Whether in China or Japan, welcoming someone out of town is a very high courtesy.

Matsudaira Yongho not only came in person, but also brought his important ministers and hundreds of feudal soldiers.

You know, the Aizu army currently stationed in Kyoto only has a total of a thousand men.

In order to welcome the Shinsengumi with the most grand and solemn scene, Matsudaira Yongho immediately mobilized nearly half of the military strength.

It is evident that he attaches great importance to the Shinsengumi.

People often say that the Aizu clan is the strongest and most loyal ally of the Edo shogunate - in fact, it is indeed true.

Otherwise, Tokugawa Iemo would not have entrusted Matsudaira Yōho with the important task of defending Kyoto.

Aizu Domain is located in the northeast, namely the Ou region.

Just like the Western Kingdom, Ou was a border area far away from the center of the shogunate's rule, and a group of foreign daimyo led by the Sendai clan were entrenched in it.

The predecessor of the Sendai Domain was the Date family during the Warring States Period.

The Date family once produced a powerful hero—Date Masamune, who was known as the "Oshu Pen" and the "One-eyed Dragon".

At the end of the Warring States Period, Date Masamune took refuge with Tokugawa Ieyasu and was able to retain all of his territory.

The total official salary of the Sendai Domain was an astonishing 620,000 koku, and the actual salary was as high as 1 million koku.

If you add in the rich mineral resources, state incentives for smelting and animal husbandry, the fishery income from Sanriku Bay, and port income, the actual financial scale of the Sendai Domain is said to exceed 2 million koku.

Although the Ou clan was much more peaceful than the other clans in the Western Kingdom, their strong strength forced the shogunate to be more vigilant.

Therefore, in order to monitor and suppress the Ou Domain, the shogunate established a feudal clan in the core area of ​​Ou, which is now the Aizu Domain.

In other words, the Aizu Domain was the northern stronghold of the shogunate.

If there is something different in the north, it is the front line of the northern battlefield.

Because of its northern latitude and complex terrain, the living conditions of the Aizu Domain are completely incomparable to those of fertile fields such as the Kanto Plain and Noo Plain.

Although harsh weather can bring pain, it can also strain people's bones and muscles and temper their spirits.

Compared with the Kanto people and Gyeonggi people who grew up in green waters and green mountains, the Aizu people who are often associated with wind and snow are undoubtedly much stronger physically and mentally.

In addition, the ideological consciousness of the Aizu people is equally astonishing - and this is one of the most important reasons why the shogunate trusted the Aizu Domain so much.

The spiritual foundation of the Aizu Domain comes from the Shushi studies of Yamazaki Ansai and the Shinto of Yoshikawa Yuetsu, and was established by the feudal patriarch Masayuki Hoshina.

The first name of Hoshina Shoji was Yuki Matsumaru, and he was the son of the second generation shogun Tokugawa Hidetada.

Because he was born as an illegitimate child, he was secretly given to Takeda Shingen's second daughter to be raised in the Mitshoin.

Later, the former Takeda retainer, the Edo shogunate, and the first lord of the Shinano Takato Domain, Hoshina Masamitsu, adopted him as his adopted son.

Masamitsu had high hopes for him and named him his successor. Therefore, after Masamitsu's death, he officially changed his name to Hoshina Masayuki, inherited his adoptive father's 30,000 koku Takato Domain, and appointed him as Lieutenant General Sakonoe and Higomori as the fourth Shogun.

Later, the shogunate allowed Masayuki to change his surname to Matsudaira, but out of gratitude to the Hoshina family for their upbringing, he firmly refused and took the Miao name of Hoshina throughout his life.

After him, his son, as the third generation lord of the Aizu Domain, took the surname Matsudaira, that is, Masahiro Matsudaira, and then Aoi Aizu, and was listed as a feudal lord.

The third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu trusted his half-brother Masayuki, and not only gave him land, but also allowed him to inherit the 200,000-koku Yamagata Domain of Dewa Province and the 230,000-koku Aizu Domain of Mutsu Province. He also gave him an exceptional status.

He was even allowed to participate in the shogunate affairs, and before his death, his son Jia Zuna was entrusted with him.

Masayuki was extremely grateful and formulated the "Fifteen Aizu Family Instructions".

The first of these is, "The Aizu Domain has protected the Shogun's family from generation to generation and cannot blindly follow the position of other countries. If the feudal lord has second thoughts, he will not be my descendant and his retainers cannot obey."

Since then, successive feudal lords and feudal lords have faithfully implemented the "Fifteen Aizu Family Instructions" formulated by Masayuki.

The current feudal lord, Matsudaira Yōho, regards these fifteen family mottos as his life creed and code of conduct.

In the sixth year of Tenpo (1836), Matsudaira Yoho was born in the Takasu clan's residence in Yotsuya, Edo, as the sixth son of Matsudaira Yoshiken, the tenth generation lord of the Takasu clan in Mino Province, and his concubine Komori clan.

In 1846, Yōkei, the 8th generation lord of the Aizu clan who had no successors, adopted Yōho Matsudaira as his adopted son. From then on, Yōho Matsudaira entered the Aizu clan's residence in Edo.

Here, he was educated strictly according to the traditions of the feudal state.

If we could use a simple sentence to describe the ideology of the Aizu Domain, it would be "to respect the imperial court, obey the shogunate, and at the same time uphold justice."

Under the influence of such a family tradition, Matsudaira Yongho has been known far and wide as a loyal man in civil and military affairs since he was a child, and a model of the martial arts family.

In the fifth year of Kayei (1852), Matsudaira Yoho officially succeeded the family governor and became the ninth lord of the Aizu Domain.

In the second year of Bunkyu (1862), after the shogunate established the "Kyoto Guardian Office" in order to consolidate public security in Kyoto, it has been unresolved as to who should be assigned to take on this important task.

The Kyoto Guardian is responsible for major military power in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and other areas, and will often negotiate with the imperial court. It is of great significance and requires both steadfast loyalty and strong strength.

After repeated selections, Hitotsubashi Yoshiki and Matsudaira Harugaku finally made the decision: the guardian of the royal city must be Aizuhou!

So, they summoned Matsudaira Yongho to Edo and persuaded him to go to Luo to take up his post.

Matsudaira Yongho initially considered that the finances of the domain were not optimistic, and the domain officials also dissuaded him from wading into troubled waters. The political situation in Gyeonggi Province was too complex and dangerous, and he must not get involved without authorization.

Therefore, Matsudaira Yōho declined on the grounds that Aizu was located in the remote northeast and the soldiers were not familiar with the customs of Kyoto, fearing that it would be difficult for him to take on a major role.

However, when Hitotsubashi Yoshiki and Matsudaira Harugaku pointed out the ancestral motto of "Aizu protects the shogun's family from generation to generation", Yoshiho made up his mind to accept the appointment.

Retainers Saigo Norimu and Tanaka Genkiyo heard about it and hurriedly came from Aizu.

Faced with the efforts of his retainers to dissuade him, the determined Matsudaira Yoshiho made an impassioned speech: "I thought so at first, but the shogun's orders were issued frequently, and I had no reason to refuse; and with Aizu's family motto, I

Although he is not talented, he has never forgotten to serve, so he has no choice but to accept the appointment. Now that we have chosen to take on a big responsibility, if our monarchs and ministers still have different ideas, it will be difficult to achieve results. You should think about it again. We monarchs and ministers

Everyone, be prepared to be buried in Kyoto!"

It can be said that Matsudaira Yongho went to Luoyang with the determination of "failure or failure" and "die in a foreign land".

In this way, on leap August 1st of the second year of Bunkyu (1862), Matsudaira Yoho officially assumed the position of guardian of Kyoto and led thousands of Aizu elite soldiers to Luo. The main formation was located at Kinkai Mingmingji Temple in Kurodani, Kyoto.

The orderly appearance of the Aizu troops and horses left a deep impression on the people of Kyoto.

On the day he led his army into Kyoto, the handsome and elegant Matsudaira Yongho rode a pure white war horse, wore a bright red Jinhaori and a folding black hat.

As soon as the people of Kyoto heard that Lieutenant General Aizu had arrived, young girls rushed to the streets just to catch a glimpse of Lord Aizu. Even men were fascinated by his majestic gesture.

Later, someone composed a nursery rhyme like this: "Aizu strengthened the domain, Higo-sama. They are thousands of miles away, and Kyoto protects them. The palace is prosperous, and the ministers are at ease. The people are jubilant and clapping their hands."

[Note: Higo-sama, Lieutenant General Aizu: Matsudaira Yōhoguan paid homage to Higo, Lieutenant General Sakon Wei Quan, known as "Lieutenant General Aizu" or "Higo-sama" in the world]

The Aizu Army is worthy of the reputation of "the strongest ally of the shogunate".

I saw all the officers and men of the Aizu Army holding their chests and heads high, full of energy, and walking solidly and powerfully.

Their nail penetration rate reaches an astonishing 100%.

From generals who can ride on horses to ordinary soldiers walking on foot, they are all fully armed.

The armor as neat as a mirror, the spear thrust straight into the sky, and the densely packed waist knives all shone brightly in the sunlight.

The military flag embroidered with Aizu sunflowers fluttered in the strong wind, making the night look bright.

In comparison, the Shinsengumi who were advancing alongside them... were really shabby!

There is no uniform equipment.

There is no uniform clothing.

The armor wearing rate...is basically non-existent. The only person who has armor to wear is Qingdeng.

On one side is the powerful force of the Star Flag Electric Halberd.

The other side is a "motley crew" with a bad image.

Comparing the two creates a very strong sense of contrast.

At the same time, because the soldiers of the Shinsengumi were previously low-level people from all over the world, they could not even compare with the elite Aizu elite on a spiritual level.

This kind of situation of "I am short and poor, surrounded by a tall, rich and handsome man" is hard not to make people feel embarrassed and ashamed.

After witnessing the mighty power of the Aizu Army, many people in the Shinsengumi subconsciously tightened their shoulders and lowered their heads, looking timid.

In contrast, the Shinsengumi's slim military appearance gave the Aizu soldiers a sense of superiority.

Although Matsudaira Yoshiho has repeatedly stated that the Shinsengumi is an ally of equal status to ours and must not be treated with contempt, at this moment, there are still a large number of Aizu soldiers who are casting contempt and contempt towards their allies who are walking side by side with them.

sight.

Some even lowered their voices and whispered:

"What are you doing? The reinforcements we are so eagerly awaiting, do they have this kind of virtue?"

"What use can such an army be used for?"

"They don't even have unified equipment... How can this kind of miscellaneous army be on an equal footing with our Aizu army?"

"Can they really fulfill the important task of 'governing the capital'?"

"Why does Mr. Tachibana want to ride a bull? The dignified governor of Gyeonggi Town can't even ride a horse?"

"However, that cow is quite strong and seems to be taller than the feudal lord's beloved horse."

"Hey, look, there are women. They actually have two female soldiers."

"Really, wow, those two women are really good-looking."

"Yes, especially the one with the naginata on her back. This is the first time I have seen such a beautiful woman."
To be continued...