered his generals and held a military meeting in the village chief's house in Daohe Village to discuss the next steps.

"The base of the Soma clan is located at the highest point of Soma Mountain."

Because there were no cushions in the village chief's house, the group could only sit haphazardly on the floor. They formed an oval circle around my grandson. In the center of the circle, on the floor, lay a simple map drawn with charcoal.

"Although the terrain of Soma Mountain is not high, it is very complex, with many ravines and cliffs, and everywhere there are difficult-to-climb mountain walls or undeveloped primeval forests."

In the impoverished Daohe Village, where even basic necessities like food and drink were scarce, there was no way they could afford such luxuries as candles. All the villagers could provide for Qingdeng and the others was some crude lamp oil with extremely poor lighting effects.

Fortunately, the expeditionary force had prepared some candles, so they were not in the embarrassing situation of holding a meeting in the dark.

To make the map clearer for the group, my grandson, while explaining the map, pointed to the lines drawn on the map with one hand and held a candle with the other, the candle flame swaying slightly as he moved in sync with the hand pointing at the map.

"The only way to get to the base of the Soma clan is through a mountain road that borders Inawa Village."

As soon as my grandson finished speaking, Mizushima Ninzaburo, who was standing next to him, immediately frowned.

"Aren't there any other hiking trails?"

"No. I have consulted the villagers of Daohe Village who have lived here for generations. If you want to climb the mountain, there is only this one path."

As my grandson answered, he stretched out his right index finger and poked at a thick, long black line drawn on the map.

In an instant, the atmosphere surrounding the group of generals became slightly more pleasant.

There is only one path up the mountain... which means that when they launch an attack on the Soma clan's base, they don't have many options for their offensive.

“Ha…” Captain Nobuyoshi Kazama of the Eighth Division gave a wry smile, “What an excellent fortress…”

“The bandits have been operating on Xiangma Mountain for many years.”

My grandson then continued.

"They not only fortified their camp to be impregnable, but also set up two checkpoints on this only mountain road. If we want to launch a strong attack on the Soma clan's base, we must first find a way to remove these two checkpoints."

After I finished speaking, my grandson looked up.

"Do you have any questions or anything you'd like to add?"

The group of generals looked at each other in bewilderment.

The situation was clear—the punitive expeditionary force was superior to the Soma forces in both numbers and equipment. However, the opposing side held the advantage of being strategically positioned on the mountain.

"Tsk..." Kanazawa Tadatsugu crossed his arms and murmured softly, "This battle won't be easy..."

"Samurai-sama!"

At this moment, an old man who had been sitting in a corner of the room suddenly knelt down with a thud. While performing the deepest bow of dogeza (a traditional Japanese kneeling gesture) to Qing Deng and the others, he spoke in a heart-wrenching voice, his voice trembling with sobs:

"You absolutely must wipe out those damned villains!"

This old man is none other than Fujigoro, the village chief of Inawa Village.

He probably felt uneasy because he saw that Qing Deng and the others all looked solemn, and thought that the punitive expedition might back down or something.

Fujigoro had a heavy accent, and it took Aoto and the others a lot of effort to barely understand what he was saying.

“Mr. Fujigoro,” my grandson smiled slightly, “Don’t worry. Now that we’re here, we don’t intend to go back empty-handed. We can’t explain to our superiors if we don’t bring back the heads of the bandits to Edo.”

Upon hearing my grandson say this, Fujigoro immediately showed a relieved and delighted expression.

“Although the Xiangma tribe is not easy to deal with, we don’t need to be too afraid of them,” my grandson said. “Next, I plan to organize scouts to reconnoiter the terrain of Xiangma Mountain, while sending people to make contact with the Xiangma tribe and try to persuade them to surrender.”

"At the same time, we must actively prepare for war. If negotiations break down... we will fight them to the death in the mountains!"

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

Reconnaissance of the terrain, attempts to persuade surrender, and active preparations for war—all three were carried out simultaneously… At present, there is no better battle plan than this.

The group looked at each other, then nodded vigorously.

……

……

In the following days, a somber atmosphere of impending battle hung over Inawa Village.

Although the villagers of Inawa Village had confidently assured the expeditionary force that there were no other routes into the mountains, my grandson still dispatched a large number of people to scout out the terrain of Soma Mountain and whether there were any other usable mountain paths, just to be on the safe side.

During this period, my grandson sent several eloquent and quick-witted individuals to make contact and communicate with the bandits on the mountain.

The leader of the Soma clan was named Yokokura Keinosuke.

Judging from his name, one could tell that he was a wanderer who had to become an outlaw due to his impoverished life.

Faced with the arrival of the punitive army, the Soma clan adopted a posture of defending the mountain to the death.

The camp built on the mountaintop, and the two checkpoints set up on the mountain road, could be heard every day from the sounds of soldiers drilling.

Every night, as torches flickered, countless bandits moved back and forth on the watchtowers and sentry posts.

However, Yokokura Keinosuke's subsequent actions revealed that his current mindset was not so calm and unyielding.

On the surface, they adopted a tough stance of "we will fight to the end, come and attack if you dare," but when the messengers sent by my grandson came up the mountain under the guise of "negotiation," Yokokura Keinosuke immediately opened the door and welcomed them with the utmost enthusiasm.

It is evident that Yokokura Keinosuke had clearly heard of the formidable reputation of the Fire-Tacked Thief Kai and was unwilling to confront the highly decorated Fire-Tacked Thief Kai head-on.

In the past few days, Yokokura Keinosuke has been actively exchanging ideas with the envoys. He boldly declared, "If you agree to my terms, I will immediately order my men to lay down their weapons!"

If Xiangma's followers could surrender voluntarily, that would be the best outcome.

However… Yokokura Keinosuke's surrender request was truly laughable. It's hard to say whether he was overconfident or lacked self-awareness.

Simply put, he wanted to be the Song Jiang of Liangshan Marsh—he demanded that the Edo Shogunate recruit him and his men as officially registered samurai.

When they received the surrender terms proposed by Yokokura Keinosuke, everyone, including Aoto, was delighted.

The society under the Edo Shogunate placed great emphasis on hierarchy, social status, and blood ties.

You, a mere bandit, want to be recruited as a formally registered samurai? Are you kidding me?

Without even thinking about it, my grandson flatly refused.

The only surrender condition that the punitive expeditionary force could accept was: all the bandits must lay down their weapons, surrender unconditionally, and strive for lenient treatment—Yokokura Keinosuke said he could not accept this.

The messengers said that when Yokokura Keinosuke learned that the punitive expeditionary force would not accept any demands other than "unconditional surrender," he was so angry that his face turned a strange dark red, his eyes wide open, and his nostrils flared.

"You want us to surrender unconditionally? No way! I have over 200 brothers under my command! Every single one of them is a skilled fighter! We have men! We have weapons! And Xiangma Mountain can serve as a natural barrier! We're not without the strength to fight! Why should I surrender unconditionally? Either accept my terms, or come at me! Let's see if your fire-wielding bandits' modified cannons and bows are more formidable, or if our Xiangma warriors' swords and spears are sharper!"

The two sides were unable to reach an agreement, and the negotiations broke down completely.

Since peace talks are hopeless... then the only option left is a decisive battle to the death!

……

……

On the morning of November 24th, the first year of the Wanyan era (1860)—

The dawn clouds resembled a cluster of rose-red flames, burning exceptionally brightly.

The crimson clouds in the eastern sky were as beautiful as flowers. Clusters of white clouds were scattered among them, like "ministers" respectfully welcoming the sun.

"what……"

The cold autumn wind swept past Qing Deng, who was fully armed, and condensed his breath into a translucent white mist.

To prevent his hands from freezing, Qingdeng frequently brought his palms to his lips and breathed out warm air onto his palms and the backs of his hands.

At that moment, the sun peeked out from behind a dark mountain range in the east.

The warmth of the morning sun dispelled the chill of the night, instantly giving the surrounding air a refreshing feel.

In the glow of the rising sun, the clouds were swallowed up into patches of crimson.

The mist in the mountains and fields, illuminated by the morning light, transformed into rolling, surging silver waves.

The swords, spears, armor, cannons, and bows of the entire pungent army gleamed under the red glow of the sunset.

As the morning light gradually spread, the silvery waves formed by the mountain mist quickly disappeared into the deepest part of the mountain and into the distance.

As the sky gradually brightened, the last veil of darkness covering the heavens was lifted, revealing the menacing military formations.

The punitive expeditionary force formed a neat square formation at the foot of Mount Soma, their eyes all focused on a wooden checkpoint on the mountain ahead.

A gentle autumn breeze rustled through the trees. The first checkpoint set up by the Xiangma Clan on the mountain path cast ever-changing shadows of varying depths in the wind and light.

From afar, one can see countless figures of varying heights, standing firmly on the checkpoint, ready for battle.

Kanazawa Chusuke, holding the sword at his waist, walked to my grandson's side and said, "The Second Division is in position."

"The Fourth Division is in position," Mizushima Ninzaburo said calmly.

"The Eighth Division is in position." Kazama Nobuyoshi swallowed hard.

"The Third Division is in position." Qing Deng said calmly.

My grandson nodded slightly.

"Then... let's begin!"

He waved vigorously to a fellow practitioner beside him who was holding a giant conch shell.

Woo-woo—! Woo-woo—! Woo-woo—! Woo-woo—!

The deep, resounding bugle call echoed through the sky!

"Everyone! Follow me!"

With his sword drawn, Kanazawa Tadashi charged straight ahead!

Immediately afterwards, the Second Division, the Third Division... all the soldiers surged forward like a raging sea, rushing towards the mountain path ahead! Rushing towards the checkpoint of the Soma clan!

In an instant, the cacophony of shouts and battle cries became the sole sound that dominated this land!

Kanazawa Tadashi: "Raise your gun!"

The soldiers at the forefront immediately stopped, and with a series of "crack" sounds of metal clashing, matchlock muskets with their muzzles gleaming with a menacing metallic sheen were raised horizontally.