.187, Emperor Kumazawa's Restoration Ceremony (Part 1)

One Hundred and Eighty Seven, Emperor Kumazawa's Restoration Ceremony (Part 1)

Colorful flags are flying, and gongs and drums are loud.

The newly decorated Kamakura Tsuruoka Hachiman Palace was immersed in joy. Even the witches of the Hachiman Palace who were forced to work hard to prepare for the celebration were also full of energy at this time.

The so-called phenomenon of rising water and rising ships, and the phenomenon of one person gaining power and the chickens and dogs ascending to heaven does exist in any era.

After Hachiman Palace became the imperial imperial center, the priests and priests who were driven away were of course of no benefit, but the witches who stayed could share a lot of benefits - this emperor, who was defined as a symbol from the beginning, probably would not have any actual power in the foreseeable time. But he and his descendants are still descendants of Amaterasu Omiji, and in theory they could drive all the ghosts and gods on the island at will...

Therefore, all the nearby wilderness gods will definitely come to worship the wharf to make relationships, for fear of making the emperor unhappy and being worn with small shoes. They may even voluntarily join the royal family and be willing to be a hawk and dog - the so-called "study and good at learning" is the case for people, and the same is true for gods.

As the middleman, the witches of Hachiman Palace can also deduct a lot of oil and sect bags from it, and even use the emperor's banner to pretend to be powerful to collect all kinds of pets that suit their wishes. The thugs and younger brothers in Kyoto have no magic power and cannot communicate with ghosts and gods. As a result, all the benefits in this aspect were taken by the Royal Onmyoji, but he could only receive a slight salary that was often discounted by 70% off... The tips and oil and water of gods are not qualified to be taken away by anyone.

——Well, this also interprets from another special perspective. Opportunities only favor prepared people...

But to be honest, this resumption ceremony is just like most of the events that the Giant Bear Legion has experienced, and it is also a bit inappropriate.

Although His Majesty Kumaze is a descendant of the royal family, he has become a grocery store owner for more than a dozen generations. It may be okay to pretend to be majestic and noble in front of the customers who bought officials, but when it comes to royal etiquette, he knows nothing at all.

In this Kanto area far away from the capital, there are really no ritual officials who are familiar with royal etiquette, and even a tribute to heaven, I can't find anyone who is good at ancient Chinese writing to catch a pen. As for the precious spices, gorgeous clothes, and various ceremonial decorations needed at the ceremony, there is also a lack of money and time to prepare. Not to mention where to find musicians who know how to play classical palace music.

To this end, the organizer had to make a simple decision and let Emperor Kumazawa ascend the throne with a simplified Western etiquette. In short, His Majesty the Emperor was surrounded by a military band and a guard of honor, and accepted the congratulations of the ministers outside the Yama Gate of Hachiman Palace. Then he turned back to the hall, while giving the ministers a banquet to celebrate, while enjoying the grand Oshinori dance performed by His Highness the Prince in the Moeding Palace, and thus sending a notice to Amaterasu Oshinori on the Takatara.

There were fireworks and salutes, but now the war is urgent and the gunpowder is short, so we have to save it.

As the ceremony was about to begin, Major General Feri Taylor wore his best pink artifact-level mage robe, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Miss Mitsui Ryuki Mitsui, who was wearing golden light, quietly watched several concierge waiters who were served as courtesy men in the town, nodded and greeted the envoys from various vassals, and spoke loudly at the top of their voices.

“………His Highness Matsue’s Daming, Matsue’s Highness and Matsue’s wife came here ~~~~~~”

“…The congratulatory messenger from the southern family of the Muromoeoka family arrived ~~~~~~”

“…The Ida family congratulated the condolences of the Muro Sendai ~~~~~”

“……The Uesugi family of the Uesugi family came to the congratulatory messenger~~~~~”

“……Echigo Murakami Bun Naito Family Asahiko has arrived ~~~~~~”

"... Take the Daming of Tsumida Fan, His Highness Jiugui brings his wife to~~~~~~"

...

Although the caller shouted loudly, the scene was still somewhat deserted. Among the "Three Hundred Vastaries in the World" under the shogunate rule in the past, only a dozen vassal lords and envoys from the vassal states came to congratulate, and there were even several exiled lords who had lost their vassal states.

The other vassal states were either hesitant and intended to wait and see, or were blocked by roads, had no news, or they actively or passively defected to the Kyoto court camp, and some were simply completely destroyed in the continuous wars.

It has been less than a year since the beginning of the troubled times, and the changes in the country's internal political territory have been so drastically.

“……The congratulatory messenger of the Matsuhei family of Muji Ogoo is here~~~~~”

Hearing this long announcement, Feili, who was originally a little lazy, suddenly raised her spirits and looked down the stone steps. She saw that this group of visitors was different from the previous guests. They were not wearing the samurai dress with wide robe and big sleeves, but in the same black Western military uniform, with a Western sword hanging on her waist and a medal hanging on her chest. Everyone had a strong and upright figure and a strong face. They looked full of military temperament.

As the last strategic reserve team of the old shogunate, the Aizu family is indeed worthy of being a powerful vassal.

In the past years, although the Aizu family, located hundreds of miles north of Edo, was nominally a medium-sized vassal state with a territory of 280,000 stone, it was actually a military center that shocked the princes of the northeast. It was also a strategic reserve and emergency mobile team of the Edo Shogunate. Not only did it not have to bear the heavy stakes and labor that other vassal states could not escape, it could often obtain huge military subsidies provided by the shogunate and enjoy regular "co-paid" from the surrounding vassal states. In addition, in recent years, the Aizu family has also helped the shogunate manage the northernmost Hokkien land of this island country. Although the place was a little desolate and cold, the income from animal skins, gold mines and fishing grounds was not a small amount.

Therefore, relying on such a wealth of wealth, the Aizu family, which only had a territory of 280,000, had a modern new army of 6,000 people. When the war broke out, it could quickly mobilize tens of thousands of "foot-light" militias who had been initially trained. In addition, an independent small military factory was built in the vassal, which could produce new rifles and light artillery by itself - although the output was pitifully small.

Matsuhira Masayuki, who now ruled the Aizu family, is a collateral bloodline of the Tokugawa Supreme family. Although he was an illegitimate son, he has been known for his loyalty for generations. He is the most loyal minister of the Tokugawa family. Therefore, he is a little apart from the Osaka merchant group that usurped the real power of the shogunate.

When the general ran to Kyoto and the old shogunate collapsed, Matsuhira Masayuki happened to lead the army north to the Hoi Island to quell the rebellion and failed to participate in the next series of drastic changes. Therefore, Mitsui Ryuki was somewhat worried about the military force in the north that had not yet expressed his position.

This hardcore supporter of the Tokugawa family now sends congratulatory envoys to appear at the celebration of the establishment of the new Kamakura court, which in a sense has also demonstrated the political attitude of the entire Ouyu region.

"...Ahem, has the negotiation work done on Aizu Fan?"

After a moment of silence, Feili coughed slightly and asked Mitsui Ryuki in a low voice.

"...It's almost the same. On behalf of Emperor Kumazawa, I promised the position of a hereditary general of the Fukuo lord Matsuhei Masayuki, and recognized the legitimacy of the "Ouyu Etsuri Alliance" he led, and put the four million stone lands of Ekigo, Muro, Izuki and Echigo in his name - this is a quarter of the world that is much more than the territory in my own hands."

Mitsui Ryuhime spread her hands and explained with a displeasure, "... After smashing such a heavy bargaining chip, the old slip-on finally agreed to surrender to the new Kamakura court. And he refused to join our army, and was only willing to deal with the Northern Army of the court on Echigo's side..."

Hearing this section, Feili's expression suddenly seemed a little weird.

"...Northern Army? Isn't it the Satsuma family's terminally ill patients who were fooled by the space radiation? Aizu family doesn't have to fight against these guys. As long as they sit leisurely in the city and wait for them to die in two months, they will become - even if the Shimazu family's soldiers are all iron-clad, it is impossible to cross mountains and ridges from Kyoto to Aizu within two months... Well, I guess even Echigo may not be able to get out..."

"...Who said no? But we can't ask them too high."

Mitsui Ryuki's face was full of helplessness, "...As long as they can stay safely in the north when we fight Tokaido with the court, and don't kill from behind to cause trouble, it's already Amitabha, thank God..."

Feiri could only sigh helplessly for this extremely weak explanation. The Giant Bear Legion, which is now short of food and bullets, is already very difficult to deal with the enemies on the Tokaido side. If he is attacked on both sides, he may have no chance of winning.

Anyway, this is not his own country, nor does it belong to his own land. How much territory Mitsui Ryuki sealed the Aizu vassal and how many hidden dangers it will cause in the future? Feiri didn't have much thought to pay attention to - as long as he could survive the current disaster, it would be possible.

I just don’t know if the Emperor Kumazawa knew that he had been “represented” and had been named such a large official… Well, I think he wouldn’t care too much, anyway, in this country, all emperors have long been used to being represented by the shogunate…

"...But it's really strange. Why didn't His Highness Matsuhira Masao come to Kamakura to watch the ceremony himself?"

After carefully observing the Aizu family's envoy team, Mitsui Ryuki suddenly frowned suspiciously, "... At the beginning, he agreed to bring more dignitaries to the place to strengthen the momentum of this resumption ceremony. At the same time, he was also preparing to receive the official talismans and enthronements from Emperor Kumazawa... Why has he changed his mind for no reason now? No, I have to go over and ask."

Speaking of this, Mitsui Ryuki ran out in a row and rushed into the ranks of the messengers of the Aizu family. Then after a while, she walked back with a embarrassing face drooping and a strange expression.

"...It's really a hell. Matsuhira Masayuki didn't even tell us, and led the troops of the entire vassal to take the initiative."

"... Take the initiative? In which direction? There seems to be no information about soldiers approaching in the north of Edo..."

Feili blinked in an unknown way, "Well, could it be that he sent troops to Echigo, arranged defense in advance, and implemented the territory of Fengshuo, and forced the local wealthy families to express their attitude? Tsk tsk, in fact, he didn't have to work so hard..."

“…Why is this? He did it even further than this”

Mitsui Ryuki cut off his words with a little face, "...This guy was probably first elected as the leader of the Ouyu Ekimae, and then became the general of the garrison. So he was full of confidence and his tail was raised to the sky. He actually claimed that as the leader of the alliance, he wanted to defend the enemy from the territory. Ten days ago, he led 5,000 elite soldiers to take a boat to the sea from the Hakka Port of Ekimae, which had just ended the counter-insurgency battle, and was preparing to attack the Tsubaki Port of Ekimae, and join forces with the local princes to block the Northern Army of the imperial court on the spot. Do you think this is putting your face on the door and looking for a fight?"

Feili was also embarrassed to hear it, but soon vaguely realized some of the mystery.

"...Well, by the way, we seem to have never told the story of the Satsuma Army being exposed to space radiation and about to be killed, so the Aizu family should not be aware of this... It should be true."

"...It's true." Mitsui Ryuki tilted his head and thought about it, and gradually showed a hint of understanding.

Feili also analyzed it in a slow tone while leaning on her fingers.

"... As far as I know, the Aizu family originally had a territory of only 280,000 stones, but it was just a medium-sized vassal state. Now it suddenly got an empty title that governed four million stones of land. There were even several vassal states that were even larger than the territory of the former Aizu family. I think it is absolutely impossible to bow to the Aizu family just because of seeing an imperial edict - don't look at me with such a strange look. To be honest, which prince will take the imperial edict from our Emperor Kumazawa seriously?"

"...Although it's quite harsh, I have to admit that you're right, please continue to talk about it."

"...Since this general of the garrison is just an empty title, if you want to implement it, you have to rely on your own efforts, especially with enough capital. And in troubled times, what can be more convincing than a victory?"

"...It's true. In troubled times, as long as you win a battle, you have the right to speak, and only if you win a victory can you have the right to speak..."

Miss Ryuhime nodded and shook her head, "...but even if you need to prove yourself through a victory and shock the princes under your rule, you don't have to land in Ekimaeki thousands of miles away and run to the enemy's home court to fight. Aizu's side can wait for the work in their own territory, waiting for the Shimazu army to come. In this way, supply and transportation will be much easier, and there is also the initiative to choose a battlefield..."

"...This... I am foresight, this may make sense in theory. But in fact, if the war begins in Echizen and blocks the Shimazu army from the territory of the Ohashimazu vassalvas, then the only thing that the Aizu vassalvas needs to fight is the Shimazu army headquarters plus a few miscellaneous cards, with a total strength of no more than 25,000 people. Behind it, tens of thousands of troops of the Ohashimazu vassalvas, as well as the food, grass and weapons hoarded by these vassal states, to rush to the front line to support the war.

But if you give up Ekima, Ekima, Ekima, Ekima, Idea and even Muro, and let the Shimazu army attack the Aizu family by easily, then the Shimazu army will probably expand to more than 100,000, but the Aizu family will be isolated and helpless... According to your country's tradition, what is the situation of the long-distance military going on, Miss, you should know better than me."

After hearing Feiri's explanation, Mitsui Ryuki also roughly understood what Aizu's side was thinking.

In this separatist country where heroes were divided, the force directly controlled by any prince Daming was very limited, and most of the land and soldiers were scattered in the hands of vassals with strong independence in various places. When Daming went to war, he first summoned a group of confidants who were most loyal to him in the main city, and then continued to recruit people along the way, even bandits and bandits. So the army went all the way, recruiting all kinds of scattered soldiers, fences and bandits, with more and more numbers. The longer the route of the peaceful army, the greater the difference between the strength of the troops on the battlefield.

Of course, such a mixed source of troops is unreliable. At best, you can make a lot of noise. If you encounter any setbacks, you may even break up and disperse yourself - but you have created enough momentum for your own side, right?

Although the Matsuhira family of the Aizu family now has the title of a general of the Muro Guardian and was elected as the leader of the Ouyu-Yuo Alliance, it seems that the foundation is stable, but in fact, the princes in the jurisdiction may not have much intention of swearing to the Masato Masato of Masato - but a few days ago, everyone was still on par with the reputation of the princes, so why would they bow to you now?

Even the Ohae-Yuo-Yuo-Lifan Alliance formed before, most of the vassal princes followed the crowd. The main goal was to launch a spokesperson to the court, Western colonial forces and the Osaka merchant thieves, but they were not very willing to turn this spokesperson into the master. Therefore, if the imperial official army entered Echigo and Exit Yu all the way, and the Aizu family, as the leader of the alliance, hid behind him as a turtle, there might not be many of the vassal states in front of him who would resist firmly and consume the enemy's troops for the Aizu family. Instead, they would choose to turn against each other and become "loyal ministers of the court" and "hidden behind the enemy", and in turn, they would follow the official army to attack the Aizu family... As a result, the enemy's strength became stronger and stronger, while the own strength slowly collapsed, and the so-called internal combat advantage disappeared.

Therefore, in order to avoid the Ohaebashi Alliance, which had just set up a fuss, quickly collapsed in the face of the offensive of the imperial government army, the Aizu family could only take the initiative to go out to fight and block the front line - in this way, they could probably get the human, material and financial support from the rear vassals...

"...In this way, His Highness Matsuhei Matsuhira Masato's adventure was not a reckless move that lacked consideration, but rather a bold decision that he made after careful consideration and careful consideration..."

Mitsui Ryuki looked up at the sky in the north and couldn't help but sigh, "...The only problem is that his series of decisions and analysis were all based on a completely wrong premise-Satsu's Shimazu army could not have been able to reach Aizu alive, and would die on the road, but now the Aizu army crossed the sea and rushed straight to Echizen Atsuka Port, not far from Kyoto, and sent himself to the Shimazu army's knife edge and was chopped..."

"...so, they chose the wrong time, the wrong place, and the wrong enemy to fight the wrong war."
Chapter completed!