The ministers looked at each other at a loss. You looked at me, and I looked at you.

After a while, someone swallowed hard:

"Yes, if General Tachibana can't come back... what should we do?"

Katsurin Taro responded calmly:

"You don't have to ask me this kind of question with an obvious answer, right? You know the answer clearly, don't you?"

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly changed subtly - the air was filled with panic.

Katsurin Taro’s words continued:

"Because I couldn't accurately estimate the time it would take General Tachibana to come back, that's why I just said to 'hold on'."

"Fight the enemy at all costs and delay as much time as possible."

"The longer it takes, the better it is for us."

"In a word: hold on! Hold on hard!"

At this time, a certain veteran screamed emotionally:

"It's ridiculous! Katsu Rintaro, what kind of bastard tactic are you talking about! In the battlefield of Edo Castle, how many casualties will this cause!"

This man's rebuke was like a switch - in the blink of an eye, a flood of rebuttals and scoldings came to Katsurin Taro from all directions.

"That's right! If Edo Castle is reduced to ruins, what's the point of our struggle? In the end, the shogunate will still suffer heavy losses!"

“We cannot put Edo people at risk!”

"Rather than defend Edo, it would be safer to retreat directly!"

"We can't place our hopes of victory on the illusory 'waiting for Admiral Tachibana to come back'! God knows how long it will take him to come back!"

The officials were fierce and their expressions were ferocious.

Each and every one of them showed compassion for others and hunger for themselves.

Open your mouth "for the sake of Edo" and shut your mouth "to preserve Edo".

Facing these guys' denunciations and rebuttals, Katsurin Taro became more and more impatient as he listened. His whole face sank, and his face turned as dark as if he had been splashed with ink.

He is from a lower-class background and has never been affected by the corrupt practices of the upper class.

Therefore, he dislikes pretentiousness the most, especially the hypocrisy of being full of benevolence and morality but full of men stealing and women prostitutes.

With his upright personality, he sneered directly and mocked unabashedly:

"That's enough, put away your disgusting faces!"

"You are worthy of having been in the officialdom for many years, and you are very comfortable playing the role of 'loyal ministers'!"

"If there are any uninformed people here, I'm afraid they will be deceived by you into thinking that you are some kind of loyal ministers."

"'Don't put Edo people in danger'? Don't do this!"

"Are you caring about the survival of the people of Edo, or are you pitying your own lives? Don't you have a clue in your heart?"

"Are the knives on your waists for good looks?"

"If you don't even have the courage to go into battle and kill the enemy, then you should quickly take off the sword from your waist and sell your samurai's place of origin! Don't tarnish the word 'samurai'!"

His words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire.

"Katsurin Taro, watch your words!"

"You are nakedly insulting us!"

"Even if you are the president of the navy, you can't speak without restraint!"

"Take back what you just said!"

Instantly, all the ministers denounced Katsurin Taro even more crazily.

Amid this wave of louder scoldings, Tokugawa Iemo suddenly asked:

"...Shengjun, let me confirm for the last time, is the 'Cage City War' really the only strategy we have that has a chance of winning at the moment?"

Tokugawa Iemo's sudden voice caused the scene to return to silence.

The ministers, including Katsurin Taro, turned their heads one after another and looked directly at Tokugawa Iemo.

"Yes!"

Katsurin Taro nodded firmly:

"Although it is very risky, although it will cause heavy losses...but if you want to defeat the Changzhou Army, there is no other way!"

"..."

Tokugawa Iemo stopped talking.

He closed his eyes, let out a long breath, and meditated.

Those ministers who opposed Katsurin Taro and did not want to fight a "cage war" all cast hopeful glances at Tokugawa Iemo.

No matter how fiercely they quarrel or argue, in the end the person responsible for making the final decision will only be the General Zhengyi.

They eagerly hope that Tokugawa Iemo's next words will be "I refuse" or "I object".

Under their eager expectation, Tokugawa Iemo allowed them to experience a thrilling roller coaster experience.

After a moment, Tokugawa Iemo opened his eyes suddenly, and light burst out from his eyes.

"... If we start a war in Edo Castle, most of Edo will be reduced to rubble."

When the ministers heard this, they immediately became energetic and their faces showed excitement and excitement.

However, in the next breath, Tokugawa Iemo changed the subject:

"However, my idea coincides with that of Mr. Sheng. If you want to defeat the current menacing enemy army, you can only show your determination to refuse to admit defeat and not be afraid of death."

The excited expressions that appeared on the ministers' faces just now solidified in an instant.

"Now that things have come to an end, I will follow what Lord Shengyi said! Cage the city! Fight to the death with the enemy!"

Tokugawa Iemo's sonorous and powerful voice spread throughout every corner of the vast space.

After "the expressions froze", all the blood in the cheeks of the ministers disappeared.

There was silence for two seconds at first, and then it was like a pot exploding. All the ministers fell to the ground one after another, sincerely, and even cried out to persuade Tokugawa Iemo:

"Lord! Please think twice..."

Before these people could speak, Tokugawa Iemo had already predicted what they wanted to say and interrupted directly:

"You don't need to persuade me any further!"

"I have made up my mind and will never change it!"

"I don't want to surrender to the enemy, let alone give up Edo when I have a chance of winning!"

"There are countless scholars and citizens in Edo Town."

"If the soldiers and people are not evacuated in advance, there will definitely be heavy casualties when the war begins."

"Besides, if there are Doshi people staying in the town, we won't be able to free our hands and feet to fight."

Having said this, Tokugawa Iemo turned to look at his senior adviser, Makino Tadayasu.

"Makino-kun, you are responsible for the 'evacuation of civilians'!"

"From today on, all soldiers and civilians are no longer allowed to stay in Edo unless necessary!"

"If there is a place to go to, you can act independently without interference from the shogunate."

"If you have nowhere to go, you can go to the shrine and report it, and the shogunate will find a place for them!"

Makino Tadayasu kept showing complicated expressions while listening carefully.

He did not agree with the "cage war" in Edo.

But since Tokugawa Iemo has spoken out to this extent, he has no right to say "no" no matter how unwilling he is.

He gritted his teeth and bowed his head and said "yes".

Then, Tokugawa Iemo turned to look at another veteran, Inaba Masakuni:

"Inaba-kun, you are responsible for negotiating with the Ou clans to make them ready to receive refugees!"

"All Edo citizens who have nowhere to go will be transferred to the Ou Domains for resettlement!"

Inaba Masakuni, like Makino Tadayasu, bravely accepted the offer after showing embarrassment.

Tokugawa Iemo turned his attention to the next minister-Katsurin Taro.

"Katsu-kun, I ask you to mobilize all available ships in the navy to take the people of Edo to the Ou Domain."

Katsurin Taro raised his eyebrows:

"Are we going to dispatch all the ships in the Navy?"

Tokugawa Iemo nodded:
To be continued...