18 The Japanese empire 2

The fourteen ronins poised, bracing themselves for battle, and believing in the unlikely, fourteen ronins looking to take out a brigade of soldiers advancing towards their direction,

Fists clenched on katana, foot held firm on the ground, they all set their focus on what was coming towards their direction.

The ronins thought it was likely that the samurai's would ascend from every Conner of the vicinity, given what Kubo made them believe that samurai's are hiding in every Conner of the village, It was all the reason the ronins formed a circle so as the kept watch at every angle and all that sorrounds them.

The ronins poised for a good long while, yet nothing happened, they all appeared surprised that they has been a change in the probable occurance they were looking forward to, their expectations were that the samurai's chasing after them should have arrived long ago, but their arrival was taking too long, it's either that they have besieged the whole village or they might have gone into hiding at every Conner of the village, these were the probable expectations the ronins were having about the delay in the samurai's arrival.

The ronins persevered in poising and waiting for the samurai's.

After a while, feudal soldiers egressed out of every Conner , behind the buildings and out of the bushes in the vicinity, every of the ronins clenched his fist harder on his katana, it would be the greatest hostile meeting ever experienced, it also has a chance of becoming their last.

In a while, the ronin's became besieged by samurai's and ashigaru soldiers, they were heavily equiped, it can be said that they had every part of their body protected with armour, the ronin's wore kimonos only, daggers could cut through kimonos with just a slice, while their adversaries wielded maces, a weapon more deadly than a katana.

One amongst the samurai's came forth, he had his body cloaked in a thick and tacked clothing, he had a gruesome mask mounted over his face, it had a very mere similarity with the head of a wolf, that's why the samurai's other name is- sen okami, meaning, the wolf warriors.

The masked man came forth with graceful steps, he seemed a threat in no way, he stood before the ronin's, words were to come first before action, the masked man drew the jaws of his mask apart, his face was revealed, it was in the confines of jaws.

"We urge you all to surrender, said the masked man

killing you shall not be our doing, but I wish it were."

"Over our dead bodies, we will never surrender, not to you." Osako responded, his tone showed a strong will to the masked man before him.

"I guess the violent one taketh it by force." The masked man pronounced, he gave a hint to the ronins on how he plans to make them surrender, osako quite understood what he meant, "we knew violence would be involved, osako said.

That's why we prepared for it."

"Paison no senjutsu.!" The masked man yelled, ordering his fellow samurai's to get in formation.

Movements took place within the brigade of soldiers, they encircled the ronin's and put up long shields over their faces, the long shield ran down to their knees and provided protection well enough,

"Tojiru!." The masked man yelled, the samurai's putting up their shield closed in slowly on the ronins, uneven motions prevailed amongst the ronins, they were all looking right and left, and around to know where the first attacker would emerge from.

None of the samurai's came forth to attack the ronins, they all maintained their line and kept closing in on the ronins.

"Kuroza!." The masked man yelled, the soldiers drew much closer to the ronins at the hearing of his voice, the samurai's boxed the ronins, they had them in the confines of shields they were barely any empty area remaining for the ronin's, they slashed katana's against the shield and drove impacts against the shields, using their foot, but the samurai's rooted themselves firmly on the ground,

"Karuzo!." The commander yelled once more,

The samurai's moved against the ronins, they now had them sandwiched by shields, they had no place to run to, neither can a plan be thought out to save them, only a God's plan would.

The samurai's stretched out their maces towards to ronin's encircling them with it,

"Drop your weapons, and surrender yourself to the emperor!." The commander yelled from behind,

Osako showed a lack of attention towards the commanders orders, he has resolved to the fact that he would give up the ghost, but he intends to take a good number of people with him to the land of the dead.

Fearless osako was still charging at the ronins, amidst the maces pointing at him and his men, mitsuo who stood beside him held his arm, osako regarded him, and he observed quickly mitsuo isn't welding his katana any more, osako glanced at the ground, and beheld mitsuo's katana laying on the ground.

Osako picked up the katana "take this you caword." Osako yelled at mitsuo.

Mistuo stood still, he didn't take the katana from osako.

"It's an order!." Osako said, mitsuo stood on his will, it motivated the rest and they dropped their katana one after the other, osako saw them dropping their katanas "traitors." He called them all, all hope was lost for him, none of his men were willing to die, he thought before dropping his own katana on the ground.

Samurai's came at them, drove them to their knees, and seized their katanas,

The samurai's brought a big, long bamboo stick, they lined up the ronins and put the bamboo stick on their shoulders, they tied their necks unto the stick, and also tied their hands backwards, leaving them utterly uncomfortable.

The samurai's moved the ronins in a straight line, journeying to the Edo castle on foot, a journey that could last up to two days.