"Damn, so boring..."
Akabane Koichiro raised his head, opened his mouth wide, and yawned widely.
"Damn it...the guys from Division 7 are happily earning merits right now, but we have to stand here stupidly blowing in the cold wind...the more we think about it, the angrier we get...!"
"Akaba, stop complaining."
Midorikawa, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Akabane, said softly while crossing his arms.
"This is an order from above. The above requires us to cooperate with the Fifth Squadron to surround the longhouse where the traitors are... Can we still fail?"
"Tch! I ran out onto the streets at night to endure the cold, but in the end I ended up making wedding clothes for the seventh team...! Can't our new captain be of some use?"
Akabane curled his lips with displeasure.
"Can't that guy work hard and try to win over the people above him? At least try to get a mission with some achievements, right?"
Midorikawa smiled:
"Please be considerate of our new captain. Our new captain has just arrived and is a low-key person. How can he influence the decision-making of the superiors?"
"Tsk...!"
Akabane smacked his lips vigorously, then raised his gaze and looked at Qingden not far away.
"The more I think about it, the more I feel unconvinced..."
he murmured.
"Why should we let that kind of person be our captain..."
"I have been working as a member of the Huo Fu Thieves for nearly 10 years... I have all the merits and deeds, and I have a lot of popularity in the team. Even if I don't talk about the merits, just in terms of my family background, I am definitely qualified to sit on it. The position of captain of the third division."
"If the position of captain of the third division is not given to me, but to that old man Shirasaki, I can reluctantly accept it."
"Although I don't like Shirasaki, I have to admit that he is indeed very capable. And in terms of qualifications alone, not to mention our third division, even if we look at the whole army of Huo Fu Thieves, there are not many people with the same qualifications. Comparable to Shirasaki."
"What's the result? The position of captain of the Third Division was neither given to me nor to Shirosaki, but to a man who had never been a thief in the fire and turned into a public servant. Before that, it was just a small practice. In addition to his strength, A kid who is very strong and capable of fighting, but I have never heard of him having any great strengths... What the hell is this...! Where do you leave us 'old people' who have worked hard to do our best?"
After saying that, Akabane gritted his teeth hard - his big yellow teeth made a "squeaking" sound.
"Okay, okay." Midorikawa laughed and raised his hand to pat Akabane's shoulder, "Let's save these complaints in private and talk slowly."
Akabane snorted angrily:
"That Tachibana Aoden had better pray that he never makes any mistakes in the future."
"I want to keep my eyes open and stare at him all the time."
"If I find out that he has made any mistakes in the future, I will definitely report it to him as soon as possible."
"Even if we can't make him leave the position of captain immediately, we still have to make it difficult for him to live a comfortable life."
"..." Midorikawa smiled and said nothing, no longer answering Akabane's words.
Although Akabane spoke passionately, his tone was not high.
Logically speaking, his words should not be heard by Qingdeng who is dozens of meters away. However, Qingdeng's ears modified by the "perceiver of wind" happened to violate this "reason". ".
"..." Qingden glanced at Akabane and Midorikawa who had finally calmed down at this moment.
The expressionless face made it difficult for outsiders to figure out what Qingdeng was thinking from his expression.
One could only vaguely detect a hint of thoughtfulness between Qingdeng's eyebrows.
At this time, a miserable howl suddenly intervened, interrupting Qingdeng's thoughts:
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah--!"
Qingdeng was startled by the sudden cry. After looking a little startled, he quickly looked towards the source of the sound - the house in front of him.
As soon as Qingden turned his gaze back to the front, he immediately heard another sound... no, it was a series of screams and wails:
"Uhhhhhhhhh-!"
"help me!"
"Stay in formation! Stay in formation! Don't run around! Didn't you see that the formation has dispersed?"
"Shoot! Shoot!"
"Pfft! Ahem...! Ahem...!"
…
These screams were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake - the soldiers on guard outside the longhouse all showed shocked expressions.
I saw Kimura, who had been looking happy just now, but now his expression changed drastically: "What's going on?!"
Tsuchida beside him was also confused by this sudden surprise. He looked dazed, and his mouth opened and closed again, unable to say a complete sentence.
The screams continued... Everyone could clearly hear the screams moving from the second floor to the first floor.
No matter how stupid a person is, they know that something is definitely going on inside.
Not caring about anything else at the moment, Kimura quickly shouted to Yuli next to him:
"Aoi! Bring your people in..."
Kimura hasn’t finished speaking yet——
Blah blah blah!
The sound of footsteps like a flood interrupted his words.
Looking around, the soldiers of Division 7 were panic-stricken, scrambling for the first place, and rushing out of the door of the wagashi shop in no order.
This scene of a large crowd of people rushing out of the house, afraid of slowing down anyone around them... reminded Qingdeng of the scenes during lunch breaks and meals in the canteen at school in his previous life.
Many of the Seventh Division soldiers who rushed out of the door were splashed with blood that was still steaming outside.
It was obvious - they escaped.
Seeing this, Tsuchida quickly walked towards his subordinates. As a result, before he had time to ask what happened, one of his subordinates said impatiently:
"Lord Tsuchida! The situation has changed! There is a very powerful swordsman inside!"
"A master of swordsmanship?" Tsuchida was stunned.
At this time, Qingto and Kimura also came over, both wanting to hear what happened in the house, which actually caused the originally good battle situation to take a turn for the worse.
"What's going on?" Kimura said impatiently, "Hurry up and tell me!"
The man who was urged by Kimura swallowed hard and then began to explain in detail.
The process and reasons why Team 7 suddenly retreated were not complicated - after they attacked the second floor of the house, they suddenly encountered a very skilled swordsman.
He grabbed the knife in his right hand and held a thick wooden board in his left hand to hide his figure and confuse the sight of the soldiers.
The first team members who encountered this man immediately raised their guns and fired.
As a result, an incredible scene suddenly happened in the next moment.
This person's reactions and skills are extremely agile.
He dodged all the ammunition that was poured at him.
He rushed towards the team members while using the elusive and swift footwork of the path.
The pace is incredibly fast.
The distance of more than ten meters was passed by him in the blink of an eye.
At the speed of teleportation, he suddenly dodged to the team members... and the "violence" began.
The battle between that man and the team members can be explained in two words - one kill and one kill! Chopping melons and vegetables!
The guy's sword was extremely accurate, and he only cut parts such as the face, neck, and elbows that were not protected by armor.
The 7th Division is a unit that is concurrently served by the 5th Division of the Advanced Iron Artillery Division, and the use of matchlocks is their strength.
However, the abilities other than using the matchlock gun are... very average.
In short - the members of Division 7, who were not good at close combat, were simply unable to fight against this mysterious swordsman.
Under this man's fierce attack, the morale of the seventh team collapsed instantly.
As a result, the scene that Qingdeng and others saw just now happened without any warning - the whole team retreated steadily from the second floor to the first floor, and then fled from the first floor to the outside.
After hearing the detailed story of the incident, Kimura's face suddenly turned as dark as a piece of coal.
"A very skilled swordsman... since when did the 'One-Armed Party' have such a character...!"
…
…
At this moment——
"T-Takasugi-kun!"
The one-armed samurai with a cautious and fearful expression walked up to Takasugi Shinsaku in three steps at a time.
"Have all the officers and soldiers of the Huofu Thief Reform...retired...?"
Takasugi Shinsaku glanced at the one-armed warrior blankly:
"Can't you see with your own eyes?"
After that, he shook his right arm vigorously, throwing all the blood on the blade of the knife in his palm to the ground, and then sheathed the knife.
The one-armed warrior tremblingly walked to the window next to him, stuck out half of his head and looked out the window.
Seeing the members of the 7th Squadron who had just shown off their power, they were all moaning and dejected outside the house. After confirming that there were no more abnormal noises downstairs, the expression on the one-armed warrior's face suddenly changed to one of surviving a disaster. Happy look.
"Takasugi-kun... thank you... your swordsmanship turns out to be so powerful... If it weren't for you, my friends and I would all be finished...!"
As soon as the one-armed warrior finished speaking, Takasugi Shinsaku said quickly without thinking:
"It's not that my swordsmanship is strong, it's just that the fire-fighting thief has become incompetent."
"After all, the officers and soldiers of the Huo Fu Thief Reform have the advantage of being armed and numerically superior. If they unite as one and fight against me as one, I may not be able to be so calm."
After finishing speaking, Takasugi Shinsaku crossed his arms and leaned against the window frame next to him. He glanced at the people in black outside the house and let out a disdainful laugh.
"The Hufu Thieves Kai fight against all kinds of vicious criminals all year round. They should be one of the most effective troops currently owned by the Tokugawa family."
"I didn't expect... this army, which I thought would be more or less decent, actually has such a fragile character."
"The rumors are indeed true. The Edo shogunate has indeed weakened greatly in recent years, and it no longer has the majesty it once had to bring down the whole world."
"But... ha! When it comes to the decline of the country, our Choshu clan is not much better..."
Speaking of this, Takasugi Shinsaku seemed to recall some bad memories, his eyelids sank and his lips tightened.
"There are swarms of insects inside and outside the feudal government... I really want to chop all those useless cowards to death...!"
After saying that, Takasugi Shinsaku took a deep breath as if to calm down.
"Okay, Gao Long, I've done everything I can. Next, you can ask for your own blessings and find a way to escape from here."
The one-armed warrior was shocked:
"T-Takasugi-kun! You..."
Takasugi Shinsaku guessed what the one-armed warrior wanted to say, and interrupted him with a strong tone:
"I went to Edo all the way because I heard that there was an anti-barbarian group in Edo called the 'anti-barbarian group' and their behavior suited my taste. I wanted to see it with my own eyes."
"Unfortunately, by the time I arrived in Edo, the anti-barbarian group had been destroyed."
"Fortunately, with the introduction of my friends, I found you group of surviving members of the anti-barbarian group, and finally this trip to Edo was not in vain."
"I have no affiliation or alliance with your anti-barbarian group. Apart from the common ideal of 'repelling the barbarians', there is no intersection between you and me."
"I just helped you repel the shogunate officers and soldiers out of the fact that we are both anti-barbarians."
"I have no obligation to poop on you like a mother, and I have no obligation to protect you all the time."
"What to do next, how to deal with the fire outside the house and the thieves, whether to escape or stick to this broken house - you can decide for yourself. I will neither interfere nor accompany you."
After listening to Takasugi Shinsaku's words, the one-armed samurai's face suddenly turned pale, so pale that he could still clearly see it in such a dark night.
At this time, the surviving members of the "One-Armed Party" gathered in twos and threes towards the One-Armed Samurai and Takasugi Shinsaku.
Including the one-armed samurai, there were a total of 21 people in this group of lucky people who managed to save their lives during the raid by the Huofu Rogue Kai.
Most of them had witnessed with their own eyes how Takasugi Shinsaku had just used his own strength to defeat the invading officers and soldiers with such overwhelming force that they lost their armor.
Therefore, in the eyes of these frightened birds, Takasugi Shinsaku is the life-saving straw that helps them escape from here!
They looked at Shinsaku Takasugi eagerly, casting hopeful glances at this "life-saving straw" - but unfortunately, their calls for help were indifferently ignored by Shinsaku Takasugi.
At this time, the one-armed warrior perked up as if he suddenly thought of something, and said quickly:
"Ah! Takasugi-kun, although you are indeed not obligated to protect us all the time, your current situation is the same as ours, you are trapped in this house!"
“Look outside the house! The officers and soldiers surrounding this place are so densely packed that it’s impossible to fly!
"However, as long as you and I gather our strength, we can definitely..."
Takasugi Shinsaku smiled meaningfully and interrupted the one-armed warrior again.
"Gao Long, you are worrying too much."
Takasugi Shinsaku turned his gaze out the window again and continued with a tone full of confidence:
"Those officers and soldiers outside the house may be able to trap you, but they definitely can't trap me!"
"If I want to escape, I can fly away at any time. I don't need to join forces with you."
The one-armed warrior seemed to have finally given up.
He lowered his head and shoulders in frustration...but in the next moment, he gritted his teeth.
"Okay...! Then we...just find a way to escape on our own!"
A fierce expression appeared on the face of the one-armed warrior, and a crazy and fierce light flashed in his eyes. He turned his head and shouted to a subordinate next to him:
"Hey! Drag out the women we captured! Move quickly!"
…
…
At this time, a team member who had just been sent by Kimura to count casualties walked quickly.
According to the report of the soldier, the casualties of the 7th Division were not particularly heavy, with only 8 dead and 3 injured.
After hearing the casualties of Division 7, Kimura's face turned pale immediately.
"With just a few deaths, the morale of the whole team has collapsed... Tsuchida-kun, you are a bit incompetent as a squad leader. Do you train the troops properly on weekdays?"
"..." Tsuchida didn't dare to say anything or refute.
Like a child who had done something wrong, he stood obediently with his hands down and silently accepted Kimura's scolding.
At this moment, a voice as loud as thunder exploded above everyone's heads:
"Original officers and soldiers who were transformed into thieves and thieves! Listen to me!"
Everyone quickly raised their heads and followed the sound.
I saw a one-armed warrior standing expressionlessly in front of an open window on the second floor of the house.
A member of the Third Division standing next to Qingdeng subconsciously opened his bow and pointed the arrow at the chest of the one-armed warrior.
Qingdeng saw this and shouted quickly: "Wait a minute! Put down the bow!"
The reason why Qingden quickly asked this subordinate to put down his bow is very simple - the one-armed warrior was using his only arm to grab a girl's hair.
The girl looks to be 15 or 6 years old. Judging from her face and clothes, she should be an ordinary civilian girl.
The one-armed warrior's action of dragging the girl's hair was extremely rough, with no regard for the girl's feelings.
The girl, whose scalp seemed to be torn off at any time, looked in pain and burst into tears.
"Ohh Ohh ohh!"
"Damn! Stop crying! Quiet!"
The one-armed warrior slapped the crying girl unceremoniously, and a red and swollen "red maple leaf" suddenly appeared on the girl's right cheek.
The girl who was hurt and frightened by the beating quickly held her breath, bit her lips, and did not dare to make any more sound.
Perhaps he was afraid that the officers and soldiers would fire arrows at him, so the one-armed warrior lifted the girl in front of him and used the girl's delicate body as a shield.
"The officers and soldiers who were turned into thieves by fire! Have you seen these women?"
As soon as the one-armed warrior finished speaking, he saw several black shadows flash behind him - four warriors appeared beside him, each dragging a girl in their hands.
Without exception, these girls are all very young, and they are all dressed like folk girls.
"These women are all 'goods' we captured and planned to sell in order to raise funds for the 'anti-foreign military'!"
"If you don't want them to die, just obey my request!"
"My request is simple - retreat! All officers and soldiers leave my sight without leaving a single trace! And prepare 30 rideable horses for us within half an hour! Otherwise, we will wait to give these women Collect the bodies!”
After saying that, the one-armed warrior slammed the window shut with a "Peng" sound.
"Hey! Wait!" Kimura shouted hurriedly.
However, no matter how Kimura shouted, the room was silent and no response could be heard.
There were actually hostages in the hands of the "one-armed party"... Such an accident exceeded everyone's expectations.
In an instant, there was a commotion around Qingdeng and others.
"M-Kimura-sama!" Tsuchida asked stammeringly, "Those beasts actually threatened us with hostages. What should we do now?"
"..." Kimura, who was frowning, ignored Tsuchida's inquiry.
This is an era when human life is as cheap as grass... No, to be precise, human life in every feudal era is quite worthless.
Judging from the appearance and clothing of the girls arrested by the "One-Armed Party", they were just ordinary people - this made Kimura feel a little relieved.
A lowly commoner who is not even a descendant of the Wu family will die if he dies! Nothing to feel sorry for!
If Kimura ignored the threat of the "one-armed party" and ignored the lives of the girls and forcefully asked the troops to continue the attack, then the people above would not convict him for such a trivial matter.
But in this way, it will be detrimental to one's reputation...
Kimura, who has a high self-esteem, is very stingy with his feathers.
"Kimura Shuma, who has been transformed into a thief by fire, is a cold-blooded man who regards the common people as nothing more than fish." Kimura does not want such rumors to appear in the market.
What's more, just because those girls are wearing ordinary people's clothes, it doesn't mean that they must be the daughters of ordinary people who are easy to bully - if any of these hostages have an extraordinary background... then if Kimura doesn't Proceed with caution, and you could be in trouble.
The "one-armed party"'s request to "withdraw troops and provide horses" is absolutely impossible to agree to.
However, how to exterminate the remnants of the "one-armed party" while protecting ourselves to the greatest extent and not being harmed by the responsibility of "causing the death of hostages"...?
Suddenly, a flash of light flashed in Kimura's mind.
His frown instantly relaxed.
"Why are you panicking?" He said solemnly to Tsuchida first, "You are the squad leader of the Huo Fu Thieves Reform. How is it that you panic about such a trivial matter?"
After saying that, he turned around and looked at Qingdeng.
"Orange."
Qingden, who suddenly heard Kimura's call, raised his head and met Kimura's eyes.
"The traitors are cunning and we will never agree to any of their requests."
"But judging from the current situation, our battle plan needs to make some changes."
"Several girls were brutally kidnapped. We, the officers and soldiers who serve as thieves, must not leave the poor hostages alone!"
When he came to the words "Don't leave the poor hostages alone," Kimura puffed out his chest and showed a righteous and resolute look.
"We will annihilate the bandits and rescue all the hostages at the same time!"
"The traitors in the house are obviously desperate. They are anxious to save their lives, no matter how crazy they are, they can do anything crazy."
"Changes will happen later. Therefore, I decided to organize the troops immediately and launch a new round of offensive!"
"However, the morale of the Seventh Division has not yet been restored. They need a period of rest before they can regain their strength."
"Therefore, I have decided to entrust you and your third division with full authority to rescue the hostages and completely annihilate the remaining bandits in the house!"
After finishing speaking, Kimura paused. After a moment, he added in a very calm tone:
"Remember, we must do our best to protect the safety of those hostages."
Qingdeng: "..."
Qingto said nothing, narrowing his eyes and staring straight at Kimura's face.
After a while, he seemed to come back to his senses and asked slowly:
"My Third Division and I will be responsible for quelling the remaining bandits in the house and rescuing the hostages?"
"yes."
"Okay, I understand."
"you understood?"
Kimura's eyes widened suddenly, and he looked at Qingto who agreed so readily with a look of astonishment.
Qingdeng nodded slightly, indicating that he had indeed understood the content of his mission.
"Kimura, now that I have become a commander shouldering such an important responsibility, I would like to make a small request."
"……you say."
"Give me the greatest degree of autonomy... To put it simply, don't dictate the next actions of me and my subordinates."
"...Okay, I will."
Qingdeng nodded: "In that case, I am willing to do my best."
Before he finished speaking, this young man with a calm expression, as if he was not going to perform any arduous task, but was going out for an outing, put one hand behind his back, and the other hand on the saber at his waist, turned around and left...
…
…
A moment——
"Hey, Mr. Tachibana! What are you doing? How dare you take this kind of job that is obviously a hot potato?"
At this moment, the ranks and strength of the Third Division were lined up in front of Qingdeng.
Just a minute ago, Qingdeng explained in detail to his subordinates the new mission that their third division had received in a concise and concise tone.
As soon as Qingneng finished speaking, Akabane impatiently put his hands on his hips and questioned Qingneng in no big or small way.
"Akaban, calm down." Midorikawa on the side smiled bitterly and held Akabane's arm.
However, Akabane ignored Midorikawa's dissuasion and continued to go his own way and gritted his teeth at Ayoto:
"We need to annihilate the remaining enemies in the house and rescue the hostages at the same time? How is this possible...!"
"Those lunatics will definitely kill all the hostages as soon as they find out that we are unwilling to implement their demands."
"There's no way we would have time to save the hostages."
"Tachibana-sama, can't you see? Kimura-sama obviously deliberately gave this troublesome task to our third division."
"If we can't rescue the hostages beautifully, Mr. Kimura can logically shift all the responsibility for the death of the hostages to our third division."
"If all the hostages are civilians from humble backgrounds, then that's it."
"But if any of the hostages have a deep background...can we afford this kind of responsibility?"
After spewing out so many words of rebuke like a machine gun, Akabane gasped.
Although the other forces did not attack Qingden directly like Akabane, their expressions were not very good--obviously, for Qingden's behavior of directly grabbing such a hot potato without shirk, they were not happy. They all complained quite a bit.
Qingdeng had his hands behind his back and his expression was calm throughout.
After Akabane finally calmed down, he said softly:
"Of course I know what Kimura's intentions were for suddenly giving me such a high-risk task out of kindness."
"Don't worry, I already have a complete and stable plan in mind on how to complete this task beautifully."
Everyone, including Akabane, cast surprised glances at Qingden.
"Master Tachibana." Shirasaki...the oldest man in the team said dumbly, "You...have a plan?"
Qingden nodded, then stretched out his finger and tapped his feet.
"My plan requires your cooperation."
"And what you have to do is very simple - just stay here obediently. When you see a hostage sliding down the second floor along a piece of cloth or something else, go and receive the hostage as soon as possible."
"The rest...just leave it to me!"
After finishing speaking, Qingden shook off the feathers on his body, opened the mouth of Ding Guishen, and drew his sword out of its sheath.
*******
*******
Today is the last day of 2022. Looking back on this year...it seems like I can’t remember anything~~ (Leopard Smile.jpg)
Tomorrow is a new month, so book friends who have monthly tickets must vote for this book today! Otherwise it will be wasted!
Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
