Although Spirit Guard Jia Shen held certain prejudices against the younger Daoists, he dared not be careless when it came to war. He gave Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu a detailed account of the current situation in Hisai Castle.0

Ichishi District was the gathering place of the Sonno-joi ronin, with over 100,000 men. The Daoist army was at a disadvantage in numbers but held an absolute advantage in weaponry, resulting in them surrounding an enemy force several times their own size.0

Under the orders of Ise-jingu, the Sonno-joi ronin of Ichishi District withdrew toward Anno District in an alternating retreat. Although Suzuka District lay behind Anno District, it had not completely blocked the route from Anno to Mie District. Thus, the ronin could still withdraw into Mie District, where Ise-jingu was located.0

In this situation, the field camp issued orders to split into two forces, attacking from Ichishi District and Suzuka District simultaneously to form a pincer move, with the aim of annihilating the ronin. This was precisely why Qi Xuansu’s successful persuasion of Suzuka Gozen to surrender was crucial.0

Logically speaking, given the immense strategic...0