I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 914 Gathering at Sekigahara! Battle between the Commanders! [6500]

Whenever people talk about "Hachioji's Thousands of People of One Heart", they always praise their simplicity and loyalty.

"The combat capability is not bad", "More reliable than the 80,000 cavalry of the hatamoto" and so on.

But in reality, even if they are exaggerated, it cannot change the fact that they are a militia composed of half farmers and half soldiers.

They have not fought a war since their inception.

The purpose of the first shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu forming a group of 1,000 people was to use them to deal with the Toyotomi family and prevent the Toyotomi army from moving eastward.

Although Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute (1584), the size gap between the two sides was too great, and the tactical victory could not cover up the strategic decline.

At that time, the Toyotomi family was at its peak. They could beat anyone they caught, and even a strong man like Tokugawa Ieyasu had to admit defeat.

As a last resort, he had to surrender and become a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

From then on, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu became a textbook pair of "surface brothers".

They smile on their faces, but secretly they are thinking of stabbing each other in the back.

In order to weaken the power of the Tokugawa family, Toyotomi Hideyoshi forcibly changed Tokugawa Ieyasu's territory from Tokaido to Kanto.

At that time, the Kanto Plain was entirely swampland and extremely poor. In addition, there were remnants of the Hojo clan inside and close lords of the Toyotomi clan outside. It was a perfect place to trap the Tokugawa clan.

Tokugawa Ieyasu did not surrender. One of his countermeasures was to establish a united front among the Hachioji's thousand men.

Although the Kanto Plain is a vast plain with huge economic potential, from a military perspective, it has no strategic location and is undefended, and the pressure on national defense is enormous - this is also one of the important reasons why Toyotomi Hideyoshi moved Tokugawa Ieyasu to Kanto.

In this case, we can only use manpower to make up for the shortcomings of geographical location.

Thus, Thousands of People Together came into being.

Directly forming a non-profit army would easily irritate the Toyotomi family and cause troublesome disputes. Moreover, the Tokugawa family did not have the extra financial resources at that time, so they had to settle for the next best thing and establish a militia force that was half soldier and half farmer.

Thousands of men were deployed together at the border between Kai Province and Kanto (Hachioji), and it was obvious that they were used to prevent the Toyotomi army from moving eastward.

There is no need to elaborate on the subsequent historical developments.

The Tokugawa family conquered the Toyotomi family, and the country changed hands.

Until the day when the Toyotomi family was destroyed, thousands of people united and refused to fight against the Toyotomi army.

Judging from the results, Tokugawa Ieyasu's plan to form a group of 1,000 people was in vain.

After Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power, there was no force in the world that could threaten his position.

In this way, the significance of the existence of thousands of people with one mind becomes subtle and dispensable.

However, Tokugawa Ieyasu did not disband the organization of the Thousand-Man Army, and this special army was preserved.

Thousands of descendants with one heart are proud of their duty to "guard the border for the country."

Under the influence of this sense of superiority, they usually talk about "being loyal to the shogunate" and "annihilating the shogunate rebels".

Each of them acted like a loyal minister and a good general, with an air of heroic spirit: "If the shogunate is in trouble, I will go to the battlefield to kill the enemy even if I have to sell my mother, wife, and daughter."

However... at this moment, with the arrival of the news that "Choshu Army is coming", the eternal truth is once again confirmed: "When the tide recedes, you will know who is swimming naked."

These guys who are usually "loyal and brave" now have a completely different look on their faces.

Some people advocate "fighting with all their strength".

Some even threatened to "retreat".

What's worse, some people sneak back home without even saying goodbye, ready to pack up their belongings and run away.

When there is peace, everyone is a brave soldier who enthusiastically participates in military training.

But when it comes to going to the battlefield... everyone's true colors are revealed.

It is clear at a glance who is a warrior and who is a fool.

This is different from talking big. Once you go to the battlefield, people will really die...!
When those idiots thought of this, they no longer had the courage to continue playing the role of "loyal ministers and good generals."

Elodie stood quietly by, watching all this with an expressionless face.

All these noisy and chaotic scenes were within his sight.

Shimada Kai and other team members closely guarded her, preventing irrelevant people from approaching her.

Looking at the villagers who were arguing more and more fiercely, Shimada Kai couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He saw at a glance that the thousands of people at the moment urgently needed a person with high prestige and ability to inspire and lead them!
Although the "pro-war" faction and the "pro-retreat" faction were arguing fiercely, in reality, the vast majority of villagers were simply panicked and didn't know what to do. They neither advocated war nor retreat, they were simply confused.

If there is a strong person to lead them, they will at least show the determination to fight, even if they don't "instantly transform into tigers and wolves."

On the contrary...if we allow this decadent atmosphere of "running away is justified, disobeying orders is not a crime" to continue to permeate, under the influence of the "herd effect", the villagers will probably scatter like birds and beasts...

Thousands of people with one mind naturally have a unified leader, that is, a unified head.

However... Qing Deng, the leader of Thousand People's Unity, is now far away and is powerless to control Thousand People's Unity.

Shimada Kai naturally didn't want to see the scene continue to be so chaotic. He was secretly anxious, but helpless.

After a while, he simply gritted his teeth and thought to himself:

——Whatever! This matter is not my responsibility! I only have one mission now, and that is to protect the director!
From the beginning, he had been urging Elodie to leave here as soon as possible.

These guys are arguing fiercely, and God knows what extreme actions they will take next.

If Elodi was involved and got injured or had a more serious accident, he, as the "captain of the guards", would be to blame!

However, no matter how he persuaded, Elodie turned a deaf ear.

Then he heard Elodie's three words of "Quiet".

Then... he saw her suddenly chop with the knife!

Although Elodie is a pure civil servant, as Qing Deng's apprentice and swordsmanship enthusiast, she always keeps the habit of carrying a sword.

Qing Deng's preference for his disciple is obvious to all.

He put a lot of thought into making sure Elodie had a good knife.

After asking all the sword dealers, he finally found this sword of excellent quality - Ryoyemono Yamato-no-kami Yasunari!
Yamato-no-kami Yasutada - one of the fifty skilled craftsmen.

The four levels of "Supreme Great Yewu", "Great Yewu", "Good Yewu" and "Yewu" are divided according to their sharpness.

A sword that can cut through 50% to 60% of the thickness of a human body is considered a good sword.

Since it can be listed among the good products, there is no need to say more about the sharpness of Yamato-kami Yasunari.

With a good knife in hand, it is not difficult to split a tree trunk - provided that your knife is straight and strong enough.
Elodie did not draw the sword with both hands, but with her right hand alone! Then she slashed with her robe, hitting the tree trunk beside her!
The next moment, a long, deep and smooth cut appeared diagonally on the tree trunk!

Swinging the sword with one hand, he could actually deliver such a straight blade and such a strong force...

Such a sharp sword strike stunned even Shimada Kai, who was highly skilled in swordsmanship.

Although Elodie has been a member of the Shinsengumi for some time, she rarely draws her sword in public.

Most of the Shinsengumi members only have a vague idea of ​​her true strength.

All we know is that she is Niou's only disciple and is said to be quite skilled in swordsmanship - that's all.

It was not until this moment that Shimada Kai finally witnessed Elodie's swordsmanship with his own eyes.

He looked at the huge cut on the tree trunk, then looked at Elodie beside him, and his heart trembled: this little girl with thin arms and legs turned out to be a person who could not be judged by appearance!

Elodie's sudden sword-drawing and the loud slashing sound that followed instantly attracted the attention of everyone present.

In an instant, no matter who they were, whether they advocated fighting or retreating, they all turned their heads and looked at Elodie in confusion and surprise.

Elodie glanced at the whole place, and seeing the villagers finally quiet down, she let out a long sigh.

"Everyone, what are you arguing about?"

As she spoke, she lowered her eyelids and a sharp light flashed in her eyes.

"Who are you?"

"You are 'Hachioji Thousands of People', aren't you?"

"Since 280 years ago, your duty has been only one, that is, 'when foreign enemies invade Kanto from the west, turn yourself into a barrier and bravely stop the enemy', isn't it?"

At the end of her speech, she suddenly raised her voice with such a shocking momentum that everyone at the scene was terrified.

The silence is only temporary.

After a moment, someone stiffened his neck and retorted:
"But, but, this is too sudden! They want us to go to the battlefield out of the blue! This could result in deaths!"

After this person took the lead, many people immediately followed suit.

Elodie glanced sideways at the speaker.

"'Too sudden'? There's nothing strange about that."

"Do you expect the enemy to send someone to inform you before they attack?"

"'Always dealing with unexpected situations' is the norm on the battlefield. There's nothing to be wronged about!"

"As for what you said, 'This can kill people'... Is there any problem with that?"

"Aren't you 'one heart for thousands'?"

"Isn't it what you are supposed to do to fight the enemy?"

"The shogunate has allowed you to live on this fertile land for generations and has granted you so many benefits."

"Isn't it so that you can help the shogunate when it is in trouble?"

"Or do you only think about taking advantage without thinking about giving?"

"Now that danger has come, you want to just walk away?"

"Even a blond, blue-eyed, weird-looking Westerner like me knows the word 'loyalty'."

"Are you not even as good as a Westerner like me?"

This last sentence contains great destructive power.

As soon as these words were spoken, many people at the scene blushed and looked indignant.

Elodie's voice has not yet stopped:

"I know many of you are afraid."

"It's ridiculous for me, who has never been to the battlefield, to speak out here, saying things like 'It is your duty to fight and kill the enemy, and you cannot retreat'."

"Therefore, I will hold this sword tightly and fight alongside you!"

As soon as these words were spoken, leaving aside the villagers at the scene, the guards beside her, led by Shimada Kai, could no longer hold back.

Shimada Kui's expression changed drastically, and he said urgently:
“Director…!”

Elodie raised her hand first, signaling him not to say anything more.

"Perhaps some of you know, and some of you don't, but I, Elodie de Angoulême, am the apprentice of 'Niou' Tachibana Aoto!"

In rural areas where information is poor, this is indeed the first time many people have heard of this.

In a blink of an eye, there was a commotion of varying degrees at the scene.

Ignoring the commotion, Elodie continued slowly:
"As the head of the Shinsengumi and the disciple of Niou Tachibana Aoto, how can I be a coward who flees from the battlefield?"

"I must fulfill my duty! Stop the Choshu Army at all costs!"

"Indeed, it is extremely difficult to defeat this aggressive Choshu army with our combat power."

"But we don't have to defeat each other!"

"Everyone, there is one thing I can guarantee you." "At this very moment, Master... General Tachibana is marching to our aid at full speed!"

"May I ask you, if General Ju is here, would you still be afraid of this enemy force?"

"As long as Ju Da comes, Changzhou will be nothing but a piece of shit!"

"Therefore, we just need to hold on until General Tachibana arrives!"

"If you have the guts, pick up your weapons and fight with me!"

"If you feel that you are not as good as a Western girl, please do as you please!"

Elodie finished.

Although her speech was not passionate, every word of it was heart-wrenching.

Especially the last sentence, "If you feel that you are not as good as a Western girl, just do as you please," made many people at the scene look upset.

All along, local villagers have considered themselves as “half warriors” because they are descendants of Thousands of People of One Heart.

A Westerner... and a Western girl at that, is not afraid of war or death. If I retreat, am I still a human being?

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Not long after Elodie finished speaking, someone stood up and said loudly:

"Damn it! What are you still hesitating about? This little girl is right! We are descendants of thousands of people with one heart! Anyone can escape, but we can't!"

This sentence is like a spark falling into a gasoline barrel.

Suddenly, the whole audience was extremely enthusiastic!
"Fight with the Choshu people!"

"Let the people of Changzhou see the loyalty and bravery of our thousands of people!"

"Our ancestors made a promise with Tosho Daigongen to protect Kanto! Now, it's our turn to fulfill that promise!"

【Note: Tosho Daigongen: the divine title of Tokugawa Ieyasu. 】

More and more people are responding.

The atmosphere in the air changed fundamentally, and excitement completely replaced depression.

Those confused people were now all affected by this atmosphere. They stood up one after another, waved their fists vigorously, and vowed to join the war.

Shimada Kai blinked and stared at all this in a daze, with surprise flashing in his eyes.

Although he was not a good speaker, he saw another great thing about Elodie's speech just now - she clearly described what the current task was.

Just hold on until Qingdeng arrives to help!
Although everyone feels that this task is difficult, they do not think it is impossible.

With a clear and achievable goal, rather than a broad "fight the enemy", it is easy to gather people's hearts!

"Shimada-kun."

The sudden call startled Shimada Kai.

The next moment, he responded hurriedly:

"I'm here!"

Elodie turned her head, looked at him, and said solemnly:

"Shimada-kun, you are the only one among us who has extensive combat experience."

"So, I'll have to trouble you to do more from now on."

"please!"

Looking at Elodie's sincere expression, Shimada Kai was stunned for only a moment before he excitedly said loudly:

"Captain, you are too kind! I am also a member of the Shinsengumi! I will also fulfill my duties!"

……

……

Time returns to the present——

After passing through the vast nameless forest, Hijikata Toshizo suddenly felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Before my eyes was an endless plain covered with green grass.

"Deputy Commander! There! Our main force is right there!"

Hijikata Toshizo looked in the direction of the sound and suddenly saw many figures swaying on the horizon diagonally opposite.

He immediately turned his horse and ran straight over.

As he got closer, he gradually saw what the figures were doing - they were digging trenches.

The hoes were raised high and swung down heavily.

The sounds of digging, "clang clang" and "squeak", came one after another.

Among the people who were working hard to dig trenches, Hijikata Toshizo found two old acquaintances - the director Elodie and the deputy captain of the first squadron, Shimada Kai!

Shimada Kai took off his upper body clothes, revealing his muscular upper body, and personally demonstrated to everyone the correct way to dig trenches.

"Listen carefully! The so-called trench is a passage used to protect oneself, slow down the enemy's attack speed, and facilitate the mobilization of troops during combat! It is both a 'wall' and a 'corridor'! Remember this! It is not just about digging a trench and calling it a day!"

He looked just like Tokugawa Ieyasu under Osaka Castle.

According to legend, when Tokugawa Ieyasu launched the Winter Campaign of Osaka (1614) and prepared to destroy the Toyotomi clan in one fell swoop, 1600 years had passed since the last major battle, the Battle of Sekigahara (14). The old soldiers had retired or died, so there were only a few rookies left in the army who couldn't even dig a trench.

Seeing this, Tokugawa Ieyasu felt helpless.

Despite his frail health, this old man in his seventies picked up a shovel and personally demonstrated to the recruits the correct way to dig trenches, which became a famous story.

The reason why Shimada Kai was promoted to vice-captain of the first team was not simply because of his bravery.

As a veteran who followed Aoto in fighting in battles such as the Iga Battle (to suppress the Ise Rebellion), the Yamato Battle (to defeat the Tenchu-gumi), and the Kyoto Summer Campaign, even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run.

Whenever there was a war, Shimada Kui watched how Qingdeng dug trenches, built fortifications, and arranged camps, and kept them all in mind.

Although he didn't dare to call himself a "tactical master", he was more than capable of teaching these guys who had never experienced war how to dig trenches.

Elodie stood beside Shimada Kai, swinging the hoe meticulously to loosen the soil.

In order to facilitate movement, she tied her sleeves tightly with a cuff and tied her long hair with a thin rope, forming a high ponytail behind her head.

It is not difficult to tell from her actions that she must have had little contact with a hoe before.

However, she relied on her extraordinary physical strength and arm power to swing the hoe with great force.

In terms of efficiency, she is no worse than those around her who have been working with hoes all their lives.

The high ponytail on the back of her head swayed with her movements.

After a while, the sound of rapid hoofbeats reached their ears.

They all put down their work and looked up - against the backdrop of the blue sky and green land, the flag with the word "誠" in Hijikata Toshizo's hand looked particularly dazzling.

Shimada Kai's eyes widened instantly, with an expression of disbelief on his face.

After confirming that he was not dazzled, he shouted excitedly:
"Director, look! Look who's here!"

He nearly jumped up with joy.

After a while, Hijikata Toshizo tightened the reins in his hand, stopped the horse, and stopped it steadily in front of Elodie and others.

Most of the people at the scene did not know Hijikata Toshizo.

However, looking at his heroic appearance in his strange clothes (suit, big leather boots, long windbreaker) and holding a flag with the word "Sincerity" in it, they instinctively felt that he was an important figure.

Someone stepped forward and asked courageously:
"Come, who is coming?"

Hijikata Toshizo smiled and held his head high:
"The vice-captain of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata Toshizo!"

"I'm sorry I'm late."

"Although I'm late, I'm here to meet you!"

……

……

Nobi Plain, Sekigahara——

"Gah! Gah! Gah! Gah! Gah! Gah!"

A crow cried as it flew across the sky. After crossing several hills, it passed over an inconspicuous plain.

This plain is by no means vast.

Standing anywhere on the plain and looking in any direction, your view will be blocked by towering mountains.

This basin, which is 4 kilometers from east to west and 2 kilometers from north to south and is surrounded by Mt. Ibuki in the north, Mt. Sasao and Mt. Tenma in the west, Mt. Matsuo in the southwest, and Mt. Nangu in the southeast, is the key that divides Japan into two - Sekigahara!
“Moo moo moo moo…!”

Radish was digging the soil with his hooves and making engine-like sounds, and he seemed to be in high spirits.

"..."

Qing Deng sat silently on its back, looking at Nangong Mountain in the distance.

At this moment, a man and a cow stood on the top of Tianman Mountain, letting the mountain breeze blow on them.

Qing Deng ordered Harada Sanosuke to lead the cavalry to Sekigahara as quickly as possible to seize the advantageous terrain.

But... unfortunately, the Choshu army that is currently cooperating with the Fazhu Party is indeed not easy to deal with!
When Harada Sanosuke led his troops to Sekigahara, the three-star flag representing the Choshu Mori family had already been hoisted on the top of Mount Nangu in the east!
Fortunately, Mount Sasao and Mount Tenman in the west, and Mount Matsuo in the southwest are still "no man's land".

Harada Sanosuke immediately occupied the three mountains, thus preventing the battle from deteriorating into the worst situation before it even started.

We have Mt. Sasao, Mt. Tenma and Mt. Matsuo, but we have lost Mt. Nangu... Such a start is neither "lucky" nor "unlucky", but basically "average".

After receiving the report from Harada Sanosuke, Qing Deng had just finished dealing with all the political and military affairs at hand and explained everything that should be explained.

So, he immediately led some soldiers who had completed their rest and officially headed for Sekigahara!
Today, he successfully arrived at this uniquely blessed battlefield.

At this moment, Qing Deng, who was standing on a high place, could overlook the entire Sekigahara effortlessly.

He had a panoramic view of the Nangong Mountain opposite.

With his extraordinary eyesight, he vaguely saw figures moving back and forth in the woods of Nangong Mountain. They must be the soldiers of the Choshu Army setting up defense lines and building fortresses.

"..."

After staring at Nangong Shan for a while, he suddenly turned his eyes and looked around.

Sometimes he looked at Mount Ibuki to the north, and sometimes he glanced at Mount Matsuo to the southwest.

He was not admiring the scenery, but loading the terrain of Sekigahara into his mind, and then building a "virtual army" in his mind. On the equally virtual battlefield of Sekigahara, he constantly changed formations and tactics, and waged a heroic war!
Coincidentally, at the same time, the general and military advisor of the opposing army were doing the same thing.

Takasugi Shinsaku stood at the highest point of Mount Nangu, looking around, observing, and memorizing the terrain of Sekigahara.

Suddenly, he turned to a short, plain-looking guy beside him and asked:

"Omura-kun, what do you think?"

The ugly guy called "Omura-kun" said calmly:

"I feel my blood boiling right now. It's so exciting to be able to fight against the famous Shinsengumi on such a great battlefield."

Takasugi Shinsaku grinned:

"Same feeling!"

Although the battle is still brewing, the battle between the coaches has already begun!
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PS: Some readers asked me if this book is going to be finished soon. It is not finished yet! The story of Nioh is still very long, and it doesn’t seem to be finished now.