Initially, when Yamada drew his katana, the surrounding passersby were about to disperse. But now that Akane Koyama made a move and blocked Yamada's attack, the crowd stopped in their tracks and watched from afar.
Yamada's mood soured when he missed his attack. To make matters worse, he saw that the person who stopped him was a woman. He snorted coldly, "Has the dojo fallen? Accepting all kinds of people? This is outrageous!"
The young woman didn't seem to be at a disadvantage. "In my opinion, it's the Choshu Domain that's going downhill. A samurai only knows how to bully little girls on the street."
Yamada's face darkened, and a murderous intent surged in his heart. "Woman, are you insulting the samurai of the Choshu Domain?"
Unlike most people's impressions, the shogunate in the Edo period had a lot more restrictions on the samurai. They couldn't just kill civilians just because they were unhappy. According to Article 71 of the "Official Order" promulgated by Tokugawa Yoshimune in 1742, the samurai only had the right to "cut down" when their reputation was harmed by rude behavior. The rules on rude behavior were also very detailed.
First of all, in most cases, the samurai could only kill civilians in their daimyo's territory (at the same time, the daimyo didn't like their civilians being killed). It was very risky to kill civilians in Edo and Kyoto (there were even Edo civilians who were keen on extreme sports who deliberately provoked the samurai). Secondly, the samurai couldn't bring up old scores. It wouldn't do to kill someone today after being insulted yesterday. Thirdly, if the other party apologized, the samurai couldn't do it again. In addition, the samurai had to undergo a rather cumbersome investigation and interrogation after killing someone. If it was found that the samurai didn't tell the truth, he would immediately be stripped of his samurai status. Of course, if there were no witnesses or a ronin who could run fast, that would be another problem.
So strictly speaking, Yamada had to force himself to kill the two little girls selling grilled eels. If he hadn't drunk so much tonight, he probably wouldn't have drawn out his katana, especially in broad daylight.
But now, the situation was different.
Although Mitsuda was drunk, his brain was still working. As soon as the other party spoke, he put the label of "insulting the samurai of the Choshu Domain." If he were to make a move now, even if he was investigated, he would still have something to say.
Akane Koyama also realized that her words were inappropriate, but before she could say anything, the older girl beside Chiyo suddenly burst into tears.
Previously, she was completely scared silly and stood motionless on the spot. Only now did she react.
"Get lost!" Yamada already had a new target. He could not be bothered with the two kids in front of him anymore. He waved his hand impatiently and pushed the girl to the side. Chiyo quickly ran to her companion's side. After confirming that the former only had a scratch on her palm, her beautiful big eyes moved to Akane Koyama, full of concern.
Yamada raised his katana again. Although his words were full of disdain for Akane Koyama, he dared not underestimate her just because she was able to block his attack. He quickly got into position.
Akane Koyama's swordsmanship was passed down from her father, the owner of the Koyama Dojo. She grew up in the dojo, and when the dojo was at its peak, people often came to visit and learn from each other. So, Akane Koyama developed a pair of discerning eyes. Basically, she could tell if a person was the real deal from the way they held their katana.
Although the samurai of the Choshu Domain in front of her was rude and violent, he was not a good-for-nothing. Akane Koyama only had a wooden katana with her, so this battle was not going to be easy for her.
At this time, the number of onlookers had increased. Matsuo and Takahashi were so anxious that they were sweating profusely. Who knew if the Shinsengumi guys were nearby and when they would show up? Even if Yamada won this battle, it would be meaningless because his opponent was just a woman. If Yamada lost, not only would he lose face, but the entire Choshu Domain as well.
The two of them looked at each other, wondering if they should just take Akane Koyama down and run away with Yamada. However, the next moment, a pair of eyes fell on Matsuo. Matsuo felt a strong sense of crisis. He looked up at the owner of the eyes. It was a guy dressed like a ronin. When he saw Matsuo looking at him, he waved the katana in his hand. The warning was obvious.
Matsuo cursed his bad luck. He was not a master like Yamada. He was not welcomed in his original place, so he gritted his teeth and joined the Tobaku faction, thinking that when the shogunate was overthrown, he would be able to get a position in the government. Takahashi, on the other hand, was in a similar situation. Usually, the two of them followed behind Yamada, picking up the slashes. But if they were to fight someone else, even if it was two against one, they had no confidence in winning.
Although the guy on the other side looked unruly, the look in his eyes was fierce. Matsuo was sure that people who had never seen blood would not have such a look in their eyes.
Could he be a thug who had killed someone and fled to Kyoto?
For the sake of caution, Matsuo and Takahashi decided to stay put and stand still.
On the other side, Yamada and Akane were fully immersed in the battle, no longer paying attention to what was happening around them. Yamada was an expert in a swordsmanship called Oishi Shinkage-ryu. It originated from Shinkage-ryu and was created by Oishi Oishi. It was said that Oishi once challenged all the dojos in Edo with his bamboo katana, and he was invincible. The biggest feature of Oishi Shinkage-ryu was the swift thrust of the left hand. Yamada's left hand was as fast as lightning and very aggressive.
On the other side, Akane used a family swordsmanship technique that focused on defense. Her wooden katana was impenetrable.
This was the first time Zhang Heng saw a samurai fight in the Edo period. Whether it was Akane or Yamada, their swordsmanship was obviously not as good as his. According to Zhang Heng's estimation, Yamada's swordsmanship should have reached Level 2 not long ago, and Akane was still at the peak of Level 1.
One of them had too much to drink, and the other was holding a wooden sword in his hand. Both of them could not unleash their full strength. In comparison, Yamada was more affected. Although Zhang Heng did not know the name of Yamada's swordsmanship, he could tell that Yamada was also a fast swordsman, which required high agility and precision. However, Yamada was now staggering as he walked, obviously affected by Yamada's condition.
On the other hand, Akane Koyama's situation was slightly better. Her weapon was at a disadvantage, and her swordsmanship lacked variety. However, since she was a steady fighter, she did not look as dangerous as she appeared to be in the eyes of an expert like Zhang Heng.
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