we keep in neutral

"Nagaoka must be armed in order to remain neutral."
Kawai thought so.
　
At the confluence of road was the enclave of Aizu.
There was a byway leading to Aizu from here.
So Nagaoka trends were very important for Aizu at this time.
　

"We request you to participate in the alliance."
Of course there was a strong demands like that from Aizu against Nagaoka.

　
"We keep in neutral."
Kawai rejected it.
　
Defense line of aizu in the mountains had been surpassed already.
　
"We may also resort to arms."
Demands of Aizu had become increasingly severe.
　
"We keep in neutral."　
But Kawai did not change the intention.
Of course Nagaoka did war readiness at the same time.
　
Practical problem，new government troops was approaching.
Aizu was not able to fight against Nagaoka.　
　

Policy of Kawai was going well.
But Nagaoka public opinion was no one.　

　

・・・・・・・・・　
　
　
After all，Aizu was defeated.
They retreated to abandon the base.　
(Number of soldiers were too different.）
　
At the confluence of road called "Ojiya".
New government troops had advanced to this point.
Here was just south of Nagaoka.
　
Nagaoka public opinion was confused further.　

"Subdue Aizu."
"Put out the sinews of war."
Nagaoka had been undergone this stringent requirements of the new government by that petition.
　
"We should surrender to the new government as soon as possible.
If we doesn't do so，we doesn’t know what kind of retaliation."
But this was not a strong opinion.

"We also should fight with Aizu against government troops."

Aizu was a familiar presence for them.
It was part of their landscape.

People of main government troops were from western Japan.
War and them were presence of no sense of reality for most Nagaoka people.

But war and them were cast out Aizu and appeared in the immediate vicinity to reality.
Their familiar landscape was changed completely.

"They are invaders."
There were many people who naively think so.

And they were armed with state-of-the-art weapons.


・・・・・・・・・
　

"I will go to explain the position of Nagaoka to Ojiya.
Please stop making rash and blind act."
kawai said to them.