I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

Gui Yizheng was not alone - almost at the same time, Inamori and Gui Yizheng's complexion changed drastically.

Inamori suddenly put down the binoculars in his hand, and cast an unbelievable gaze at the Red Moon Fortress in the distance.

"what happened……?!"

The confidant standing beside Inamori asked urgently:

"Master Inamori! What's wrong?"

Inamori ignored his confidant, but hurriedly raised the binoculars in his hand again, and watched the battle situation in the distance intently.

However—no matter how Inamori looked at him, there was no change in the scene in his eyes.

These barbarians were clearly in a hurry in the morning.

But after only one noon, those barbarians completely changed.

Although a little jerky can be seen from the running movements of those barbarians, it can be clearly seen that their mobilization is already in shape.

Soldiers have always been able to fill positions that require combat power in the most timely manner. Until now, there has not been a stronghold on the city wall that can stably transport troops upward.

"..." Inamori put down the binoculars in his hand with a gloomy face, "There is a master who is good at defending the city in this fortress...!"

...

...

Red Moon Fortress, on the inner city wall——

"This person doesn't seem to be bragging..." Retannoe muttered in a low voice that only he and Chanup next to him could hear clearly, while looking at him with a look of astonishment that could not be concealed. He looked at a not-so-tall figure standing not far from them.

Chanup was also looking at the owner of this figure at this time.

He is only tall and not prominent, and his age is comparable to that of Chanup and Raitannoe, who have reached middle age. The head is elderly and old.

But the instigator who shocked Daomori and Gui Yizheng over the changes in the Red Moon Fortress was this ordinary-looking old man.

The old man had been standing by the inner city wall from just now, moving his eyes, scanning the battle situation on the outer city wall.

After sweeping back and forth countless times,

He finally took a breath.

"...It should be fine in this way." The old man turned his head to look at Chanup who was standing not far away, and said in fluent and standard Ainu, "According to my observation-this city outside the city The army is holding the banners of the Northeast vassals, and the army that is launching an offensive now should be a coalition army composed of the vassal armies of the Northeast vassals."

"Except for the Sendai Fan army holding the military flag embroidered with the 'Dragon Sparrow Pattern', which may be more difficult to deal with, the other Fan Fan armies are not to be feared."

"Such a deployment should be enough to deal with the troops outside the city."

Chanup turned his head to look at the battle situation on the outer city wall, which was completely different from that in the morning - Kazuto's generals were firmly blocked outside the city wall, and no one has successfully climbed up and established a stronghold so far.

"...Mr. Lin." Chanup said, "I don't know how to thank you..."

"There is no need to thank you." Lao Heren called "Mr. Lin" responded, "I am only acting according to my own beliefs."

...

...

About an hour ago——

...

...

When I learned that Lin Ziping expressed his desire to see him and said that he "wanted to fight side by side with them", if Chanup was not curious - that would definitely be impossible.

After saying "I see" to the young man who came to deliver the letter, Retannoe was left alone to help him deal with some post-war affairs, and he rushed to the prison where Lin Ziping was held.

As soon as he arrived at the prison, the two guards of the prison immediately greeted him.

Now is the time of war when every young man is extremely precious, so the person in charge of guarding Lin Ziping has been changed to a woman.

But—even though they are women, Ainu women who live a life of fishing and hunting are not easy to mess with.

"I understand the specific reasons." Chanup said, "Get out of the way first, let me go in and have a chat with him."

"Mr Chanup, are you going in alone?"

"When I was young, my majesty was not inferior to those heroes depicted in those heroic epics." Chanup said in a half-joking tone, "Even when I am old, I am confident that I can defeat 10 young people with my bare hands. "

"I can go in by myself, even if the person inside wants to do something to me, it is impossible to succeed."

"Then you have to pay attention to safety...the man in the prison is weird."

Chanup: "Strange?"

"I heard that Kazuto, who was locked up before, is a very talkative and noisy person."

"But for some reason these days, this person is surprisingly quiet. He just sits cross-legged every day, thinking about something."

"...I see." Chanup nodded, "Okay, you all get out of the way."

Chanup quickly entered the musty and damp-smelling prison and saw Lin Ziping, whom he hadn't seen for three days.

Just like what the guard said just now—Lin Ziping is sitting cross-legged on the ground now, with his hands on his lap naturally, his head lowered, his face full of contemplation—I don’t know what he is thinking about.

After Chanup came, Lin Ziping immediately raised his eyes and looked at Chanup in front of him.

"Mr. Chanup." Lin Ziping said, "What was the result of the battle this morning?"

"The sound of the battle actually came here."

"Although I am old, my ears are not so old that I can't even hear such a loud sound."

"We successfully defended the city wall." Chanup succinctly described the situation of the just-concluded battle, "All the enemy soldiers who climbed up were driven down by us."

Lin Ziping: "..."

After listening to Chanup's brief introduction, Lin Ziping remained silent, only lowered his head, as if thinking.

"I'm not that free," Chanup said, "so let's get down to business."

"I've just heard—you said you wanted to fight with us. What does that mean?"

"It's just a literal meaning." Lin Ziping raised his head again, looking firmly into Chanup's eyes, "I want to fight back the Heren army outside the city with you."

"I'm not a very capable person."

"But I have studied military strategy for the time being. I have read all military books since I was a child, and when I grew up, I even studied the military strategy of the Europeans."

"I also learned how to defend in this European-style fortress."

"If I come to help, I should be able to help more or less."

As soon as Lin Ziping finished speaking, Chanup's eyes burst out with surprise and joy.

They just happen to be short of such a person right now...

But the light in Chanup's eyes was fleeting.

As soon as this light appeared, it dissipated in an instant, and then turned into a frown of suspicion and puzzlement.

"...You should... be Heren, right?" Qia Nupu looked Lin Ziping up and down several times, "Whether you have real skills or not, that's for the time being."

"I want to figure it out first: why do you want to join us in repelling the peace army outside the city? Do you have a blood feud with the Edo shogunate?"

"Although I have had many unpleasant memories with the Edo shogunate, for some reason, I was imprisoned several times, and I have survived until now because of good luck. It can be regarded as an enmity with the Edo shogunate. But I It's not because I have enmity with the Edo Shogunate that I want to fight side by side with you."

"Why is that?" Chanup asked, "Since it's not for revenge, as a Japanese, why would you want to join us Ainu against your own compatriots?"

Lin Ziping pursed his lips.

After a while, he continued to look directly into Chanup's eyes, and said in an unhurried tone:

"...I use my ass to think, and I can figure out why the Edo shogunate has gathered such a large-scale army this time, and what is the reason for mobilizing troops against you."

"I must have taken a fancy to this treasure land of yours."

"I don't know if you have discovered that the fortress you live in now is a treasure."

"It is located in a dangerous location, rich in products, and it is such a strong fortress."

"I've heard it before: In order to develop the Ezo land, the Edo shogunate has long coveted the land under your feet."

"At the same time, I also saw clues from the various actions of the Edo shogunate: there is indeed such a thing."

"The Edo shogunate must have just made up a random reason, and then mobilized troops to suppress the border."

Chanup: "..."

Chanup has been silent, listening quietly.

After hearing Lin Ziping's sentence "The Edo shogunate has long coveted the land under your feet", a touch of grief and indignation appeared on his face.

But then - what Lin Ziping said next, the grief and indignation on Chanup's face slowly turned into surprise.

"Mr. Chanup, I will not hide from you."

Lin Ziping smiled.

"Actually, I am very much in favor of the development of Ezo Land."

"In my design - the Edo shogunate should vigorously develop the Ezo region and reform the military system, build a defense line in the Ezo region, and prevent Lucia, whose ambition has been revealed, from going south."

"But... I cannot accept the Edo shogunate's use of troops to seize land."

"The development of Ezo should be peaceful coexistence with you Ainu people, and we should work together to develop it."

"That's the right path to take."

"Instead of taking land from the Ainu in such a brutal way."

Speaking of this, Lin Ziping paused, as if he was thinking about it.

After a while, he seemed to have already brewed enough emotions, and he said in a sonorous and forceful manner:

"Weapons are used to protect oneself. The army is used to protect the country. The army must not be used for such robbery."

"...I'm still a little hard to understand." Chanup said in a deep voice, "It's for this reason that you plan to confront your compatriots with swords."

"If you are facing Kazuto with a sword, from Kazuto's point of view, you are a big traitor."

"Traitor... maybe." Lin Ziping let out a few more self-deprecating laughs, "But even if I will be crowned with the title of 'traitor', I don't want to sit back and watch the Edo Shogunate win this unjust war. "

At this time, Lin Ziping suddenly showed memories, and the conversation was cut off. After a while, he changed into a calm tone and said slowly:

"Although saying this... seems to be bragging, but after reading countless history books and traveling around, I did discover some... characteristics of us and people."

Chanup: "Characteristic...?"

"How should I put it... I don't know if you can understand me. To put it simply, we and others are a nation...with very poor 'self-control'."

"What can be obtained through hard work with the tongue can often be obtained easily with the army."

"Such as population, such as money, such as land, such as fame."

"So war is like a jar of fine wine, which can easily intoxicate people."

"If the 'self-control' is strong, you can still resist the temptation of this 'fine wine'."

"But we and people's 'self-control' is quite poor...At the same time, the Edo shogunate happened to be based on military force, with samurai as the cornerstone of the country."

"If the Edo shogunate has tasted the sweetness in this seizure of your land, I have no doubt that the shogunate will most likely be intoxicated by the taste of this 'fine wine'."

"And the samurai who tasted the taste of increasing their rank and salary in this battle will support the shogunate's indulging in this 'fine wine'. The samurai who failed to reap the benefits in this battle hope that the shogunate will quickly launch A war."

"So—even if there is only a 10% possibility of this kind of thing happening, I must eliminate the possibility of the shogunate going on this crooked path."

"and……"

Lin Ziping suddenly changed the topic.

"Let the Edo shogunate lose the battle at this time... Maybe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."

Lin Ziping let out a few laughs that seemed to be laughing at himself.

"After I gave up my official position and started traveling around to study, I saw with my own eyes how corrupt the current Edo Shogunate is and how weak the military is..."

"Especially when I arrived in Nagasaki. After seeing the powerful and advanced military force of the Dutch, I felt the urgency of reforming the military system in our country."

"I personally can't remember how many times I have written to the shogunate, suggesting that the shogunate lift the country, learn from the Europeans, and reform the military system."

"But every time I wrote a letter, it was completely lost."

"Until now, the Edo shogunate has been superstitious about the power of the samurai and the power of the katana... unwilling to open their eyes to see the world."

"Japan under the Edo Shogunate...is now like a stagnant pool..."

"However——if they can lose to the Ainu who they have always looked down upon in this battle, it may cause some waves in this pool of 'dead water'..."

Lin Ziping's eyes gradually brightened.

"As long as there is a possibility to rejuvenate this country ... even if there is even a small chance, I will not give up."

"...You are really a weirdo." Chanup said softly, "You should always be called a 'weird' by your friends, right?"

"You are so amazing, you guessed it right." Lin Ziping said in a joking tone, "I am always called a 'strange person' by people around me, so no one wants to associate with me."

Chanup: "..."

Chanup was silent, watching Lin Ziping quietly.

Lin Ziping also remained silent, quietly waiting for Chanup's answer.

...

...

Back in time to the present——

...

...

"Speaking of which——" Retannoe, who was standing next to Chanup, spoke to Chanup again, "Just now when you brought that Lin Ziping over and said that you would let this Lin Ziping take charge of the command, I was really scared. Jumping, think you are crazy."

"Now it seems... I should apologize to you, to that Lin Ziping."

"...I actually thought I was crazy at the time." Chanup's face showed a faint color of memory, "I actually handed over such an important command to a Kazuto who has only met three times in total."

"But I probably have such a personality, I always do crazy and unreasonable things suddenly."

"At that time, after listening to Mr. Lin's heartfelt words in the cell, there was only one thought in my mind: let him give it a go."

Retannoe: "What did he tell you?"

"I'll talk to you later when I have time." Chanup said, "Stop chatting for now. Retannoe, go and urge the rear to move the new arrows and spears over quickly. Our arrows and spears must be replenished."

...

...

Lin Ziping, who was standing on the edge of the inner city wall, had once again turned his gaze to the outer city wall where the fierce battle was taking place.

After checking the battle situation again, after confirming that there were no problems with his deployment, he turned his gaze to the outside of the city.

There were many flags and flags outside the city, and the military flags of the Northeast vassals fluttered in the wind.

Looking at the various military flags outside the city, even though he concealed it, Lin Ziping still had a little complicated look in his eyes.

Especially after seeing the largest number of Sendai feudal military flags embroidered with "dragon and bird pattern", Lin Ziping's eyes became more complex.

...

...

In winter, it gets dark quickly. Especially in places as far north as Ezo.

And until it got dark, the soldiers of the First Army were firmly stopped outside the city wall.

This morning, the soldiers managed to build several strongholds on the city wall to transport troops steadily. However, this afternoon, it was a veritable and unsightly battle result.

After the sky began to gradually turn dark, Inamori raised his head and glanced at the sky.

"... Send an order to Gui Yizheng." Daomori said in a low voice to his confidant next to him, "Let's stop here for today."

"yes!"

Inamori's order quickly spread to the main formation of the First Army.

After receiving this order, Gui Yizheng, whose face was not very good-looking, nodded lightly, then stood up from the saddle, and waved his army counterweight heavily: "Retreat!"

...

...

"Look! Look! Kazuto retreats! Kazuto retreats!"

"We're holding on! We're holding on!"

"Oh oh oh--!"

The soldiers on the inner and outer walls of the Red Moon Fortress looked excitedly at the soldiers of the First Army receding like a tide, their faces and eyes were all full of excitement.

Many people cheered loudly as if they were tireless, and the sound waves formed by their cheers caused Retannoe to block his ears involuntarily.

"Really..." Retannoe said, "It's just that I survived the first day, I'm a little too complacent."

Although Lei Tannoe said so, there was still a faint smile on his face.

"Let them 'get over themselves'." Chanup on the side said with a smile, "Even if it only survives the first day, it will be a great encouragement to us."

...

...

"Have you survived the first day..." Lin Ziping, who was standing by the inner city wall, looked at the slowly retreating army outside the city, murmured in a low voice, and heaved a sigh of relief, "It's okay ...From the beginning to the end, I did not see the military flag with 'Aizu Sankui' embroidered on it..."

...

...

The shogunate army, the main front of the whole army——

"What is certain at the moment is that in that fortress, there is an expert who is good at defending the city." Inamori said in a deep voice, "Otherwise, there is no way to explain why it was only at noon that the gang of barbarians It all changed."

"My lord." A certain general said, "Since those barbarians have such an expert in the battle...then why didn't they invite such an expert to help out this morning?"

"Who knows." As soon as the general finished speaking, Gui Yizheng, who had a very ugly face, folded his arms around his chest, said in a deep voice.

"Don't worry about such insignificant things." Inamori glanced at the general who asked the question just now, "The most urgent task now is to find a way to deal with the barbarians whose combat power has been greatly increased due to the presence of that expert. .”

"...My lord, use the cannon and the cannon." A certain young general said at this time, "No matter how powerful that expert is, he will never be able to compete with our cannon and cannon."

"No." Inamori said without hesitation, "If you destroy this fortress, it will be us who will pay to rebuild it in the end."

"When we fight, we have to think about other things besides winning."

At this moment, a loud shout suddenly sounded outside the tent:

"Boss! A message from Gamo-sama has arrived!"

"Gamo?" Inamori raised his eyebrows, "Hand it up!"

"yes!"

A soldier dressed as an orderly walked quickly into the commander's tent, and handed a well-sealed envelope to Inamori.

After grabbing the envelope, taking out the letter paper inside and reading the written content at a glance, Inamori's brows that had been furrowed since this afternoon finally relaxed a little.

"...Finally good news has arrived." Inamori put down the letter paper in his hand, "The marching speed of Gamo's Third Army is faster than expected."

"According to what he said—by the morning of the next day, they will be able to join us."

As soon as Inamori finished speaking, the originally quiet camp suddenly became noisy.

"Can the Aizu Army come the next morning...!"

"Huh... finally here..."

"The strongest army in the Northeast is finally here..."

Except for the generals of the Sendai domain headed by Kuroda and Qiuyue, and the generals of the other domains, the rest of the generals, including the generals of the shogunate, all showed signs of resentment when they heard that the Aizu army was finally coming. It was a relieved expression.

*****

*****

Today is another big chapter of 6200 words, I humbly ask for a monthly ticket! (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)

The author designed Lin Ziping, a historical figure, as a character who resists the use of the army to invade others.

The famous military scientist, Zhang Zhaozhong, Director of the Bureau of Strategic Deception, once published a video introducing Lin Ziping, you can go and watch it.

Everyone go to Station B and search for "Zhang Zhaozhong Lin Ziping".

In the video, Zhang Juzuo gave a brief account of Xia Lin Ziping's life and thoughts.

According to Zhang Juzuo's introduction - Lin Ziping's proposition, in a word, is to build the army, improve the military system, use a strong military force to protect the country from foreign aggression, and does not advocate foreign aggression. In all of Lin Ziping's works, he never talked about expansion or aggression. His idea has always been to strengthen oneself so that foreign countries dare not attack you.

The author created this character according to the thought of Lin Ziping in the historical facts.