I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1066 "Who do you think I am? Pull the boat over!" [5200]

After hearing the words "Launch a night attack tonight! Sink the enemy ship!", Katsurintaro suddenly fell into great confusion, as if a bomb exploded in his head.

He widened his eyes and looked at Qing Deng in disbelief.

In order to verify the authenticity, he asked cautiously:

"Qing Deng, I'm sorry, you just said..."

Qing Deng smiled, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone:
"Rintaro, you are not old yet, why is your hearing declining? Prepare the ships for the attack, launch a night attack tonight, and sink the enemy ships."

The second half of his speech returned to a serious and solemn tone.

You heard it right... Qing Deng really plans to attack the enemy ships at night!
After a brief moment of shock, Katsurintaro gathered his strength, frowned, and said quickly:

"Qing Deng, forgive me for being blunt, but is it too hasty to launch a strong attack on the enemy ship tonight?"

Qing Deng looked calm and did not directly respond to Katsurintaro's questioning. Instead, he asked:
"Rintaro, if I ask you to lead our fleet to engage in a head-on battle with the enemy fleet, what are your chances of winning?"

"..."

Katrintaro stopped talking. He pursed his lips tightly as if he was choking.

Although he was the founder of the shogunate navy, he only had rich theoretical knowledge.

In fact, he has no practical experience!
He could plan and formulate hundreds of strategies easily in the rear, but when it came to actually putting them into practice at the front line, he did not have such strong confidence.

What's more, the equipment gap between the two sides is too big.

We are currently living in an era where naval technology is changing with each passing day, with new naval equipment being introduced almost every year.

The ironclad ship is the most advanced and powerful ship type born in recent years! No doubt about it!

The enemy's three warships are all ironclad ships covered with steel armor and have first-class defense capabilities.

In contrast, the warships of their punitive army were all wooden paddle-wheel steamships (outboard-wheeled) powered by sails, which were one or two generations behind the enemy.

The gap in artillery is even greater.

Kanko Maru and Fujisan Maru each had 6 guns, and Kanrin Maru had slightly more guns, 12. The three ships combined had only 24 guns.

Each of the enemy's warships has 16 guns! That's a total of 48 guns! That's twice as many as theirs!
As the deputy general of the expeditionary army, Katsurintaro didn't want to say discouraging words.

But the gap in equipment is so huge... the chances of winning in a head-on fight are slim!
Aoto said what Katrintaro couldn't say:

"If we fight head-on, we will be defeated."

"Since there's no chance of winning in a head-on fight, then we'll naturally have to find another way, right?"

"A night raid has always been the only way to turn the tide against the enemy."

"As things stand, we have no other strategy except to attack the enemy ships at night."

Qing Deng said as he took out three black chess pieces and three white chess pieces from the chess box next to him.

He placed three black pieces in Hakodate Bay to represent enemy ships, and three white pieces in Aomori to represent his own ships.

"I plan to send all my warships to Hakodate Bay at night and conduct boarding tactics against the enemy ships. It just so happens that today is a cloudy day, which is perfect for our military operations."

He turned his head and looked at the sky outside the tent.

But thick, gray clouds separated the sky and the earth.

Judging from the thickness of the clouds, they would not disperse even at night, thus blocking the moonlight and concealing the whereabouts of the fleet.

Katrintaro raised his eyebrows:

"Are you going to use boarding tactics to deal with the enemy ship?"

"Rintaro, do you think our artillery can penetrate the enemy ship's armor?"

"If we concentrate our fire on a dozen or so, we might be able to penetrate the enemy ship's armor."

Qingden shrugged:

"But night raids require speed, quick advance and quick exit. We don't have the time to fire slowly."

"If we can't defeat the enemy ships in a short period of time, we'll be in trouble when they launch a counterattack."

"Even if it is a sturdy ironclad ship, its interior is definitely fragile."

"We should send our best swordsmen and gunners to board the enemy ship and sabotage it from the inside."

"Hand-to-hand combat is our strong point. There is no reason not to make good use of it."

Qing Deng paused, then joked:
"Luckily I brought the second squad here."

Katsurintaro stared at the map in front of him, his facial lines tense and his cheeks filled with thought.

After a while, he let out a long breath, revealing a relieved expression:

"...Yes, Qing Deng, you are right. If we want to destroy the enemy ships, the only feasible strategy right now is a night attack!"

"If we can succeed in the night attack, even if we only destroy one enemy ship, it will greatly increase our chances of victory!"

Qing Deng nodded:

"Now there is only one problem left - how to solve the height difference between the warships. Rintaro, which ship has a higher deck, ours or the enemy's?"

Katrintaro answered without hesitation:
"The enemy ship is taller, with a height difference of about 3 meters."

"3 meters... this height is very tricky..."

Katrintaro interrupted:

"We can only use traditional tactics. Throw out a rope with a grappling hook, hook it onto the side of the enemy ship, and then climb up along the rope."

"Well, let's do it. Have we got a hook and line?"

"Of course. Don't forget, the warships we brought are not only the Kanrin Maru, Kanko Maru and Fujisan Maru, but also dozens of old sailing ships. These old ships have enough hooks and ropes, more than enough."

Qing Deng nodded:

"Very good, bring all the hooks and lines tonight!"

Katrintaro showed some hesitation on his face:
"Qing Deng, is it too hasty to launch a night attack tonight?"

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Now that we have made the decision, there is no reason to drag it out. Moreover, it is cloudy today, and the time is on my side. If I miss it, who knows if there will be another good opportunity like this in the future."

Qing Deng paused and cast a playful look at Katsurintaro.

"Rintaro, don't tell me that during the time I was away from the base camp, you spent all day eating, drinking and playing, slacking off in training and losing your fighting spirit."

Katsurintaro raised his head and chest when he heard this, and said loudly and righteously:
"Absolutely impossible! I, Katsurintaro, can assure you with my life that our army is always in high spirits and ready to fight at any time!"

"That being the case, I'm relieved."

After saying this, Qing Deng supported Vairocana on his waist and slowly stood up.

"Tonight, I will fight in person!"

Katsurintaro was startled:
"Qing Deng, are you going to the front lines again?"

"Whether we can successfully weaken the enemy's combat power will have an impact... no, it will be enough to determine the outcome of this battle! Of course I have to step forward to support them."

Qing Deng paused, then put on a calm smile:
"When the King of Mercy appears in front of the battle, the thousands of troops behind him will naturally follow him with all their might."

"But... you just came back from Ezo, don't you need to rest for a while?"

Katsurintaro said this and involuntarily looked around, taking in the dusty clothes on Qing Deng.

Qingdeng waved his hand:

"Don't worry, I'm in great shape now. I just need a good meal, a bath, and a nap, and I'll be back to my best form!"

With the blessing of the talents "Sleep God" and "Strengthen Essence +8", his recovery ability is simply too strong! It takes a normal person 10 hours to relieve fatigue, but he only needs to rest for 1 or 2 hours!

"Katsurintaro, go help me make the arrangements. In addition to the 11th Division, the 2nd Division and the 8th Division will all be dispatched!"

"Let the soldiers who need to rest have a good rest, and let those who need to organize their equipment organize their equipment. Tonight at 10 pm ( pm), we will start the action!"

Katsurintaro stood up straight and responded loudly:
"Yes, I understand!"

……

……

That night--

Hakodate, Goryokaku, a certain barracks——

"Huh... the wind is really cool tonight."

"It's normal for the wind to be cool here, as it's close to the sea." "Walk faster, I want to go back and rest soon."

A patrol hurried down the corridor.

The way they patrol... to put it mildly, it's rough; to put it bluntly, it's terrible!
To put it bluntly, the military qualities of the vast majority of the "Ainu Coalition" - especially those "righteous men" who joined later - were mediocre, and many of them had no military qualities at all.

At this moment, most of the patrol teams responsible for inspecting the fortress were just walking, listening, and looking, as if they were taking a stroll. It could not be called a patrol at all.

This defense with many loopholes is more than enough to guard against ordinary people, but it is not enough to stop a true ninjutsu master.

As the patrol team passed through the corridor, the ceiling behind them suddenly moved strangely - a tall figure separated from the shadow of the ceiling and landed steadily like a cat without making any sound.

Ogata stood on tiptoe, stretched his shoulders vigorously, and said to himself with emotion:
"I didn't expect that after so many years, I would still have the opportunity to use ninjutsu..."

Just now, he hooked his fingertips on the gap in the ceiling and hung steadily on the ceiling, narrowly avoiding the patrol team.

People only know that Ogata is a master of kendo, but few people know that he is also a master of ninjutsu!

He can break through the iron wall that ordinary people can't break through! He can find information that ordinary ninjas can't find!
After Ogata, Aikon and others successfully entered Goryokaku today, everything was calm and no accidents occurred.

They just checked into the barracks and put their luggage away, and were told to have a good rest today and that they would be given formal tasks tomorrow.

After nightfall, Ogata pretended to go to bed, and when it was late at night, he quietly crawled out of the bed, transformed into a silent and invisible ninja, and began to sneak!
Since he was tasked with "destroying Goryokaku from within," he naturally had to collect intelligence and find out the architectural layout of Goryokaku, or at least know the locations of important facilities such as the ammunition depot and generals' quarters.

To Ogata, the defense of Goryokaku was really full of loopholes, like a colander, full of holes that allowed him to enter and exit!
Goryokaku is a professional military fortress with all kinds of facilities such as barracks, warehouses, stables, etc. There is no shortage of hiding places, which is indeed an excellent place to display stealth skills.

Although it had been decades since he last used his ninja skills, he was still as skilled as ever, climbing up high walls and moving across the ceiling with silent movements.

The place Ogata wanted to find most was undoubtedly Xilika's bedroom.

In fact, compared to whether Goryokaku can be recovered or not, Ogata is more concerned about the so-called "immortal body", which is why he came here.

If conditions permit, he wouldn't mind tying up Xilika, carrying him to a small dark room or somewhere else, and slowly interrogating him to find out the truth about his "immortality".

But he was seen using the "shadow" as his base, running and jumping between the shadows, advancing into the depths of Goryokaku like a ghost.

He was not familiar with the layout of Goryokaku's facilities and could only take things one step at a time.

At this moment, he, with his extraordinary five senses, suddenly heard a familiar language.

——Japanese?
Ogata was stunned.

In this fortress where Ainu people gather, Japanese can be heard... Ogata immediately noticed something unusual and immediately followed the sound.

From the sound, it seemed like two people were having a conversation.

Soon, Ogata found the source of the sound - a barracks.

Judging from the size and decoration of this barracks, it should have been the dormitory for senior generals.

Ogata walked around the barracks for most of the way and luckily found an open window.

He looked around and made sure that there was no one around. Then he climbed over the empty window like origami and broke in.

……

……

Dust, spider webs...all kinds of filth that are usually found on the ceiling, were pouring down towards Ogata's head.

No matter if there was dust covering his eyes or spider silk hanging on his head, Ogata could not even frown.

He clung to the ceiling like a gecko, crawling forward quickly and steadily.

Although his crawling movements were very large and fast, he made no sound at all, which was amazing.

In a short while, he was right above a room - the Japanese conversation he heard came from this room.

Due to the obstruction of the ceiling, Ogata could not see the situation inside the room and could only listen through the ceiling.

He lowered his head, put his ears close to the ceiling, closed his eyes, and his hearing was enhanced to its most sensitive state.

"I need more Berserker Water."

This voice... there was no doubt about it, it was the voice of Xilika, whom he had just met a few hours ago!
Thanks to the short speech the other person gave at the time, Ogata remembered his voice.

Ogata tried to imagine the scene in the room under the ceiling——

Xilika sat cross-legged with his red scabbard sword placed beside his legs.

There was a person sitting opposite him, and the two were having a heated conversation.

At this moment, apart from these two people, there was no one else in the room.

Just as Ogata was imagining this, a low, strangely accented Japanese voice came from under the ceiling. The man who was talking to Xilika spoke:

"Sirika, I'm so sorry, but Berserker Water is very valuable and I don't have much left."

Xilika was silent for a while, then spoke in a cold voice, word by word:
"…Hey, Mael, this is different from what we agreed on. You said you would fully support our 'Yamato Conquest'."

Mael - upon hearing this name, Ogata opened his eyes slightly, his eyes slightly fixed.

His name is "Mael" and he has a weird Western accent... He is most likely the Mael d'Orleans that Ju Jun specifically asked for!
When Qing Deng was entrusted with the important task of "paying attention to Maher", he specifically introduced who the other party was to Ogata.

He is Elodie's biological father, he is a powerful arms dealer, he has connections with the Fazal Party...

Combining the information he currently knew, various thoughts ran through Ogata's mind:
—Was the Ainu uprising caused by the Fazha Party? Or was it that the Fazha Party had no involvement and the instigator was this Mael?
The secret meeting between Xilika and Maher; the unknown object called "Berserker Water"... Ogata had a premonition that there would be a huge harvest tonight!
He held his breath, not missing any word or phrase he was about to hear.

……

……

In fact, the picture imagined by Ogata was very close to the real scene in the room.

Xilika sat cross-legged with his red scabbard sword resting on his legs.

Opposite him, Maher sat upright, with an elegant and leisurely demeanor.

"Xilica, your Japanese is getting better and better. You can now pronounce 'Berserker Water' accurately."

Being praised for "your Japanese getting better and better" did not make Xilika look happy, but instead made him frown.

"Mael, stop interrupting! Stop talking nonsense that has nothing to do with the business! Just answer whatever I ask you! I need more Berserker Water! This is what you promised me!"

Maher smiled calmly:
"If I have any in stock, I'd be happy to share it with you."

"However, 'Berserker Water' is not the sugar water that can be found everywhere on the roadside. Its production is extremely low."

"I'm handing over all the stock I have to you. Not a single bottle is left. I'm not lying. I'm willing to put my hand on the Bible to prove my innocence."

"I understand your anxiety. I also know that the war is imminent and more Berserker Water is urgently needed to fight against the incoming Shogunate."

"But I'm not a magician. I can't conjure up 'Berserker Water' for you out of thin air. Please forgive me."

The more Xilika listened, the gloomier his face became, as if he would jump up in anger at any time, draw his sword and chop Mael's head.

Maher sensed the change in the atmosphere and saw Xilika's increasingly ugly expression, but he was not panicked at all and continued to speak leisurely:

"It is impossible for me to hand over more Berserker Water immediately."

"However, I can assure you that once a new batch of 'Berserker Water' is successfully refined, I will immediately hand it over to you."

"My alchemists are racing against time to refine the product."

"I promise you, in three days... no, in two days, there will be a mountain of Berserker Water in front of you!"

……

……

At this moment——

A certain sea area south of Hakodate Bay——

On the side of the Kanrin Maru, John Manjiro held a telescope and carefully observed the three enemy ships in the distance.

Looking at the three huge ironclad ships standing like hills in Hakodate Bay, John Manjiro secretly smacked his lips:
"Is this the most advanced ironclad ship today? It's intimidating just by looking at it. Admiral Tachibana, do we really want to use the boarding tactic against such a giant warship?"

John Manjiro said as he put down the telescope in his hand and looked at Qing Deng behind him with an embarrassed look.

Qing Deng held Vairocana on his waist, walked slowly forward, stood at the edge of the ship's side, and looked at the enemy ships getting closer and closer in the distance.

"Of course we have to fight! Who do you think I am? The battle is over! Pull the boat over!"

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