Winters in Ezo are unbelievably cold. In the ice and snow, as long as you push the door and go outside, the oncoming wind is so cold that it seems to be able to freeze people's internal organs immediately.

The scenery of Ezo is buried under pure white snow.

Hijikata stopped outside the door of Gorengkaku and turned his head to stare at Liu Quan. There was not a smile on his face.

"Do you see the mountain on the other side?"

Liu Quan followed his line of sight and looked into the distance.

"You mean...... Hakodate Mountain?"

The naming of this mountain range is simply unoriginal.

Hijikata's eyebrows cooled slightly.

"Then they will cross that mountain and approach Hakodate. ”

Liu Quan raised his eyebrows slightly.

"So, Mr. Hijikata doesn't think they would choose to attack the port?"

Hijikata nodded.

"It's not a smart move to attack from the front. That's simply a moth to a fire and a self-destruction. In a sonorous tone, he concluded, "If the new government forces want to attack Ezo, they should land from Otobe or Esa." ”

These two place names are a bit rusty for Willow Springs. She thought about it for a while, and then remembered that both of these places were located behind the mountain, so they must be good places for landing operations.

"On the other hand, the Hakodate Port is shelled from the open ocean. In this way, we are the turtle in the urn. Hijikata calmly analyzed.

Liu Quan couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Really...... What an unfavorable situation. She reluctantly commented, her voice sounding calm and cold, like an unrelated bystander.

Hijikata's gaze drifted to the side, as if he was angry and troubled by this powerless disadvantage.

"Unfortunately, we can't stop the attack from the sea. We are bound to lose in a naval battle, after all, the difference in strength is too great. He said calmly, and then turned his gaze to the willow spring in front of him.

"This Goryokaku will be the last battlefield. His voice lowered, "This will also be the last time I draw my sword as a samurai." ”

In his calm voice, Liu Quan somehow heard a trace of gloomy feelings.

...... Does he want this place to be his final place?

She wanted to explain him a little, but she also knew in her heart that there was no way to solve the dilemma they were facing. It's a dead end.

The cold wind of deep winter blew on their faces, as if freezing their expressions.

Yanagizumi stared at the earth.

The dress really suits him. No, it should be said that as a person with the title of "the most beautiful man at the end of the Edo period", whether it is a kimono or a Western costume, wearing it on him, he will look particularly heroic and tall.

On the way to Ezo, when she was on a British merchant ship, she once heard someone occasionally mention earthwork in small talk.

At that time, the Englishman said with a little sigh: I really didn't expect that there would be such a talent in today's Japan, an uncivilized country......

Then, he mentioned the name of the earth. Because the surname Hijikata is not easy to pronounce, Liu Quan was stunned for a moment, only to realize that the foreigner mentioned it was the person he missed.

That person seems to be very talkative, probably because the end of this merchant ship is Ezo, and Hijikata is one of the best people in Ezo today, he praised Hijikata several times in a row to his interlocutor, such as calm and wise, far-sighted, sometimes the mind is also very flexible, good at accepting and learning the advanced advantages of foreign countries, in the military can be called a strategic genius, I heard that swordsmanship is also a first-class master, not only good at military affairs, but also good at government affairs, and handsome appearance, in the box date is almost all the lovely ladies and ladies, including those flower streets in the courtesans are very eye-catching, Yunyun。

This kind of gossip made Liu Quan angry and funny for a while. At the time, she thought to herself: Ah, sure enough, she was right to come to the box house. Didn't the chief secretary make an agreement with himself at the beginning that he would never allow other women to approach the deputy chief?

Then, the next sentence made her completely stunned.

[I heard that the French also appreciated his talents.] Those Frenchmen had come to Ezo to sell arms, but they repeatedly invited the deputy commander of the Ezo Army to work for them? 】

At that moment, Yanagizumi finally realized that there was indeed more than a single path to go in front of him, which ended up with the old shogunate.

With his talents, he will become an extremely outstanding person everywhere.

But he stubbornly chose Samu, and chose this path that Kondo-kun and himself chose together and decided to defend to the end, even if this road leads to only death, he will not retreat, and he will not regret it.

He could have plunged into the light of the new era. Or plunge into a whole new world of Western civilization. But without hesitation, he chose to stand at the junction of the old and the new, in the deepest darkness, and finally merge his figure with the darkness when the old era receded.

"Mr. Hijikata......" Yanagizumi muttered.

Hijikata raised her eyebrows slightly, as if silently asking what she was going to say to herself.

"What if...... The new government forces did not attack over, if ...... They will never attack again—" Willow Springs, in vain uttered dreams that he did not even believe, pale and illusory, a small extravagant hope that could not be realized.

“...... What will you do when that time comes?"

Earthwork was slightly stunned.

Maybe she had never asked him such a stupid question, he paused. He spoke quietly when Ryuzumi began to wonder if he should apologize and withdraw the question.

"Even if they don't come, it's just the end. ”

This answer didn't seem to really answer her question, but Liu Quan's eyes widened for a moment.

"The time has come when there is no need for a 'Shinsengumi'. He proclaimed lightly. Unlike what she had expected, he did not express any obvious pain, sadness, anger, or loss when he said it.

In the future, the samurai class will disappear.

They are no longer needed as role models, they no longer need to draw their swords, and what they can protect is probably gradually disappearing.

Liu Quan was silent for a moment, and whispered his thoughts on Hijikata's prophecy.

“...... But the 'Shinsengumi' will one day be recognized by everyone. Someday, everyone will admit that the Shinsengumi represents the samurai themselves. ”

"The era of the samurai lasted for hundreds of years...... But, Mr. Hijikata," she gazed into his face, hesitated, and reached out to take one of his cold hands.

"The Shinsengumi, which came into existence at the end of the samurai era, has been able to become a model for the samurai era and the samurai spirit that has lasted for hundreds of years...... Mr. Hijikata, this is a victory for the Shinsengumi. It is also a recognition and appreciation for all the efforts of Mr. Kondo, you, and everyone at Shinsengumi. ”

Hijikata had a very surprised expression on his face, and his eyes widened as he stared at Liu Quan.

"However, please don't say anything like that that suggests to me that you can die without regrets as long as you participate in the last battle!" Ryuzumi raised his voice abruptly, glaring at Hijikata in annoyance.

"Can drawing a sword without drawing a sword be used as a criterion to define whether you are a samurai or not?!...... Please don't say that childish thing again. How many unscrupulous ronins have we slashed in the streets of Kyoto...... They draw their swords too, but they're not samurai at all!"

"A true samurai is a person who lives with a spirit. It has nothing to do with origin, it has nothing to do with what kind of fighting style or survival method is used. Liu Quan said aggressively, approaching Hijikata's face.

"I'm here to follow you on the Shinsengumi Representative's Shinsengumi, not to send you to the end hastily. Liu Quan gritted his teeth and said, "If you don't continue to live well, I will be very troubled!" Mr. Hijikata, please don't decide to leave me behind again......

Hijikata's eyes widened as he widened, and even a stunned expression appeared on his face. Probably he never thought she would be able to say such a thing.

"I won't let you escape!" Ryuzumi finally made a loud announcement, staring at Hijikata's eyes menacingly as if declaring war, and unconsciously clenched his hand.

Hijikata's expression suddenly softened, and it even sounded like a faint smile.

“...... You're such a terrible woman. ”

He chuckled softly, put her other unheld hand on her shoulder, and with a slight effort, took her into his arms.

"What kind of person did you recruit for me...... he complained jokingly, breathing between his lips and teeth on her forehead.

"Even when I left Tama, I wouldn't have thought about it...... I'm going to meet a girl like you in Kyoto. There was a hint of nostalgia in his tone, probably remembering that in the woods outside Sendai Castle, when he was about to leave, she angrily interrogated.

“...... Didn't you mention Ah Qin again at that time? He actually began to slowly recall his black history. Perhaps in order to dispel her concerns about this matter, he actually began to explain to her about Ah Qin as it was.

"Akoto is the daughter of the shamisen house in Totsuka Village...... She is very good at tuning the shamisen, and everyone says that she is a gentle and beautiful woman. But in those days, I was determined to do something big, so I couldn't marry her......"

Liu Quan gently pressed his forehead against his shoulder blades, but felt a black line in his heart.

...... What the hell is wrong with you, Deputy Chief...... Take the initiative to explain the black history, this is not like your style...... Could it be that Otori mentioned the word "marry" during his visit just now, so it touched his memories that have been hidden for many years?

[Seek and be confused/If you don't ask, there is no confusion/The way of love]

This haiku from the "Toyotama Hair Sentence Collection" that Okita had stolen out and shoehorned into her to show her suddenly came to her mind for no reason.

It seems that he wrote it before he went to Beijing.

...... It was written in the days when I was troubled by the girl of the shamisen house in the countryside of Tama, right?

Liu Quan knew that he should be a little jealous, after all, it was a woman who mentioned the word marriage, maybe if he didn't enter the trial hall, and then joined the ronin group, but continued to engage in the profession of medicine merchant, that Aqin girl would become his wife at some point, and they would spend their lives in the countryside of Tama peacefully, whether it was the king or the samu, whether it was the change of the forbidden gate, whether it was the great government or the great government, it would not affect their peaceful life, until he was old, until he died, he would be gray-haired, full of children and grandchildren, and he would never have any chance to meet her？

Although that conjecture caused her to feel a wave of indescribably complicated feelings, she still laughed softly.

Miss Aqin's later life was almost the same as she had predicted in the woods on the outskirts of Sendai, right? Such a life was indeed smooth and stable, but it was not the life she wanted.

Ryuzumi thought of the beautiful geisha and dancers in the flower street, and the love letters that filled the desk of the deputy chief of Mibu Village, from the beginning of his encounter with Aqin to the present, there may have been many beautiful, gentle, lovely, and virtuous women who had tried to leave a little trace in the heart of the vice chief of the Shinsengumi, or to stay by his side, right?

But now, the person he is hugging is her.

It was in the days when he was a medicine merchant who walked the streets, in the carefree youth when he was dating the eldest lady of the shamisenya, and in the cold years when he studied swordsmanship with those guys with extraordinary skills in the trial guard hall, and lived in other places, not knowing that one day he would have to come here, he would have to save his life, he would have to meet him, such a woman who was originally ordinary, ordinary and small.

"Although I may be a little sorry for Miss Aqin to say this......" she finally said, her voice a little muffled because she felt that this line was a little ashamed to play and difficult to say and buried her face in the coat on his chest.

"But...... I am really glad that Mr. Hijikata has chosen the path of serving the country with lofty ideals. ”

Hijikata was slightly stunned, and suddenly laughed in a low voice.

“...... Maybe that's the case. He said in a slightly emotional tone.

Obviously, he also heard the subtext of her sentence.

...... What a rude and bold statement.

There seemed to be another small snowflake falling overhead, and in the biting cold of deep winter, he laughed silently and hugged her warm body tightly.

Even if this warmth only lasts for one winter, even if this hug only lasts for a moment......

Before the spring cherry blossoms withered, she would stand by his side as she is now, hugging him back and forth, supporting him as always, pushing him forward, and maybe telling him something about her that he never knew before, so that he could get closer to her day by day, right?

Thinking like this, his arms increased a little strength, and he hugged her tightly with all his might, as if he wanted to embed the other into his own blood and bones, into his soul.

Until spring comes, can we always rely on each other and warm each other on the road to the lonely end?