I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 902: All Tactics Change! Attack Nagoya Castle! [5500]

Accompanied by "boom" and "boom" sounds, the steam battleship pushed away the sea water and smashed the waves, like an indescribable terrifying monster.

Dark and turbid smoke passed through the chimney and drifted into the distant sky.

Yamata no Orochi stood at the bow of the flagship, holding the railing tightly with both hands, leaning forward, sticking his head out of the side, laughing as he looked at the shore getting closer and closer.

"Good! Good! That's it! Straight for the shore! Faster! Faster!"

Mael d'Orleans, who was standing beside him, reminded him quietly:
"This is already the fastest speed. It's impossible to speed it up."

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge wave rushed up from the bottom of the sea and hit the belly of the flagship directly.

No matter how huge or powerful a ship is, it is as small as a sesame seed compared to the vast ocean.

In an instant, the warship that was bearing the heavy wave head-on began to shake violently.

Fortunately, Yamata-no-Orochi and Mael kept holding on to the railing of the boat, otherwise they would have been thrown out.

Faced with this danger, Yamata no Orochi not only showed no fear, but laughed heartily:

"Hahahahahaha! Oh, ocean! Is this all you can do? This little wave can't kill me!"

When Mael heard this, his expression suddenly changed and his face darkened.

"Hey! Big Snake! Don't say such unlucky words in the sea! It will really come true!"

As we all know, those who make a living from the sea, or those who go to the sea frequently, often show their superstitious side. For example, when eating fish, you cannot say "turn the fish over", you have to say "turn the fish over".

These are not actually some absurd superstitions, but the result of experience.

The sea is so mysterious and terrifying that sailing on it is often accompanied by unspeakable metaphysics.

Over time, various seemingly superstitious rules have been passed down.

As an arms merchant who often travels to sea for business, Maher can be considered half a sailor.

Therefore, he was particularly averse to these unlucky words, especially those that directly provoked the sea.

At this time, Nunu, holding a haori in her hand, hurried out of the cabin and rushed towards the Yamata-no-Orochi.

"Lord Orochi! It's very dangerous here! And you shouldn't be exposed to the wind for a long time! Please go back to the cabin!"

As she spoke, she pulled up the haori in her hand and draped it over the back of the Yamata no Orochi.

"unnecessary!"

Yamata no Orochi shrugged and shook off the haori that Nunu had put on him.

"I'm in great shape now! I feel warm all over!"

"The plan to overthrow the Qing Dynasty that has been prepared for many years is finally implemented tonight!"

"How can I not be the 'chief' at such a wonderful moment? Hahahahaha!"

After that, he raised his right arm, pointed at the nearby coast, and shouted with great vigor:
"Charge! Land on Nobi! Sound the death knell for the shogunate!"

……

……

At this moment——

Flagship, cabin——

Although this cabin is specially used for loading cargo, it can also be used to transport people.

After a simple renovation of the cabin, some members of the Special Forces lived here.

Outside the cabin, the roaring sound of waves came repeatedly.

The candles at the head of the cabin emitted a dim light feebly.

The atmosphere was depressing... No one spoke in the cabin, only the occasional groaning and vomiting sounds could be heard.

Anyone who has had experience of taking a boat knows that taking a boat is a technical job.

Some people have a strong "affinity" for ships and the sea.

No matter how the ship rocked or how rough the waves were, he still ate with relish and did not feel any discomfort at all.

Of course, these gifted people are only a minority.

Most people would feel extremely uncomfortable if they boarded a ship and went out to sea without any training.

In comparison, the sea is relatively calm tonight.

It was neither windy nor raining.

However, even so, these waves one after another were enough to make the soldiers of the special forces in the cabin feel exhausted.

First the body floats up, then falls down, over and over again. The strong feeling of weightlessness controls my internal organs, and I feel like I need to pee.

The resulting headache and dizziness are unbearable.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!"

"Hey! Damn it! You vomited on me!"

"What did you eat today? Why does it stink so bad?!"

In addition to the depressing atmosphere, the air in this cabin was also filled with an unpleasant sour smell.

There was vomit all over the floor... people were unconscious from seasickness everywhere...

Even the great swordsman Katsura Kogoro, who was strong and muscular, could not resist the mighty power of nature.

“Mmm…! Mmm…!”

He was seen sitting cross-legged in the corner of the cabin, his face as pale as paper, without a trace of blood in his cheeks, and his facial features were wrinkled in pain.

Although he did not vomit as much as the others, anyone could see that his current condition was very bad and he might not even be able to stand up.

"Come, Gui, apply this ointment to your temples."

Takasugi Shinsaku suddenly walked up to Katsura Kogoro and handed him the ointment in his hand.

Katsura Kogoro took the tube of ointment without knowing why, took a look at it, and asked weakly:
"Ointment...? What kind of ointment is this...?"

Takasugi Shinsaku spread his hands:

"I don't know either. This is what Inoue-kun just gave me. He said that rubbing it on the temple can effectively relieve seasickness."

Inoue-kun——Inoue Wenduo.

In 1863, Inoue Mounda and five other people including Ito Shunsuke were sent by Choshu to study in England.

After the Battle of Shimonoseki broke out, Inoue Mitsuda and Ito Shunsuke returned to Japan urgently, advocating military preparation and obedience, and attempted peace negotiations.

Their short study abroad experience changed their thinking from "blindly expelling foreigners" to "opening up the country and making progress."

People like them are destined to be unacceptable to the radicals.

Not only did they fail to prevent the outbreak of the Shimonoseki War, but they were also denounced by radicals as "traitors to the country."

Afterwards, Inoue Mitsuda was unfortunately assassinated by radicals and was seriously injured and on the verge of death. He barely managed to survive.

Due to the deliberate suppression by the radicals, the two were never given important positions.

It was not until the radicals fell that the two of them finally had their day.

Nowadays, they have become the key training targets of Katsura and Takasugi.

This battle is a matter of great importance and concerns the future destiny of Choshu.

After repeated discussions, Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku decided to let Ito Shunsuke stay in Hagi Castle and take charge of the overall situation.

As for Inoue Mitsuda, he followed them to sea to join the war!
Upon hearing that the medicine was sent by Inoue Munta, Katsura Kogoro did not doubt it. He directly unscrewed the medicine tube, squeezed out the ointment, and applied it on his temple.

All of a sudden, a minty cool feeling spread from his temple to his forehead and back of the head, and he immediately felt much better.

Katsura Kogoro, who was slightly more energetic, raised his eyes and looked at Takasugi Shinsaku beside him, and asked in a half-joking tone:
"Takasugi-kun, could it be that you are the kind of person who is naturally blessed by the sea and will never get seasick?"

After hearing this, Takasugi Shinsaku sneered a few times:

"Huh! How is that possible!"

"I just have more experience than you."

"Have you forgotten? Three years ago, I traveled across the ocean to Shanghai."

Katsura Kogoro uttered a soft "Oh".

"I almost forgot...it's true..."

In 1861, the feudal lord Mori Yoshichika allowed Shinsaku to conduct overseas inspections.

In February of the following year, when the shogunate sent the "Chitose Maru" to Shanghai for trade, he went on the ship with Godai Tomoatsu of Satsuma and Nakamuro Kuranosuke of Saga.

In early June, the Chitose Maru arrived in Shanghai.

During the two months that Takasugi Shinsaku stayed in Shanghai, he took every possible approach to observe the situation in China.

Looking at the foreign merchant ships shuttling and competing in Tianjin Port; looking at the foreign trading houses lined up on the city streets; looking at the teams of foreign sailors disembarking from warships to carry out their missions; looking at the Waibaidu Bridge which is only open to foreigners free of charge... Takasugi Shinsaku feels worried.

This "Shanghai trip" completely changed Takasugi Shinsaku.

He went from being a radical like Kusaka Genzui to an open-minded person like Katsura Kogoro.

In August of that year, as soon as Takasugi Shinsaku returned to Nagasaki, he took the initiative to hastily sign an agreement with Dutch merchants on behalf of his domain to purchase warships. However, this was not only rejected by the domain, but also became a laughing stock.

"Oh... I really didn't expect that..."

Past events came flooding back to his mind...Takasugi Shinsaku sat down next to Katsura Kogoro, his face full of emotion. "The rascal who was always laughed at whenever he proposed to 'buy warships and strengthen coastal defense', is now riding a black ship and embarking on the road of 'conquering Edo and destroying Tokugawa'."

"Hahaha! Being able to personally experience such a heroic act, I am worthy of my title of 'The Crazy Student of the East'!"

Black Ship - Influenced by the "Black Ship Incident", even today, 11 years later, many people still refer to steamships emitting black smoke as "black ships".

Katsura Kogoro listened quietly, smiled slightly, then turned his head and looked west.

"I don't know how Changzhou is doing now..."

Takasugi Shinsaku tilted his head and said calmly:

"If nothing unexpected happens, the shogunate should have already broken through the Yizhou Pass and reached Zhounan."

Katsura Kogoro let out a long sigh.

"Then we have to speed up... We have to conquer Edo before Hagi Castle is captured. At this point, we can no longer afford to retreat or regret...!"

Takasugi Shinsaku nodded slightly:

"Yes, that's right... We can't turn back anymore. We can only keep going down this 'Shura Road' to the end...!"

……

……

The only sentry post on the shore that could be called a "coastal defense" had been bombarded by random artillery fire.

Under the intensive bombardment of this artillery rain, there was nothing left on the shore except sand, gravel, broken wood, and charred human body parts.

Therefore, the landing of Katsura Kogoro and others was extremely smooth, as smooth as if they were taking a walk in their own yard.

The three warships approached the shore effortlessly.

Finally they could return to land and get rid of the pain of seasickness - with this joy, everyone rushed over the rope ladder on the side of the ship, boarded the boat, and waded to the beach, shouting.

After landing, they organized themselves into battle array in an orderly and quick manner.

"Don't dawdle! Run! Everyone, run! Line up quickly!"

"Ugh... Damn... I still feel dizzy... Let me take it easy..."

"Stop complaining! There's no time for you to rest now!"

"We must race against time now! Seize Nagoya Castle before the Owari Domain reacts! If we don't get the food and fodder from Nagoya Castle, we will all starve to death in a few days!"

Nagoya Castle - the capital of Owari Domain.

It is worth mentioning that the people who are currently busy rushing to the beach include not only the soldiers of the Special Forces, but also a large number of Westerners.

It was as if they had reached some agreement in advance that the two groups did not interfere with each other and each went about their own business.

The special forces occupied the east side of the coast, while the group of Westerners occupied the west side of the coast.

In terms of discipline, the latter is no worse than the former.

After successfully landing on the shore, they organized themselves into a formation without any command from others.

Although this group of Westerners have different appearances, their facial features are surprisingly consistent.

Pale skin, eye sockets deep enough to fit an egg, high cheekbones, high nose bridge, medium build, thick hair...

If you have some knowledge of European ethnology, you will be able to see at a glance: these are the facial features of the Slavs!
After the vanguard troops completed the landing, Yamata no Orochi, Katsura Kogoro and others left the flagship and went ashore on a small boat.

"Huh... After being at sea for so long, I suddenly came back to the stable land. It was a bit strange for a while."

With his hands behind his back, Yamata no Orochi strode forward while talking to himself, and walked to the center of the beach. Then he looked around with interest as if he were admiring a work of art, and the beach was pockmarked by the bombardment.

"Lord Orochi, wait for us, don't go away on your own..."

Shuten-doji smiled bitterly and led the cadres to catch up with the Yamata-no-Orochi.

Take a closer look...the lineup around Yamata no Orochi is extremely luxurious!

Otakemaru, Otakemaru's sister Aling, Shuten Douji, Umibozu, Sukuna, Gyu-ohei, Nunoe...Except for Tamamonomae who stayed behind, Yamata-no-Orochi brought all the cadres he could!

Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku slowly moved to the left and right of the Yamata-no-Orochi.

"..."

Katsura Kogoro said nothing, his expression dazed. He glanced around and blinked hard, as if he was trying to confirm whether he was dreaming or if there was something wrong with his eyes.

After a while, he lowered his head and looked at the beach belonging to the Owari Domain, muttering:

"'Surprise Attack on Nobi'...actually succeeded...!"

When Yamata no Orochi heard his words, he laughed loudly:
"Hahahaha!"

"Katsura-kun, Takasugi-kun, how is it? Am I right?"

"Our 'Amanuma Spear' is not an unrealistic plan! We will definitely succeed!"

"Amano Spear" - the plan to overthrow the shogunate that the Fazhu Party had been preparing for many years was actually not complicated and could be roughly divided into "two steps".

The first step was to launch a surprise attack on Owari Domain by sea, capture Nagoya Castle, and seize Owari Domain's supplies.

The second step is to use Nagoya Castle as a base and divide the troops into two groups. One group will head to the east to set up a defense line to block the expeditionary army and prevent it from returning to reinforce Kanto; the other group will head east to attack Edo! Destroy the shogunate!

At first glance, the plan seemed quite bold, almost crazy.

But if you look into it carefully, you will find that this plan is not just a wild fantasy, but is quite feasible!

There are quite a lot of considerations involved in choosing Owari Domain as the landing site.

First of all, it is definitely unrealistic to launch a surprise attack on Edo.

The "Black Ship Incident" that year brought shame to the shogunate.

The shogunate learned a lesson from this and, realizing the inadequacy of its coastal defense capabilities, put "coastal defense" on the agenda.

The "Ichibashi faction" and "Nanki faction" within the shogunate, which usually only hinder each other, rarely reach a common opinion on this matter.

If there was anyone among the shogunate who was capable of coastal defense, it was undoubtedly Katsurintaro.

Several years ago, Katsurintaro, who was well versed in maritime affairs, was sent to Edo Bay to build coastal defense artillery.

Thanks to Katsurintaro's careful design and construction, the defense of Edo Bay was greatly enhanced.

Although it is far from being an iron wall, it is not something that can be forced through with just two or three steam battleships.

Facing those coastal defense guns and forcing their way into Edo Bay… This cannot be said to be a suicide mission, but it is undoubtedly a nine out of ten chance of survival!
Besides, Edo Bay is so close to Edo that it is not an exaggeration to say that it is just a stone's throw away.

After discovering something unusual in Edo Bay, the shogunate was able to quickly gather troops and prevent the landing.

Therefore, forcing into Edo Bay is the worst of the worst strategies.

Since Edo Bay is not accessible, there are only a few optional destinations left.

Although Japan is a long and narrow island country, due to its mountainous and hilly terrain, there are few flat lands and a serpentine coastline, so there are very few areas suitable for landing sites.

In fact, if we consider "attacking Edo", there is no need to think too much - the most ideal landing place is undoubtedly Owari Domain!
There are three main considerations for making this conclusion.

First, Owari Domain is located on the coast and has excellent natural bays, which are suitable for landing.

Secondly, the Tokaido Road connects Owari Domain to Edo, making transportation convenient.

Donghai Street is the most bustling and mature avenue among the “Five Streets”.

If we march along the Tokai Street, if everything goes well, we can reach Edo Castle in just 10 days!

Third, the lord of Owari Domain, Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, personally led part of the domain's troops to participate in the expedition to Choshu, so the domain's military strength was weak and its defense was empty.

At this time, there was little resistance in the attack on Owari Domain.

Fourthly, Owari Domain was a powerful domain with a territory of 62 koku, and sufficient supplies were stored in the domain's capital, Nagoya Castle.

The most difficult part of a cross-sea raid is the supply of supplies.

Thousands of men and horses, the amount of food and drink they eat every day is not a small amount.

Although steam battleships are huge, they can only carry a limited amount of things.

After loading the difficult-to-replenish weapons and ammunition into the cabin, there was not much space left for food, medicine and other supplies.

Although the Owari Domain was dragged down by the corrupt feudal government, it was still a powerful domain that controlled most of the Nobi Plain. In terms of material abundance, it was far ahead of other domains.

As long as we capture Nagoya Castle, we will have enough supplies to capture Edo! The supply issue will be solved easily.

Just when Yamata no Orochi was feeling proud, Mael beside him said calmly:

"Big snake, don't be too happy too soon."

"It's far from time to celebrate."

"If we don't take Nagoya Castle as soon as possible, there will be no way to talk about the subsequent 'conquering Edo' and 'eliminating the shogunate'."

Although Maher's pouring cold water at this time seemed unkind, what he said was absolutely correct.

Due to the insufficient supply reserves on the ship, although the successful landing tonight by Yamata no Orochi and others seems quite glorious, their current situation is by no means good.

The remaining food and grass in the cabin were only enough for them to use for two days!
In other words, if Nagoya Castle is not captured within two days and the supplies in the city are not seized, then let alone "destroying the shogunate", even self-preservation will become a problem!
How to attack Nagoya Castle as quickly and as quickly as possible, and how to ensure that the ministers of Owari Domain will not burn the national treasury in desperation...all these things are related to their future destiny.

Faced with Mael's cold water, Yamata no Orochi was not angry and nodded calmly.

"Well, Mr. Orleans, you are right. 'Landing in the Bushi' is just the beginning. We still have a lot of work to do next... cough, cough, cough, cough! Cough!"

The weak Yamata no Orochi fell to his knees with a look of pain on his face, coughing before he could finish his words.

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