Upon hearing that Sasaki Taichiro wanted to take Jubei with him to fight, Akihito's expression brightened, and he immediately agreed.
"good!"
"Then you shall all go together! Let's teach these enemies a lesson!"
"But remember, it's best to detain some people as prisoners!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Sasaki Taichiro bowed and solemnly agreed.
But at this moment, Nobuo Sakamoto, who had been holding back for so long, finally couldn't help but speak:
"General Sasaki, do not underestimate the enemy on this journey!"
"The Yan Kingdom is coming with great force and must have plenty of confidence. We have already lost the naval battle. The Yan Kingdom is about to land at Chuanxi Port. By the time the news reaches the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Chuanxi Port may have already been occupied."
"If that is the case, it is clear that the Yan Kingdom is no small force in terms of both military strength and combat power."
Sasaki Taichiro looked at him, but only snorted coldly. He had always been at odds with the reformists, and he wouldn't show them any kindness now.
Nobuo Sakamoto wanted to say more, but seeing his expression, he had no choice but to swallow his words.
Akihito waved his hand and said calmly, "Alright, that's enough."
"The situation is not that dire yet, so there is no need to panic, much less to boost the morale of others and diminish our own."
At this point, Akihito narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Nobuo Sakamoto, saying indifferently:
"Xinfu, why don't you also take a troop of soldiers with you? Your troops still need training. Fighting on home soil is much better than going to Yan Kingdom. Now that the people of Yan Kingdom are here, it saves them the trouble of going to Yan Kingdom."
Nobuo Sakamoto's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied:
"Your Majesty, most of the soldiers under my command are new recruits who have not yet received complete training. Although they must be tempered on the battlefield to transform into a strong army, the army that Yan Kingdom has brought across the sea this time must be the most elite troops of Yan Kingdom."
"It is not a suitable time for my troops to engage them in battle."
“Or…” He turned to look at Sasaki Taichiro and continued, “Let General Sasaki lead his battle-hardened army.”
"They are experienced in combat and are all brave and fierce, making them the perfect candidates."
After he finished speaking, Sasaki Taichiro arrogantly raised his face, and then leisurely said:
"That's right."
"Although the country has been undergoing reforms in recent years, we veterans have never changed. We are still brave and can still fight on the battlefield with our swords and guns!"
"Furthermore, since my son Jubei founded the Kitano Itto-ryu, his five hundred disciples have become increasingly skilled in swordsmanship. These five hundred samurai alone can slay several times their number of enemies!"
"I'm not exaggerating, I dare say I can defeat five thousand men with five hundred!"
"Not to mention my soldiers. Although my soldiers are not as good as Jubei's five hundred samurai, they are by no means ordinary people."
"Compared to the warriors under Xiongzhi's command, our combat strength is far superior to theirs."
"I believe that when we fight the Yan people, we will definitely be able to defeat them completely!"
After he finished speaking, Akihito's expression softened, and he even smiled.
Nobuo Sakamoto, however, became increasingly alarmed. To speak so confidently before even going to the battlefield was not a good thing.
At this moment, Akihito spoke.
"good!"
"In that case, I'll wait for your good news!"
"There's no time to lose, let's set off tonight!"
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Sasaki Taichiro immediately nodded in agreement.
——
Inside the shogunate.
"Jubei, everything is ready. We should set off."
Sasaki Taiichiro looked at his son Jubei, who was sitting upright on the ground with his eyes closed.
Jubei was in his thirties, wearing a haori, with long hair flowing down his shoulders, and his unkempt face covered with thick stubble.
He slowly opened his eyes, then suddenly stood up and walked to the knife rack.
Looking at his son, who was a head and a half taller than him, Sasaki Taichiro felt deeply gratified. He said:
"Jubei, we are about to go to the battlefield. I have prepared armor for you. You should put it on."
Jubei walked to the sword rack, picked up his long-time companion, the Senji Muramasa, and shook his head, saying:
"Need not."
“Father, do you know? Yuji’s swordsmanship is quite good, and his sword, Dojigiri, is also a first-class great sword.”
"Before he went to war against Yan Kingdom, he came to visit me. He seemed to want to spar with me in swordsmanship, but he didn't say anything."
Upon hearing this, Sasaki Taichiro sighed softly.
“Xiongzhi is a junior I have high hopes for. In this attack on Yan Kingdom, he took the lead and was the first to lead the troops.”
"But... he has remained in Yan Kingdom forever."
With his back to his father, Sasaki Taichiro stroked the scabbard and asked in a deep voice:
"Father, our Fusang is small."
"But we don't lack anything, so why are we so determined to attack the Yan Kingdom?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sasaki Taichiro froze, but his face quickly turned bright red.
"Is that even a question?!"
"If we don't attack Yan Kingdom, are we just going to wait for them to attack us?!"
"Didn't we cease hostilities more than two years ago? We agreed not to wage war against each other again. Haven't we had a peaceful Japan for the past two years?"
"Why are you still so determined to wage war against Yan?" Jubei asked without turning around.
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