But what Lin Ziping said next made the sadness and anger on Chanup's face slowly turn into surprise.

"Mr. Chanup, I won't hide it from you either."

Lin Ziping smiled.

"I actually very much agree with the development of Ezo land."

"In my design, the Edo shogunate should vigorously develop the Ezo Territory and reform the military system, build a defense line in the Ezo Territory, and prevent the Lucia Kingdom, whose ambitions have been revealed, from moving south."

"But... I cannot accept the Edo shogunate's behavior of using the army to seize land."

"The development of Ezo Land should be based on peaceful coexistence and joint development with you Ainu people."

"This is the right path to take."

"Instead of taking land from the Ainu people in such a barbaric way."

Speaking of this, Lin Ziping paused, as if he was thinking.

After a while, he seemed to have already brewed enough emotions, and said loudly and forcefully:

"Weapons are used to protect oneself. The army is used to protect the country. The army must not be used for such banditry."

"...It's still a little hard for me to understand." Chanup said in a deep voice, "For this reason, you plan to fight swords with your compatriots."

"If you and Kazuto are facing each other with swords, from Kazuto's perspective, you are a huge traitor."

"Treacherous... maybe." Lin Ziping made a few more self-deprecating laughs, "But even if I am called a 'treacherous', I don't want to sit back and watch the Edo shogunate win such an unjust war.

"

At this time, Lin Ziping suddenly looked like he was remembering, and he stopped talking for a while, then changed to a calm tone and said slowly:

"Although saying this... seems like self-bragging, after reading countless history books and traveling around, I have indeed discovered some... characteristics of us and people."

Chanup: "Characteristics...?"

"How should I put it... I don't know if you can understand it. To put it simply, we are a nation... with very poor self-control."

"What you spend so much time talking about with your tongue can often be obtained easily with your army."

"Such as population, such as money, such as land, such as false reputation."

"So war is like a jar of fine wine, which makes people drunk easily."

"If you have strong 'self-control', you can still resist the temptation of this 'good wine'."

"But our 'self-control' is quite poor... At the same time, the Edo shogunate happened to be based on military force, with samurai as the cornerstone of the country."

"If the Edo shogunate is allowed to taste the sweetness of this seizure of your land, I have no doubt that the shogunate will most likely be intoxicated with the taste of this 'good wine'."

"And the samurai who have tasted the taste of being promoted and promoted in this battle will support the shogunate's indulging in this 'good wine'. The samurai who have not benefited from this battle are eager for the shogunate to quickly launch a new strategy.

A war."

"So even if there is only a 10% chance that this kind of thing will happen, I will eliminate the possibility of the shogunate taking this wrong path."

"and……"

Lin Ziping suddenly changed the topic.

"Let the Edo shogunate lose the battle at this time... maybe the advantages will outweigh the disadvantages."

Lin Ziping let out a few laughs that seemed to be self-deprecating.

"After I gave up my official position and began to travel around, I saw with my own eyes how decadent the Edo shogunate was and how weak its military was..."

"Especially after arriving in Nagasaki. After seeing the powerful and advanced military power of the Dutch, I felt even more urgently how urgent it is for our country to reform its military system."

"I can't even remember how many times I wrote to the shogunate, suggesting that the shogunate lift the seclusion, learn from the Europeans, and reform the military system."

"But every time I send a letter, it is like nothing."

"Until now, the Edo shogunate has been superstitious about the power of samurai and the power of samurai swords... unwilling to open their eyes to see the world."

"Japan under the rule of the Edo Shogunate...is now like a pool of stagnant water..."

"But if they can lose in this battle to the Ainu people they have always looked down on, maybe there will be some waves in this 'stagnant water'..."

Lin Ziping's eyes slowly began to light up.

"As long as there is a possibility of revitalizing this country... even if there is only a glimmer of it, I am not willing to give up."

"...You are really a weirdo." Chanup said softly, "You should always be called a 'weird' by your friends, right?"

"You are so awesome, you guessed it right." Lin Ziping said in a joking tone, "I am always called a 'strange person' by the people around me, so not many people are willing to associate with me."

Chanup: “…”

Chanup was silent and looked at Lin Ziping quietly.

Lin Ziping was also silent, quietly waiting for Chanup's answer.

…

…

time back to now

…

…

"Speaking of which," Retannoe, who was standing next to Chanup, spoke to Chanup again, "When you brought that Lin Ziping over just now and said that you wanted this Lin Ziping to take charge, I was really shocked.

Well, I think you are crazy."

"Now it seems... I should apologize to you and that Lin Ziping."

"...I actually thought I was crazy at the time." A faint look of memory appeared on Chanup's face, "I actually handed over such important command authority to a Kazuto whom I had only met three times in total."

"But that's probably my personality. I always do crazy and unreasonable things suddenly."

"At that time, after listening to Mr. Lin's heartfelt words in the cell, there was only one thought left in my mind: Let him give it a try."

Retannoe: "What did he tell you?"

"I will talk to you in detail later when I have time." Chanup said, "Let's stop chatting now. Retannoe, go and urge the rear to bring in new arrows and spears quickly.

Our arrows and spears need to be replenished."

…

…

Lin Ziping, who was standing on the edge of the inner city wall, had once again turned his attention to the outer city wall where a fierce battle was currently taking place.

After checking the battle situation again and confirming that there were no problems with his deployment, he turned his attention to the outside of the city.

There are many flags outside the city, and the military flags of the northeastern vassals are fluttering in the wind.

Looking at the colorful military flags outside the city, Lin Ziping still had a somewhat complicated look in his eyes, even though he was concealing it.

Especially after seeing the Sendai clan's military flag, which had the largest number of "dragon bird patterns" embroidered on it, the complex color in Lin Ziping's eyes became more intense.

…

…

In winter, it gets dark very quickly, especially in places far north like Ezo.

And until it got dark, the soldiers of the First Army were firmly blocked outside the city wall.

This morning, the soldiers managed to build several strongholds on the city wall to steadily transport troops. However, this afternoon, the results were truly nothing to behold.

After the sky began to turn dark, Daomori raised his head and glanced at the sky.

"...I'm sending an order to Gui Yi." Daomori said solemnly to the close associate beside him, "Let's stop here for today."

"yes!"

Inamori's order quickly reached the main formation of the First Army.

After receiving this order, Gui Yizheng, whose face was not very good-looking, nodded slightly, then stood up from the horse and waved his military equipment heavily: "Retreat!"

…

…

"Look! Look! Kazuto is retreating! Kazuto is retreating!"

"We're holding on! We're holding on!"

"Oh oh oh!"

The soldiers on the walls inside and outside Red Moon Fortress looked excitedly at the soldiers of the First Army receding like a tide. Their faces and eyes were all full of excitement.

Many people cheered loudly as if they were tireless, and the sound waves composed of their cheers made Retannoe couldn't help but block his ears.

"Really..." Retannoe said, "I just survived the first day. I'm a little too complacent."

Although Retannoe said this, there was still a faint smile on his face.

"Let them get carried away for a while." Chanup said with a smile, "Even if they only survive the first day, it will be a great encouragement to us."
To be continued...