The entrance of the tea soup is the familiar taste of sweet and fresh, and it is the familiar taste of Chiho Kirino's fragrant and soft fragrance, Lin Yiqing then remembered that because he was too busy with military affairs, he hadn't eaten Chiho Kirino's tea ceremony for a long time.

Lin Yiqing glanced at Chiho Kirino, who was sitting beside the two of them, at this time, she was sitting there quietly and peacefully, although she did not say a word or smile, but Lin Yiqing could still feel that she was a new mother, and when she saw herself, she was full of faint happiness.

"Han Peng still remembers, when was the last time he drank Chiho's tea?" Saigo Takamori seemed to know what Lin Yiqing was thinking, and asked with a smile.

"I really don't remember." Lin Yiqing cast an apologetic look at Chiho Kirino, of course he understood that Takamori Saigo's words were not just as simple as not having time to drink Chiho Kirino's tea in person.

"These days, let Chiho suffer with me!" Lin Yiqing sat down and bowed to Chiho Kirino.

Since the beginning of the army in Kagoshima, he has spent too little time with her.

"Han Peng must not say that, you are fighting for the great cause of King Qin, and you must not lose your fighting spirit because you think of your wife's family." Chiho Kirino bowed and returned the salute, her expression had become awe-inspiring, and she said, "Chiho only hates herself as a daughter, with the blood of her husband, and she can't go to the battlefield again." After giving birth, Chiho is willing to guard her husband's side, and she will be bloodied with her husband, living and dying together. ”

Listening to Chiho Kirino's words, Lin Yiqing was startled, of course he knew that Chiho Kirino would do what he said, he was about to persuade, but he didn't expect Saigo Takamori to speak first.

"Chiho, don't say such things." Saigo Takamori glared at Chiho Kirino. But there was love in his eyes. "The pressure on Hanpeng is already very high. You don't want to put any more pressure on him. ”

Chiho Kirino silently bowed to Saigo Takamori, did not speak again, just stepped forward on his knees, and refilled the teacups of Lin Yiqing and Saigo Takamori.

"Hanpeng, these days, it's really hard for you." Saigo Takamori looked at Lin Yiqing and drank another cup of tea, sighed, and said.

"I've worked this. It's nothing. Lin Yiqing said, turning his gaze to the window, "The soldiers are born and die in battle, just for the moment of victory, and the victory I bring them is still too little." ”

"Han Peng, don't blame yourself, you have commanded very well." Saigo Takamori said, "I'll tell you the truth, I've made comparisons in private, except for you. Liqiu, Guogan. Shinosuke, Shinpachi, Shiro, and other generals, if you change any of them, you can't reach your level and achieve so many victories. I heard that the ninja army under your command all call you the reincarnation of Takeda Shingengong, and in my opinion, you deserve this title. ”

"The general is overrated." Lin Yiqing shook his head, "Thinking back to the time when the great general was in the past, Edo opened the city without blood, and the great cause of the Restoration was achieved, but now our army has fought hard repeatedly, and the people's livelihood has been ruined, which has lasted more than a year, and the great cause of King Qin still cannot succeed, compared to the great general's achievements back then, it is too far behind." ”

"Hanpeng has been praised." Saigo Takamori smiled bitterly, "At this time and that time, that time can succeed, because I and Katsu Haizhou don't want to fight, we hit it off, so we can succeed, the current situation is definitely not comparable to that time, even if there are people in the government who are victorious to Haizhou, and now that Lucia's army is so big, it is impossible not to fight." ”

Lin Yiqing sighed and drank another cup of tea, as if to eliminate the boredom in his heart.

"Hanpeng, you don't have to blame yourself, the responsibility for achieving such a situation lies with me." Saigo Takamori sighed, also raised his teacup, and took a sip.

"General......" Lin Yiqing looked at Saigo Takamori, and suddenly understood why Saigo Takamori wanted him to come over to drink tea with him today.

"Han Peng, tell me the truth, now that Lucia's army is strong, can our army win the battle?" Saigo Takamori asked.

"Lucia's army is constantly increasing its strength and strength, and our army is not strong enough to fight for a long time, and it will not be able to consume them." A hint of gloom flashed in Lin Yiqing's eyes, "Once the elite of our army is exhausted, it will be the day of defeat." ”

Hearing Lin Yiqing's answer, Saigo Takamori and Chiho Kirino's expressions both looked sad.

"That's what I thought too......" Saigo Takamori sighed and nodded, "That's true......"

Saigo Takamori stood up, walked to the front of the porch, and looked out against the railing, and black smoke rose in the distance, obscuring a round of sunny days and darkening the sky.

Lin Yiqing and Chiho Kirino got up and came to Saigo Takamori's side, Saigo Takamori didn't look at their husband and wife, but said to himself: "As a general of the guards, I pride myself on knowing the general trend of the world and the art of war, but now that I think about it, I'm just a mediocre one!" ”

"The general can't be presumptuous......" Lin Yiqing was about to persuade, but was interrupted by Saigo Takamori waving his hand.

"Han Peng, what I was most worried about back then was that the Lucia people were coming, and the purpose of establishing the military school was also for this." Saigo Takamori said, "At that time, I just predicted that there would be a decisive battle with Lucia in Japan, but I never thought that this day would come so soon. And my previous preparation was so ridiculous......"

"The competition between countries depends on the whole country, working together, relying on the strength of the country, not one or two elite divisions, or the noble class...... Before the national strength was full, he raised troops in vain, and countless athletes sacrificed, but in exchange for the invasion of foreign invaders, it was all the sin of my Saigo Yoshinosuke! I don't know how many times my sins are greater than those of the Word! ”

Lin Yiqing noticed that Saigo Takamori's hands were clenched on the railing, and his knuckles had turned white because of the force, and he immediately said: "If a person is not a sage, who can be without fault?" No matter how wise the general is, his wisdom is limited, and it is impossible to do it as a last resort, today's things, what the general has done, the world has seen it, and later historians have their own public opinions, and the general is dedicated to the people, and this heart can show the sun and the moon, and there is no need to worry about success or failure. ”

Listening to Lin Yiqing's persuasive words, Saigo Takamori turned his head abruptly and looked at Lin Yiqing, his eyes were full of surprise, as if he wanted to get to know him again.

"Today, I know that Hanpeng's insight and open-mindedness are beneficial to them. None of them can be compared. Saigo Takamori sighed.

"The general has won the prize." Lin Yiqing smiled slightly.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound of cannon in the distance. Lin Yiqing and Saigo Takamori turned their heads to look at each other. I saw a large cloud of smoke rising from behind a large mountain.

"Did the Lucia attack?" Saigo Takamori stared at it and said in a deep voice.

"Maybe." Lin Yiqing said, "Don't worry, general, our army has been arranged there, and if the Lu army chooses to attack from there, it will definitely suffer a big loss." ”

Listening to Lin Yiqing's words, Saigo Takamori was a little relieved. He asked again: "I'm in a mess now, what should I do next, I don't know anymore, what are Hanpeng's plans?" ”

"My idea is not to fight for the gains and losses of one city and one place, and strive to eliminate as many Lu troops as possible." Lin Yiqing said his plan, "If the Lu army loses too much, there will be a storm of discussion in the country, and Emperor Lu may be able to withdraw his troops under pressure." I don't know. ”

"What if Emperor Lu is determined to fight us to the end and refuses to stop?" Saigo Takamori sighed. Asked.

"Then we're going to keep the fire for the future." Lin Yiqing replied, turning his head and glancing at Chiho Kirino, who was already pregnant.

"Keep the fire for the future? ......" Saigo Takamori chewed on this sentence carefully, "so how do you do it?" ”

"Our army resisted step by step, blocking the advance of the Lu army, and at the same time withdrawing personnel and materials to the rear as much as possible." Lin Yiqing said, "Back then, Liu Bei refused to give up chasing hundreds of thousands of people, was willing to lose together, won the hearts of the people, and then was able to stand on one side and compete for the world, my way is to want the general to be like Liu Bei." Only in this way can we have the opportunity to make a comeback in the future. ”

Lin Yiqing's words were like an initiation, and Saigo Takamori stood stunned for a long time before he came back to his senses.

"It's not too early, I'm going to the front line to check the military situation." Lin Yiqing said, said goodbye to Saigo Takamori, took Chiho Kirino's hand again, and after kissing her lightly on the forehead, he quickly walked down the castle tower.

Saigo Takamori stood upstairs, watching Lin Yiqing's figure disappear in a hurry, and sighed, he suddenly heard a sobbing sound behind him, turned his head to look, but saw that Chiho Kirino was already in tears. Saigo Takamori let out a long sigh and was speechless for a while, so he could only step forward and hug Chiho Kirino, caressing her back like a father to comfort her.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

It was a foggy day, full of crows, all of them snarling and noisy, and it seemed to Kondrachenko that, like their kind near Moscow, appeared at the bend of the road, a neat little pine forest, exactly like the one the soldiers had just passed. But this is already occupied by the enemy.

However, this is known only to the command for the time being. The soldiers of the Russian Imperial Army were ordinary people without maps, who missed a great moment, and it was only at night that they knew where they were.

At that time, they gazed blankly at the land of Japan, a land that had long been inhabited, and which had been protected from barbaric invasion from the sea and inland by the acropolis built by civilians and the sharp blades of samurai since ancient times. They saw neat groves and flat fields dotted with small houses and barns with flower beds and gardens. In fact, it is hard to believe that the rebel crowd that threatens the whole of Japan was born from this very ordinary land.

"That's all they do! ......" said a sneer, a tall, sturdy Russian soldier who, for the first time, had used the abstract and contemptuous word "they" to his face to his face to refer to the Japanese rebels, which he had always used to refer to in recent times. Everyone thought of His Majesty the Great Tsar, who led them and led them here. The soldiers looked at each other at the thought of him, and their pupils widened as they proudly realized their invincible strength.

"We're going to get rid of them! Bring the glory of the tsar to the land of Japan! "The morale-boosting officer is shouting.

Huge armies marched like an endless torrent on the road. Infantry, wagons loaded with baggage, long-barreled flat-firing guns, and mortars with muzzles pointed into the air all moved forward. The mighty army, often halted by the fault of a sluggish coachman, and a cry of discontent rang out. Of course, in the usual shouts on the congested front-line roads, the anger and irritability that they used to inhabit are not felt, because everyone is more cordial. From now on. Instead of being angry, they were impatiently urging people forward.

The troops moved again. The infantryman's command: "Turn right!" "It's ringing again. The traffic dispatchers waved small flags, shouted for directions, and the gibberish words shouted like a drunken attack in everyone's mind, and flashed like light in everyone's eyes, and everything became unaccustomed and annoying.

If there is a poet in the midst of this great crowd, the impression of this will make him dizzy. Kondrachenko thought.

Standing out among them was a burly secretary, perhaps because his face was so tanned that his hair looked white. Perhaps because he had pale yellow hair, his face looked swarthy. He shouted loudly, urging the wagon to prevent anyone from stealing the food from the wagon.

The congestion of the road forced the artillerymen to stop, the horse-drawn cannons stopped, a few small birds landed on the barrels, chirping, and the artillerymen crouched like birds in the trees beside their huge gun carriages, laughing happily.

A thin, young communications soldier held aloft a picture frame that was supposed to belong to a general. He probably picked it up all the way to Japan from the countryside near Moscow.

The most attractive of the soldiers were the bright and delicate Japanese female nurses who sat solemnly on a wagon full of tents and medicines. As soon as I saw them. Somehow, the soldiers' shoulders straightened automatically, their chests straightened, and their eyes brightened......

A sedan carriage galloped down a road that was wet from the rain. Not bad, this is a real carriage painted black. The seats of the servants in the robes protrude from the back. A blue and gold coat of arms flashed on the small door of the carriage, but it was not a noble servant sitting on the high coachman's seat, but a young man in a Japanese military uniform, but his movements and demeanor were like that of a real coachman, and he kept smacking his lips and urging the horse to move in the opposite direction.

"Quick, baby......"

The soldiers drove the wagons with shouts, whistles and banter.

"Hey, hearse! Where are you going? ”

"Look, it's the dead who are transported!"

"Brethren! It's Japan's rich people who are fleeing! ……”

The "coachman" tried to keep his composure, but his body trembled with unease.

The carriage was stopped, and an officer stepped forward to interrogate the passengers in this strange carriage, all of whom were accidental fellow travelers. They were all refugees. The carriage was found by a taciturn young man at the gate of a manor. According to an old Japanese man who farmed there, the owner of the family planned to flee to the rebel territory in this carriage for fear of the arrival of the Russian army, but it was too late: many Russian troops had already arrived, so he changed his clothes and fled on foot.

"Are the rebels at the front?" The officer asked.

"Yes, there are their people not far away." The coachman replied palely.

"How many of them are there?"

"There must be about 1,000 people......

"Do they have cannons?"

"It looks like there are two cannons."

After further questioning, the officers found that there were no women in the carriage, and let them go - if there were women, the Russians would have to be arrested and interrogated, because they had received information from the Japanese army, and among the rebels there were many female samurai, who not only participated in the battle, but also had the task of reconnaissance and spying on information, and the Russians had always paid special attention to the Japanese women who appeared in the rebel-occupied areas.

Probably, the news that the enemy was in front of them made the soldiers nervous, and the chaotic troops began to restore order, and soon the roads became clear, and the ranks set off again in a hurried march, as the commander feared the pursuit. They all briskly walked on foot, as if the march had just begun. They were all talking in low voices. No one wants to sleep anymore, and even those who love to moan without illness don't complain about sore feet. Everyone fantasized about their victory, and everyone rejoiced that there was an enemy in front. Many people consider this genius to be the beginning of their real fighting life.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Kondrachenko felt a little sleepy, and as he was drowsy, a piercing scream suddenly woke him up.

This is...... The sound of cannonballs flying!

"Enemy artillery fire! Lie down! Kondrachenko jumped off his horse and ran to the side of the road, crying out loudly.

But his voice was immediately drowned out by the explosion of shells.

Kondrachenko felt a large cloud of mud and clods of earth fall on his head, and he looked up slightly, and saw several soldiers fall in front of him, one of whom was the same soldier who had just said, "They are nothing more than that."

At this time, he lay there, a miserable white face with his mouth wide open, staring at Kondrachenko, without the slightest anger, the corners of his mouth, ears, and nostrils were full of blood, Kondrachenko approached him, shook his shoulder, and then saw clearly that his skull had been broken, revealing the brains of white flowers.

Another shell flew and exploded in the crowd, this time with a lot of stumps and severed arms.

Kondrachenko tried to get up and observe the situation, but there was a chaotic crowd around him, the soldiers cursed and fell down, and some ran to the woods by the road, trying to find a safe hiding place there. (To be continued......)

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