Kinoshita Mai was seen wearing a bright red dress as always. Because she was short, in order to better see Aoden in the crowd, she tried to stand on tiptoe with her little feet covered with plain white socks and cute red button clogs.
The situation of Boss Kiryu is very similar to Chiba Jutaro.
He accompanied Kinoshita Mai to see off Qingto. He stood behind Kinoshita Mai with his arms slightly open, like a solid stone statue and a loyal guard, blocking all the people approaching for Kinoshita Mai.
No matter who he was, he couldn't move the old man's body even a little bit.
Thanks to the protection of Kiryu's boss, although Kinoshita Mai was surrounded by mountains and seas, she did not feel crowded. There was a narrow "vacuum zone" around her.
After Kinoshita Mai discovered Qingden, a happy smile immediately broke out on her round, white face.
"Qingden!"
She raised her hands and waved vigorously, trying to attract Qingden's attention as soon as possible.
However, before Qingdeng's eyes came over, a certain woman's eyes came first.
"..." Zuo Nazi, who heard Kinoshita Mai's voice, narrowed her eyes slightly, pursed her lips, and slowly turned her face, taking advantage of her height to overlook Kinoshita Mai, who was only a few steps away from her.
At this moment, Kinoshita Wu suddenly felt an... indescribable sharp gaze locked on her.
He couldn't help but tremble slightly, and quickly looked in the direction of the sharp gaze.
The two gazes, like two sharp blades, collided fiercely in mid-air.
"Gu...!" Kinoshita Wu let out a short moan from her throat.
She almost subconsciously wanted to avoid looking at Zuo Nazi again because she felt that her appearance, figure, and temperament were all inferior to Zuo Nazi's inferiority complex.
But after thinking of something, she straightened her eyes away, her little face tightened, and she showed an unyielding attitude toward Zuo Nazi, as if she wanted to stare Zuo Nazi down. Open your eyes wide and unblinking. Deep inside a child's heart, there are complex emotions composed of envy, jealousy, and hostility.
Unlike Kinoshita Mai, Zuo Nazi had her hostility clearly written on her face. She looked calm, as if she was looking at something... an insignificant person.
Compared with Kinoshita Mai, the only thing she has in common is that the look in her beautiful eyes is equally complicated and indescribable.
Chiba Jutaro and Kiryu boss discovered the strangeness of the two girls in no particular order. They felt very strange in their hearts: What happened between the young master (Zonako) and Miss Chiba (Miss Kinoshita) that caused the relationship between the two parties? Discord?
If these two knew what happened to the two women, they would immediately turn their murderous eyes on Qingdeng.
The confrontation between Kinoshita Mai and Zuo Nazi made Qingto very embarrassed.
He couldn't explain why, but such an image appeared in front of his eyes: a beautiful white fox with half-closed eyes, calm eyes, and elegant demeanor, fighting with a fox that looked like it was facing a formidable enemy, with a slight arch on its back and all the hair on its tail. The open short cats looked at each other.
As a man who is determined to marry both Kinoshita Mai and Zuo Nako, Qingto naturally wants to see the two women get along harmoniously and harmoniously.
But he also saw it: Kinoshita Mai and Zuo Nazi seemed to have some differences in their horoscopes...
A long time ago, before he confessed his love to them, the relationship between the two women was quite tense. As soon as the two parties came into contact, regardless of whether there were outsiders around, the atmosphere would immediately become extremely awkward.
In order to prevent the two girls from continuing to flirt with each other, Qingdeng quickly raised his arms and waved to them with a warm smile.
The two girls who found Qingdeng greeting them no longer cared about "fighting" at this time.
As agreed in advance, they turned their beautiful eyes at almost the same time and focused their attention on Qingdeng's face again.
Zuo Nazi still looked the same, with a solemn look and a solemn expression, looking like a martyr woman who calmly watched her husband go off to fight.
As for Kinoshita Mai... her emotions fluctuate greatly.
The corners of her mouth were slightly drooped, and her beautiful eyes were blinking frequently. Her eyes were moist, which made people feel pity for her.
With such an expression, it's almost as if "worry" and "reluctance" were written directly on his face.
The two completely different expressions shown by the two women at the moment are the most realistic portrayal of their personalities.
Qingdeng couldn't help but smile helplessly when he saw this.
The last time I saw Kinoshita Mai showing such an expression was when she was bidding farewell to the Komaki couple.
More than 2 months ago, just a few days after the wedding of Kondo Isamu and Matsui Tsune, the couple Komaki Goro and Komakicho left Edo on the grounds that "it's time for us to return to Kyoto and continue selling wagashi." .
Qingden quite liked Goro Komaki, an uncle who spoke very interestingly, so he also participated in the farewell ceremony for the couple.
At that time, Kinoshita Mai was crying hard, hugging Omachi's waist tightly, and begged them to stay in Edo for a few more days.
It's a pity that Gu Mu and his wife have decided to leave.
Except for the fact that Mai Kinoshita burst into tears, the entire farewell was very simple in both form and atmosphere.
The only people who came to bid farewell to the middle-aged couple were Boss Kiryu, Mai Kinoshita and Aoto.
Komaki Goro and Boss Kiryu simply said "take care" to each other - the two of them seemed to be very used to this kind of parting. Therefore, everyone on both sides looked indifferent and spoke calmly.
However, Goro Komaki had quite a lot of farewell words for Qingnog.
"Tachibana-kun, goodbye by fate. I have a hunch that we will meet again - in the near future." - Goro Komaki said with a peaceful smile.
Strange to say. Qing Deng felt that his fate with this uncle who loved to wear light green feather fabrics was not over yet.
I will see him again - this day is just around the corner.
Kinoshita Mai is a very emotional girl, so it's no wonder that she is now showing her worry and reluctance without any concealment.
Although Kai is very close to Edo, if you walk at a normal speed and avoid extreme weather such as storms, a round trip only takes 7 or 8 days. But Qingdeng's trip this time was not to travel, but to fight the vicious bandits with his head on his waist and a knife.
When are you coming back? No one can say for sure. No one knows how long this battle will last.
Moreover, to put it harshly and to put it in an extreme way... Qingdeng may never come back after this separation - after all, Qingdeng does not have the talent of "absolutely immortal".
At this time, Qingdeng spotted another wave of familiar people on the side of the street ahead.
"Tachibana-kun! Tachibana-kun! Tachibana-kun!"
If Zuonazi is a white fox and Kinoshita Mai is a cat, then Souji is an enthusiastic, clingy little dog who likes to wag his tail at people.
At this moment, the little dog, who had just recovered from a serious illness and had just returned to his usual spirit, was riding on Genzaburo Inoue's shoulders, smiling cheerfully and waving vigorously to Aoto.
Kondo, Tsune Matsui, Shusuke, Abi, Hijikata, Saito, Nagakura...everyone from the Test Guard Hall is here.
Harada Sanosuke, the "Big Shew Cow", ignored the strange looks from the people around him and held up a flag with a big word "Trial" written on it and waved it vigorously - this flag was the symbol of Hijikata, Harada, Nagakura and the others. I made the "hall flag" out of boredom a while ago.
Except for Kubei, an old servant who had served the Tachibana family for most of his life, who was full of worries, neither the passionate Souji nor the calm Saito showed any sadness or worry to Ainoto. Waiting for any negative emotions - only pure encouragement and encouragement can be found on their faces and eyes.
There are very few people...such as Nagakura Shinpachi, who is very ambitious about fame, and Hijikata Toizo, who likes to fight for entertainment on weekdays. There is a hint of envy in their childishness.
Not only the Chiba Kenkan and Chishiya, but also the Imperial Guards Hall came to see him off...and all the staff were dispatched. Qingden felt a warmth in his heart, and then he realized that the corners of his lips were curved greatly.
"Tangerine-kun."
At this time, my grandson who was riding in front of Qingdeng suddenly turned around and smiled at Qingdeng.
"You are so popular, so many people came to see you off."
"Um……"
After Qingdeng nodded and smiled slightly, he raised his face and looked up at the clear blue sky above his head.
"...Unconsciously, there are so many people I want to protect that I can't even count them with two hands..."
He murmured softly in a tone that sounded like he was responding to my grandson, but also like he was speaking his true feelings to himself and the sky.
…
…
From Edo to Kai, there is a very convenient "expressway", which is Koshu Street, one of the "Five Streets".
Koshu Street: It starts from Naito Shinjuku in Nihonbashi, Edo, passes through Hachioji and Kobi, and finally merges with Nakayama Street, another of the "Five Streets", at Shimosu. There are a total of 43 inns in the entire street.
Thanks to the smooth roads and relatively high morale, the expeditionary army was moving fairly quickly.
They set off in the morning and paused several times to rest in the middle of the journey. It was not until late in the evening that the expeditionary army finally arrived at their preset target tonight: Hachioji Juku in Koshu Street before the sun completely set.
The "Five Streets" campsites play the important role of "providing supplies and resting places for all passers-by", so they naturally attract a large number of businessmen to do business. They open teahouses, izakayas, and traveling girls in the campsites. Houses and other shops that specialize in business for travelers.
The convenient transportation of the "Five Streets" ensures the flow of people, and the presence of merchants ensures economic development and exchanges. The two complement each other, making the dormitory an excellent "population gathering place."
Over time, the area of many shukubos became larger and larger, and the population became more and more large, almost indistinguishable from castle towns. Such castle towns evolved from shukubos, and they were often called "shukōmachi".
For example, Souji's sister Okita Hikaru and brother-in-law Okita Rintaro live in Hino-juku in Koshu Street.
The Hachioji-juku that Aomori and others arrived at tonight is one of the most prosperous shrine towns in Koshu.
The head of the Hachioji Juku, the man who manages the inn, had received the news in advance that the army of the Hufu Thieves Kai was scheduled to arrive here tonight, so he led a large group of people to wait outside the inn early in the morning to welcome the army. arrival.
The "Five Streets" were first built in 1601. At first, the purpose of building the "Five Streets" by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo shogunate, was very simple, just to enhance the Edo shogunate's control over Kanto.
Kanto is the Edo shogunate...or the foundation of the Tokugawa family.
The "Tenryo" under the direct jurisdiction of the Edo shogunate, as well as the pro-domain daimyo and genealogical daimyo who are close to the Tokugawa family, are mostly in the Kanto region.
However, with the formal formation of the "Appointment Handover" system in 1635, the "Five Streets" became more convenient for the "three hundred princes" to come to Edo.
In order to weaken the strength of each vassal, the Edo shogunate made a rigid rule: the lord of each vassal country must go to Edo once a year to assist the shogun in handling government affairs for a period of time before returning to his own vassal. The round trip expenses are all borne by each vassal Commitment - this is the "interpretation of the pilgrimage".
The samurai class is a group that can no longer survive on the road if they lose face.
Therefore, in order to show their wealth, many famous people showed off their wealth with great pomp and disregard of financial pressure when attending the ceremony.
Just 19 years ago, in 1841, when the lord of the Kiyin Domain went to Edo for a pilgrimage, he mobilized 1,639 samurai, 2,337 workers and 103 horses.
Nearly 4,000 people and countless supplies were mobilized just to give the feudal lord a better appearance when he went to Edo... This incident became an excellent after-dinner conversation topic.
These feudal lords who loved to show off their wealth greatly enhanced the supply capacity of each camp.
The pilgrimage teams of daimyo often numbered thousands of people. In order to absorb this huge logistical pressure, each temple had to "self-evolve".
After nearly three hundred years of long trials, no matter how to arrange people to move in or provide supplies on time and in quantity, each camp is very familiar.
To put it simply: every camp on the "Five Streets" is a large, time-tested supply depot.
Can it withstand thousands or even thousands of pilgrim teams, let alone an army with only 300 people, without a large number of horses, artillery and other heavy weapons, all with light equipment?
Under the skilled management of the Hachioji dormitory camp, it took less than half an hour for the entire army to complete a series of procedures for entering the camp.
The soldiers spread out and checked into different hotels.
Compared with ordinary soldiers, Qingdeng is undoubtedly happy to have the privilege of riding a horse. He can use military horses to travel when marching.
However, anyone who has had relevant experience knows that riding a horse is not an easy task.
The hard saddle can grind your buttocks and the inner sides of your thighs to the point of smoking.
Qingdeng is in this state now.
Qingdeng, who seldom rides horses, stretched his legs into an awkward "O" shape when he climbed down from the saddle. Without this posture, he would not be able to walk at all.
After riding a horse for most of the day, Qingdeng's butt and legs were in severe pain. He originally wanted to climb into bed and sleep directly after dinner.
But as soon as Fang returned to the room, he heard a very noisy sound coming from outside.
Qingdeng, who was very curious, put on his clothes again and left the room. After some inspection outside, I found out: It turned out that there was a group of overly energetic guys who were not tired after marching for most of the day. To kill time, they found a few open spaces in the camp and competed in martial arts there.
A group of people were holding bows and arrows and competing against a big tree.
There was also a group of people holding bamboo swords that they got from nowhere, and gathered in a circle to exchange sword skills in a physical way.
Compared to archery, swordsmanship obviously aroused Qingdeng's interest more.
Aomori tightened the haori around his body and walked toward the area where the sound of bamboo swords constantly clashing was heard.
At this time, there were exactly two people fighting in a battle circle composed of onlookers. After seeing clearly who these swordsmen were, Qingden raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Drink ah ah ah!"
Kanazawa Chusuke, the captain of the second division and the deputy general in this Western Expedition, raised his sword in the upper position and stepped forward to slam his opponent's shoulder.
His opponent's fighting style was extremely fierce. After knocking away the incoming bamboo sword, he flew forward like a flying swallow and swung his sword directly to hit Kanazawa Tadatsuki's body.
Snapped! Snapped!
The two bamboo swords collided twice in mid-air.
The next moment, the two people jumped away, then quickly turned around and fought with their swords again.
However, this time, Kanazawa Chusuke's sword speed was even faster.
The tip of the bamboo sword hit the opponent's right wrist holding the sword in a diagonal slash - hand chop, a classic fighting method of Beichen's Itto style.
The opponent cried out in pain, and the bamboo sword in his hand fell to the ground.
Kanazawa Chusuke turned the edge of his sword, put the tip of the sword against his opponent's throat, and said calmly: "You lose."
As soon as Kanazawa Chusuke finished speaking, bursts of cheers suddenly sounded from around him.
Standing nearby, Qingden nodded slightly - the move Kanazawa Chusuke performed just now was truly superb. It cannot be done by anyone who is not well versed in the art of swordsmanship.
Tadatsuki Kanazawa, who successfully received a beautiful victory in his arms, let out a sigh of relief, then pulled up the shirt on his chest and wiped the sweat on his face.
It was at this time that he discovered Qingdeng who was watching not far away.
"Ah! Tachibana-kun!" Kanazawa Chusuke showed his big white teeth, waved vigorously to Qingto and said hello, "Why are you here?"
Although he had little contact and communication with Kanazawa Chusuke, because Ayoto had always liked people with passionate and unrestrained personalities, he had always had a good impression of this strong man with a bold and unrestrained personality.
"I heard a lot of noise coming from outside the hotel, so I came out to take a look."
Qingto smiled and walked slowly towards Kanazawa Chusuke.
"Kanazawa-kun, I didn't expect to see you here."
Kanazawa Chusuke laughed.
"It's okay to be idle in the hotel. It's better to come out and stretch your muscles to prepare for the upcoming battle!"
Speaking of this, Kanazawa Chusuke seemed to have thought of something and paused. Then, he said expectantly:
"Ji Jun, since you happened to be here and it's a rare opportunity, why don't you come down and compete with us in the last one?"
This is what I've been waiting for!
After thinking this excitedly in his heart, Qing Deng patted his chest happily:
"Okay! Then I would rather obey your orders than be respectful!"
I have long heard of Kanazawa Chusuke's reputation as "the dog of fire".
How can you miss this great opportunity to copy your talent?
My buttocks and the insides of my legs no longer hurt much.
After learning that Aoto was going to leave the ring to compete with Kanazawa Chusuke, the surrounding crowd immediately burst into exclamations and cheers.
The captain of the third division and the captain of the second division, Niou and the fire dog... Such "powerful confrontations" are rare!
Qingden took off his haori, took the bamboo sword handed to him by others, and stood on the east side of the battle circle.
Kanazawa Chusuke moved his right shoulder a few times and stood still on the west side of the battle circle.
In accordance with the rules of kendo, both parties raised their swords in front and bowed to each other from a distance.
Kanazawa Chusuke, who has learned the Hokatsu Ittō-ryu from all over the world, adopts a very classic construction of the Hokatsu Ittō-ryu: the sword is held in front of the body in the middle, and the tip of the sword twitches slightly to prevent the movement from becoming stiff.
Aoshito adopts a blue-eyed stance, with the tip of his sword pointing diagonally at Kanazawa Tadatsuki's right eye.
In the next moment, two afterimages passed each other at a dizzying speed. At the moment when the afterimages overlapped, the sound of three bamboo swords clashing with each other and two short shouts sounded at the same time.
】
In just a blink of an eye, the two of them had passed three moves in a row!
Immediately afterwards, as if being bounced away, the two people quickly staggered and jumped back to their original positions.
Footsteps slid and the ground creaked.
Kanazawa Chusuke still adopts the classic posture of Beichen Itto style with the tip of the sword twitching slightly.
Qingden also continued to raise his sword in the blue-eyed posture.
Everything was exactly the same as the scene 5 seconds ago... It was as if the two of them had not moved at all just now.
Exclamations full of admiration suddenly came out from the spectators who gathered around.
Qingden casually glanced at his right wrist from the corner of his eye - there was still a tingling sensation in his right palm, as if an electric current had just passed through it.
The brief confrontation just now almost gave Qingden the illusion that he was not fighting a swordsman from the Beichen Itto-ryu, but a swordsman from the Shinto Wu-Nian-ryu or the Shinto-ryu!
Kanazawa Chusuke's strength is very strong. The sound of the sword cutting through the air is not a "whoosh" sound, but a "boom" sound. The speed of his slashing can be seen from the middle foot. But this is natural, after all, his physique is there.
It had been a long time since I had fought against such a "powerful" opponent... A faint smile, like an old friend reunited after a long absence, floated on the corners of Qingdeng's lips.
At this time, Qingto looked at Kanazawa Chusuke across from him, grinning at the same opportunity as him, revealing a pair of big white teeth that were quite conspicuous in the dark night.
Although Aoto does not have the ability to read minds, he is miraculously able to read Kanazawa Chusuke's voice - excitement and expectation - which is exactly the same as Aoto's.
As early as just now, when Kanazawa Chusuke took the initiative to invite him to come down and have a spar, Qingto could tell - this man was also a militant who was happy to hear the war!
It was late and then fast, as if the camera was suddenly pressed to speed up. The two people who were still standing peacefully in the first half second turned into afterimages of Mohu again in the second half.
"Ha!" Kanazawa Chusuke lowered his body and rushed out, his steps moving very fast. The momentum contained in the sword and body made people dare not be careless at all. In the blink of an eye, his sword was in front of Qingden.
The bamboo sword rushed towards him unexpectedly, creating a strong wind that blew all Qingdeng's hair away.
Qingdeng calmly lowered the tip of his sword, only to hear the swords clashing, making a clanging sound, and the sound waves scattered in the night.
This time, Qingdeng's bamboo sword was replaced by a strong wind. He suddenly lowered his waist, united his bow and horse, and the bamboo sword dragged by his lower right section first froze slightly, and then rushed toward Kanazawa Tadatsuki's body like a bowstring that suddenly broke.
Kanazawa Katsumi is truly a "fire dog", his reaction speed is extremely fast! Qingdeng's slashes were already as fast as thunder, but they still didn't hurt him at all.
He took a step back nimbly, and Qingden's bamboo sword missed the front of his clothes by a hair's breadth, only hitting the air and the moving afterimage of Kanazawa Chusuke.
Beichen Itto-ryu is the swordsmanship school that Qingteng is most familiar with besides Natural Rishin-ryu.
Therefore, Aomori knew all of Kanazawa Chusuke's moves very well. As soon as the fighting party started, they grabbed the upper hand on the battlefield.
But Kanazawa Chusuke showed no sign of weakness! His sword was extremely sharp and his attack was extremely fierce. Every move and every move is so crisp and neat, without any extravagant or fancy movements... You can tell at a glance that he is a battle-hardened warrior!
Aoto was fighting vigorously—and so was Kanazawa Chusuke.
Just when Qingdeng felt his body gradually warming up and was about to show off his real skills——
"Stop fighting! Stop!"
Not far behind, the sound of "Dragon of Fire" suddenly came...
Ayoto and Kanazawa Tadatsuki froze with their bamboo swords raised in mid-air.
A look of hesitation flashed quickly on Kanazawa Chusuke's face - finally, he let out a long sigh, and then slowly put down the bamboo sword in his hand while disengaging from the fighting posture.
Just when Kanazawa Chusuke took the initiative to put down his sword and withdraw from the sparring——
【Ding! Scan to talent]
[Successfully copied talent: "Speed"]
[Talent introduction: reflex nerves are better than ordinary people]
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Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
If nothing else, filming with Bandits will officially start tomorrow. If nothing unexpected happens... (Leopard Death.jpg)
Author Jun Science: In this chapter, the Hachioji Juku where Aoto and others are stationed is a well-known city that people who often watch Japanese anime and movies and TV series should have heard of: Hachioji City.
