I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1139 The Decisive Battleground: [Toba·Fushimi]! The Southern Army is at the city gates! [4200]

May 4, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Toba, the mountain of autumn——

Qingdeng stood atop Autumn Mountain, holding the Vairocana pendant at his waist, gazing down at the surrounding area from his elevated position.

Hijikata Toshizo waited quietly beside him, shoulder to shoulder.

Toba Kaido—abbreviated as "Toba"—is a north-south avenue adjacent to the Kamo River, connecting Kyoto and Osaka.

Fushimi is located 3 kilometers east of Toba.

Fushimi is one of the most important military strongholds in the Kyoto region... or perhaps not even one of them!
Several major roads, including Fushimi-kyo, Yamazaki-kyo, and Takeda-kyo, converge in Fushimi.

Whether attacking Kyoto or Otsu, Fushimi is an unavoidable route!
In other words, as long as Fushimi is defended, the capital region can be defended! As long as Fushimi exists, the capital region exists!
Regarding how to defeat the "Southern Court," Aoto had already held countless rounds of discussions with his advisors, including Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke.

As I said before—time is on the side of the "Northern Dynasty".

The Southern Dynasty's war potential is far less than that of the Northern Dynasty, so it will inevitably launch the first attack.

In modern military terms, the Southern Dynasty's offensive was an external operation, while the Northern Dynasty's counterattack was an internal operation.

The former faces logistical challenges several times greater than the latter.

The Southern Dynasties must determine a winner in the shortest possible time.

If the process drags on, the immense logistical pressure will inevitably cause Saigo Kinosuke and the others immense suffering.

In contrast, the Northern Dynasty was basically fighting on its own doorstep, and as long as nothing went wrong, it was unlikely to be dragged down.

In conclusion, Qingdeng's proposed strategy is very simple: defend first, then attack.

The first wave of attacks by the Southern Dynasty was definitely the most ferocious.

Hold them off their attack firmly, and once their morale is broken, switch from defense to offense!
In short, it's still the same battle strategy that Qingdeng is most proficient in.

Although it's nothing new, it's very useful!

His proposed strategy received unanimous approval from Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and others, and even gained the approval of French officers led by Brunet.

Based on this strategy, before launching the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament", Cheong Dang frequently visited various parts of the Gyeonggi region to find the most suitable defense zone.

After a thorough examination of the terrain around the capital, he finally decided to set the decisive battleground at Toba-Fushimi!
The north-south structure of Toba Street was practically a "chosen defense line" against the "Southern Army".

Unless the soldiers of the "Southern Army" all grew wings, they would surely run headlong into Toba Street when they marched toward the capital!
Moreover, Toba Street also boasts an excellent geographical advantage.

Toba Street is bordered by the Kamo River to the west.

In other words, if the Southern Army wants to attack the Toba Road, it must find a way to get rid of the Kamo River's obstruction.

If you want to cross the Kamo River, you can only use the bridges, mainly the "Koji Bridge".

As long as these bridges are held, the "Southern Army" will be unable to advance or retreat.

In this way, every single one of the "Southern Army" that comes will die!

As for Fushimi, it goes without saying that it is a vital strategic location concerning the survival of the capital region, and it must be heavily fortified and defended.

In this way, Aoto set up two lines of defense at Toba-Fushimi.

The first line of defense is naturally Toba Street.

The second line of defense was Fushimi.

The newly formed group was divided into two parts: one part was deployed along the Toba Street, while the other part served as the general reserve force, setting up defenses in Fushimi.

The person in charge of leading the "Toba Defense Line" was none other than Hijikata Toshizo.

Three days ago, Hijikata Toshi entered the "Toba Defense Line" and set up his main camp at a shrine called "Jonan-gu" east of Toba Street.

Qing Deng himself was stationed at Fushimi.

Aoto had seen the surrounding terrain of Toba and Fushimi thousands of times; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he knew it by heart.

Remembering the location of every tree... that might be a bit of an exaggeration.

But remembering the exact location of every hilltop and every grove of trees is beyond doubt!

Even with his eyes closed, all the aforementioned details could clearly appear in his mind.

Even so, he still felt like he couldn't calm down.

When he came to inspect the "Toba Defense Line" today, he couldn't help but climb the top of Mount Aki—Mount Aki is a small hill located on the east side of Toba Street—to carefully observe the terrain around Toba once again.

And so, this scene unfolded.

Qingdeng looked around silently.

Hijikata Toshizo also remained silent, keeping company in quiet solitude.

After a long while, Qing Deng suddenly spoke, softly saying to Hijikata Toshizo:

"...Toshizo, I'm entrusting Toba to you."

Hijikata Toshizo twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a half-smile:
"Although I really want to tell you 'With me here, everything will be fine,' I just can't bring myself to say something so overly optimistic."

Qing Deng gave a wry smile and nodded:
“I understand that the Southern Army is no pushover, especially the Satsuma Army and the Hizen Army. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.”

Operating inside, employing a double defensive line, and waiting in ambush... On the surface, the Shinsengumi seems to have the upper hand, and Aoto could proudly say, "The advantage is in our hands!"

The Toba Street alone was enough to make the "Southern Army" feel like they were in heaven.

However, regardless of the others, Aoto and Hijikata Toshizo dared not let their guard down.

Although in name the various forces of the "Southern Court" were equal, in reality they still had different statuses, with the Satsuma Domain, the most powerful, firmly holding the top position.

In other words, Saigo Kichinosuke was the de facto head of the "Southern Court"!
Both Aoto and Hijikata Toshizo had brief contact with Saigo Kinosuke and knew that he was very skilled in military tactics and had a very deep mind.

He could have preserved his own and Satsuma Domain's wealth and honor simply by submitting to Seito, yet he chose to break ties with Seito... Since Saigo Kichinosuke dared to go this far, he must be confident of victory!

What exactly will he do?

What methods will he use to break through "Toba Fushimi"?
Thinking of this, Qing Deng and Hijikata Toshizo couldn't help but frown.

After glancing at the western mountains a few more times, Qingdeng slowly turned and walked down the mountain.

"Toshizo, I'm returning to Fushimi. Report to me immediately if there is any new intelligence about the enemy."

Hijikata nods three times:

"Yes, got it."

……

……

Fushimi, Fushimi Magistrate's Office—

"Quickly, hang up our military flag!"

"One! Two! Three! Push harder! Okay, again! One! Two! Three!"

"Give it a little more effort! The flagpole will be up soon!"

A dozen or so soldiers awkwardly hoisted the Shinsengumi's flag—the Honesty Flag—atop the Fushimi Magistrate's Office.

The large character "诚" (sincerity) swayed in the wind, sometimes curling and sometimes unfurling.

Aoto established the main camp of the "Fushimi Defense Line" and the general headquarters of the entire battlefield at the Fushimi Magistrate's Office.

Unlike Kyoto and Otsu, Fushimi has a very high chance of becoming a battlefield!
As Hijikata Toshizo himself said, the "Toba Line" was by no means foolproof.

Therefore, we cannot ignore the worst-case scenario...

If the Toba district falls, Fushimi will be the first to be affected!
At that time, a fierce urban battle will be unavoidable.

To avoid harming innocent civilians, Aoto ordered the removal of non-combatants from Fushimi.

While dispersing the innocent civilians inside and outside Fushimi, the Shinsengumi's construction workers—the handymen of the General Affairs Department—began to demonstrate their skills.

[Note: The General Affairs Department was a department within the Shinsengumi specializing in civil engineering work; the lowest-ranking position was "hand-in-waiting."]

They set up bunkers at various intersections in Fushimi Town in preparation for possible street fighting.

Incidentally, the construction of the "Toba Line" fortifications began much earlier.

No sooner had Aoto returned to the Fushimi Magistrate's Office than he bumped into the solemn-looking Yamanami Keisuke. "Tachibana-kun, you're back just in time. We have new intelligence on the 'Southern Army'!"

Aoto nodded, gave him a "follow me" look, and then jogged straight to his temporary office—which was originally Fushimi Magistrate's office—with Yamanami Keisuke following closely behind.

After entering the room and settling down at the table, Aoto waved to Yamanami Keisuke.

Yamanami Keisuke hurriedly stepped forward and handed over a scroll.

"King Tachibana, the armies of Sa, Tsuchi, and Hi have all arrived in Choshu."

"Its total strength is between 2 and 4."

"Judging from their marching speed, we will meet the enemy at the bird's feathers by the end of April or the beginning of May at the earliest."

After quickly glancing at the information written on the scroll, Qing Deng looked up at Yamanami Keisuke and asked:
"Any news from the north?"

The "northern side" that Qing Deng referred to was naturally the "Northern Omi Defense Line" which was the responsibility of the Aizu Army.

Just as Qing Deng had predicted, the Southern Court and the Northern Shogunate launched their attacks on the same day.

It's not hard to see that Tokugawa Yoshinobu and his men were truly going all out, deploying an army far larger than Aoto had anticipated.

According to reports from scouts at the front, the Northern Army has at least 4000 men!
The Northern Shogunate, which only controlled the Fukui Domain (with a rice yield of 32), surprisingly fielded a force of 4000 troops... Tokugawa Yoshinobu must have mobilized all the available military strength.

For this battle, Matsudaira Katamori brought all the Aizu soldiers he could, totaling 3000 men.

Three thousand Aizu soldiers against four thousand Hokkutsaku soldiers... Although outnumbered, they should have been more than capable of holding off the Hokkutsaku army.

Aoto had no high expectations for the Aizu Army guarding the "northern front," only one requirement: to hold off the "Northern Expeditionary Army."

Faced with the pincer attack from the west and north by the "Southern Army" and the "Northern Army," it was imperative to make choices and prioritize accordingly.

If you disperse your forces and try to defeat two enemy forces at the same time, you will make the basic mistake of "preparing for the front but having fewer troops in the rear, preparing for the left but having fewer troops on the right, and preparing everywhere but having fewer troops everywhere".

Therefore, Qingdeng will adopt a "west first, then north" strategy.

Whether it was the "western front" under his command or the "northern front" under Matsudaira Katamori's command, he initially adopted a defensive posture.

Even if Aizu is unable to defeat the "Northern Shogunate Army", it doesn't matter. As long as the "Northern Shogunate Army" is stopped from advancing south and the Shinsengumi defeats the "Southern Army", the mission will be accomplished!

After defeating the Southern Army, the Shinsengumi will turn north and join forces with the Aizu Army to defeat the Northern Shogunate Army in one fell swoop!
……

……

May 5, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Somewhere west of Gyeonggi Province—

A sparrow perched on a branch, preening its feathers with its sharp beak.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, it stopped abruptly, then raised its head, blinked its eyes, and looked around.

The next moment, it reflexively spread its wings and flew straight into the sky.

This was not an isolated case—at the same time, all the nearby birds flapped their wings and darted into the air as if fleeing, the sound of their wings flapping incessant.
Looking up, the sky was filled with the dark silhouettes of birds taking flight.

Shortly after the birds had all dispersed, a strange sound came from afar.

At first it was barely perceptible, then it gradually grew louder and louder, and soon it became a huge commotion like muffled thunder!
At that moment, a sparrow in mid-air flapped its wings and stretched its head to look down curiously. A magnificent sight came into its view—countless soldiers lined up in long dragons, heading east along the flat road!

They carried muskets, rifles, or swords at their waists, their military bearing impeccable.

Military flags fluttered in the wind. The Satsuma Domain's "Maru Cross," the Choshu Domain's "Ichimonji Sansei," the Tosa Domain's "Maru Sanba Kashiwa"...

Tens of thousands of troops from the Southern Dynasty filled the road, and even with the strongest eyesight, they could not see the end of the road!

The Ninth Division members, who were constantly monitoring the "Southern Army" from a distance, couldn't help but swallow hard upon seeing this scene.

Despite having prepared themselves mentally, their hearts still skipped a few beats after witnessing the scene firsthand.

The Southern Army has already entered the capital region!
……

……

As soon as the army entered the Kyoto region, Saigo Kinosuke led Katsura Kogoro, Goto Shojiro, and others to break away from the main force and head east, closing in on a certain place adjacent to the Toba district.

Saigo Kichinosuke held up his binoculars, gazing at the distant Toba Street.

"Is that Toba Street... The defenses are indeed very tight."

He was praising the impregnable Toba Line, but his expression remained unchanged, as if he didn't take it seriously at all.

Coincidentally, at the same time that Saigo Kinosuke and others were observing the battlefield, on Autumn Mountain east of Toba Street, Aoto also led Togata Toshizo, Nagakura Shinpachi and others to look eastward.

Upon receiving the report that "the Southern Army has entered the Gyeonggi region," Qing Deng immediately rushed to the "Toba Defense Line" to check the current situation.

Ironically, even though neither of them could see each other, at this moment, Aoto and Saigo Kinosuke seemed to be of one mind, and their gazes turned at the same time—their eyes collided heavily and uncompromisingly across layers of void.

……

……

Katsura Kogoro moved to Saigo Kinosuke's side:

"Is this the place of the final battle?"

……

……

Hijikata Toshizo moved closer to Aoto:
"The enemy has finally arrived."

……

……

Goto Shojiro took a deep breath:

"Since the Battle of Sekigahara, this has been another 'war that will decide the fate of the nation'."

……

……

Nagakura Shinpachi grinned:

"We never imagined that we would be able to participate in a war of this magnitude in our lifetime! Even if we die here, we will have no regrets!"

……

……

Iwakura's visual gazing channel:
"Be careful, the Orange Thief's henchmen may be nearby."

……

……

Saito Hajime said softly:
“Enemy scouts have surely penetrated deep into the capital region; be on high alert.”

……

……

Saigo Kinosuke said calmly:

"Next, it will be a pure clash of strength."

……

……

Qing Deng said calmly:
"From now on, there will be no place for the weak; it's either victory or death."

……

……

Aoto / Saigo Yoshinosuke:
"The world... is destined to be in our hands!"

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