With a loud "boom!"
The inner city tower collapsed under the raging fire, and burning logs scattered all over the ground, landing directly on the charred remains of flesh and blood below.
The stench of blood in the air had been replaced by the smell of burning flesh. Corpses were crackling as they burned, and countless Japanese soldiers huddled together, their bodies reduced to dry, blackened bones.
Faced with such a raging fire, some Japanese soldiers, realizing they could not stop it, turned and fled into the city.
But the Yan army was not about to let them go. The cavalry charged forward, singing and fighting their way into the city. Not only that, the infantry followed closely behind, also charging into the city.
Once inside the city, the tanks were no longer of much use; it was now a real battle of swords and spears!
Edo was densely populated with countless intricate alleyways, but the sheer number of Yan army troops pouring into the city was immense; at this moment, they surged in all directions like a flood.
Having fought to this point, they were not worried that the Japanese soldiers would ambush them in these alleys. After all, most of the Japanese soldiers had been killed after the previous artillery barrage and the burning flames. Now they were just a bunch of defeated soldiers fleeing in disarray.
Qin Ze followed the others into the inner city.
Seeing the sounds of fighting coming from the streets, Qin Ze's face was cold, and he shouted in a loud voice:
"Follow me to the Kyoto Imperial Palace to arrest Akihito!"
The group spurred their horses and headed straight for the Imperial Palace in Kyoto!
The full moon hung high, its pale light pouring down, but Edo under the moonlight did not appear tranquil at this moment; instead, it was extremely noisy.
Battles were taking place almost everywhere, with shouts of fighting and screams rising and falling. Despite their dwindling numbers, the Japanese soldiers were willing to risk everything in this war that threatened to destroy their nation.
On the way Qin Ze led his generals toward the Kyoto Imperial Palace, remnants of his troops frequently rushed to block their path.
But faced with such a disparity in troop strength and such a significant difference in individual combat ability, these Japanese soldiers were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and did not slow down their advance in the slightest.
Thus, when the Kyoto Imperial Palace came into Qin Ze's view, a group of Japanese soldiers stationed outside also appeared at the same time!
The one leading the group was none other than Yamanaka Takuma!
At this moment, his hair and beard were charred black, and half of his face was burned by the flames, making him look extremely ferocious.
There weren't many Japanese soldiers around him, and most of them were wounded, but none of them retreated even half a step.
Yamanaka Takuma raised his katana, pointed it at Qin Ze who was riding up on horseback, and roared:
"Look what you've done!!"
Qin Ze narrowed his eyes and said coldly:
"The only way to deal with you beasts is to exterminate you all!"
Yamanaka Takuma, his face contorted with rage, shouted:
"I swear to serve His Majesty the Emperor to the death!"
Amidst roars, Yamanaka Takuma led his men in a charge.
Qin Ze responded coldly, saying in a deep voice, "Take care of them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chang Yuchun drew his spear and led his men to charge forward, while Qin Ze led the rest of his men to rush towards the Kyoto Imperial Palace!
"Don't even think about it!!! Stop them!" Yamanaka Takuma roared, but the next moment, Chang Yuchun had already drawn his gun!
With a loud "whoosh!"
As Yamanaka Takuma dodged, the spear followed, piercing his right abdomen!
Yamanaka Takuma gritted his teeth and slashed at Chang Yuchun's neck with his sword. Chang Yuchun ignored him and twisted his wrist, causing the spear tip still inside Yamanaka Takuma's abdomen to churn.
In an instant, Yamanaka Takuma's internal organs were shredded, and the sword he swung out lost its direction.
——
Inside the shrine, Akihito held a long sword, his face solemn.
Before him were several ministers trembling, some of whom had already fallen to the ground, their bodies covered in pools of blood.
After arriving at the shrine, Akihito led them on their final pilgrimage.
Upon hearing the sounds of battle outside, Akihito knew that the situation was hopeless; the fall of Kyoto meant that Japan was beyond saving.
Without the help of the Taqi Kingdom, Fusang will inevitably perish.
Rather than die at the hands of the Yan people after suffering endless humiliation, it would be better to die a martyr's death by taking one's own life.
Immediately afterwards, Emperor Akihito bestowed a dagger upon the ministers and ordered them to commit suicide.
Some people did not hesitate at all and immediately committed suicide, but others dared not take up the knife.
At this moment, Akihito looked at them coldly:
"If you don't do it yourself, do you expect me to help you?"
"Your Majesty! I..." one person said in a trembling voice.
Akihito roared, "Coward! It's nothing but death!"
With a clang, Mingren drew his sword and said coldly:
“I am the Emperor, but Japan will perish in my hands. This is my fault.”
"I will not run away from this mistake; I will take responsibility for it!"
"Therefore, I will commit seppuku after you to atone for my sins!"
"And you, all you need to do is kill yourselves!"
As soon as the words were spoken, three people gritted their teeth, picked up the daggers, and slit their own throats!
The last remaining person suddenly stood up and fled in panic. Akihito was furious and immediately chased after him, stabbing him in the back with a knife!
The man collapsed to the ground, but Akihito slashed at his neck with his sword, beheading him!
"coward!"
Emperor Akihito shouted angrily, threw down his long sword, turned to face the memorial tablet, and then slowly sat down.
Then, he drew a short knife from his waist.
As the cold glint of the blade flashed before his eyes, Akihito thought he had regained his composure, but his hands trembled slightly.
After hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and then stabbed himself in the abdomen!
And in that very instant.
With a loud "bang!"
The door was kicked open, and Qi Jiguang let out a breath of stale air as he looked at Mingren, whose abdomen was already pierced by a knife.
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