I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1150 The Shinsengumi Cavalry Deploys! Niou's Fortification! [4800]

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
The smoke from artillery shells filled the street corner.

Heisuke Todo covered his ears and shrank back.

The next moment, accompanied by a terrifying roar and blinding flames, the powerful shockwave caused by the shell hitting the ground swept in all directions.

Heisuke Todo felt his internal organs trembling, his lower abdomen itching, and he inexplicably wanted to urinate.

The shelling came swiftly and went away just as quickly.

One second there was a cacophony of gunfire, the next there was complete silence, with only the buzzing sound deep in your ears.

The artillery on the opposite side was loading ammunition... Taking advantage of this precious gap, Toudou Heisuke drew his sword, slipped out of cover, and leaped onto the open street.

"Follow me!"

Heisuke Todo's leading the charge greatly inspired the surrounding team members.

Like ants emerging from their nest, dozens of soldiers sprang out from their various bunkers and gathered behind Todo Heisuke, their light blue haori fluttering high as they launched a fearless charge toward the artillery position opposite them!

Around the eight cannons, dozens of musketeers sharpened their beards.

Seeing that Todo Heisuke and his men were attacking, they immediately set up their muskets and unleashed a barrage of bullets.

Not to be outdone, the musketeers ran quickly while simultaneously setting up their guns to return fire.

The barrage of comments from both sides tore through the air, producing a piercing sound.

It was easy to see that the artillerymen on the other side were very elite, and their movements were quick and orderly. In the blink of an eye, they had cleared the muzzles and loaded new shells.

Seeing that the opposing artillery position had completed its firing preparations again, Todo Heisuke hurriedly shouted:

"Get out of the way!"

He leaped up as if he were pulling himself up from the ground and took cover in the nearby bunker.

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
The familiar sound of cannons once again dominated my ears.

Heisuke Todo was lucky; although a few handfuls of dust flew onto him, it was just dust and not shrapnel, so he didn't even get a scratch.

However... others weren't so lucky.

A shell hit a house not far from Todo Heisuke.

In an instant, the wooden pillars snapped, the roof collapsed, and the second floor became the first... The soldiers who had been hiding there were all buried underneath...

They were all members of the Eighth Division, direct subordinates of Toudou Heisuke... Upon seeing this, Toudou Heisuke clenched his teeth, his face filled with resentment.

If this continues, I don't know how many sacrifices will be required to capture this artillery position!

—If reinforcements launch a surprise attack from the flank…

Just as Todo Heisuke was pondering this, a frantic shout suddenly came from the opposing artillery position—

"Hey! Bandits are approaching from the west!"

"How many people came?"

"Two, two people!"

Upon hearing this, Todo Heisuke paused for a moment, then hurriedly poked his head out from behind the cover and looked around.

At the edge of his line of sight, two figures were approaching the artillery position from the west with lightning speed!

Heisuke Todo naturally recognized the two men.

As luck would have it, at that very moment, a southern soldier opposite him called out their names in a shrill voice:

"It's Captain Saito Hajime of the Third Division and Captain Serizawa Kamo of the Fourth Division!"

Although there were only two of them, they were more intimidating to the Southern soldiers inside the artillery position than the Todo Heisuke and others in front of them!
Being approached by two captains of the Shinsengumi, and the renowned Saito Hajime and Serizawa Kamo no less... just imagining it makes my heart tremble! Cold sweat pours down my body!

"Quick! Stop them!"

The Southern soldiers inside the artillery position displayed extraordinary initiative.

Some people adjusted their guns and cannons, attempting to intercept and kill Zhai and Qin.

The scene of "reinforcements launching a surprise attack from the flank" that I had been hoping for has actually happened before my eyes... How could Todo Heisuke remain unmoved?
"Follow me! Even if it costs us our lives, we must cover Captain Saito and Captain Serizawa!"

Heisuke Todo shouted as he led by example.

Before he finished speaking, he had already run away from the cover and picked up a musket that someone had left behind.

As the captain of the 8th Division (Musketeer Squad), Toudou Heisuke naturally knew how to use a musket.

He transferred his sword to his left hand, confirmed that there was a bullet in the chamber, raised the muzzle with his right hand, and pulled the trigger forcefully with his index finger.

The bullet struck a southern soldier squarely between the eyebrows, as if by divine intervention.

"Captain Saito and Captain Serizawa are here!"

"Great! We've got this in the bag!"

"Quickly, cover the captains!"

"Follow Captain Toudou!"

The soldiers, greatly encouraged by Zhai and Qin's timely support, charged towards the artillery position with high morale once again.

Their sudden and aggressive advance threw the latter into chaos.

Throughout history, the "pincer attack" tactic has always been a tried-and-true method.

Only the most elite can remain calm when attacked from both sides.

The cannon was bulky and difficult to maneuver.

In contrast, the musketeers were much more agile.

Because they could not ignore the forces of Todo Heisuke and his men, in their panic, only a dozen or so musketeers managed to engage Saito Hajime and Serizawa Kamo.

They turned around in a panic, lined up, and raised their guns to aim—the next moment, a sparse barrage of bullets swept across the battlefield.

While Saito Hajime and Serizawa Kamo couldn't slash bullets like Aoto, they were more than capable of dodging them with their agility.

This level of barrage of comments is not enough to put them in a crisis.

The street beneath their feet was wide, providing ample space to dodge.

To onlookers, they moved with incredible agility, executing cunning maneuvers... and in the blink of an eye, the bullets were left behind, flying into the distance.

In the blink of an eye, the two were only ten meters away from the artillery position—for martial arts masters like them, this distance was practically nothing!

At this critical moment, two cannons finally turned, leveled their muzzles, and aimed directly at Saito Hajime and Serizawa Kamo.

Pass out the torch and light the fuse—

boom! boom!
Two shells drew clean straight lines in mid-air and then exploded with a loud bang!

In an instant, milky white smoke rose up, obscuring the view.

Because they couldn't see anything, the Southern soldiers didn't know whether the artillery fire had successfully hit its target.

They looked at each other, exchanging bewildered and lingering fear.

"Have you... solved their problems?"

"do not know……"

"That's a cannonball. Even if it didn't hit them directly, it should have injured them..."

"You're right, they're either dead or crippled!"

There was no movement for a long time within the smoke of battle... The tense facial lines of the Southern soldiers gradually relaxed.

In an instant, in that split second—

call!
Suddenly, a gust of wind arose!

Saito Hajime and Serizawa Kamo broke through the billowing smoke from the left and right! The strong wind that followed dispersed the smoke!
Their clothes were covered in soot, and their faces looked as if they had been smeared with coal.

Against this backdrop, their eyes and the blades in their hands shone even brighter!
In the blink of an eye, the two had broken into the enemy ranks, the blades of their twin swords reflecting the terrified faces of the invading enemy.

Saito Hajime lowered his body, and a fierce wind of sword energy swept in all directions centered on him!
Unleashing his full, unfiltered swordsmanship, his precise blade strikes claimed the lives of countless Southern soldiers!

Serizawa Kamo clung to Saito Hajime's right side like a shadow, half a body length behind him.

The Shinto Munen-ryu sword technique was unleashed in full force! Skulls were violently shattered one by one!

Because Saito Kazuki is left-handed, Serizawa Kamo's fighting on his right side does not hinder each other; on the contrary, it achieves a wonderful effect of "complementing each other" and protecting each other's weaknesses.

Roar, dash, slash.

Wailing, fleeing, death.

With just the combined efforts of two men, this artillery position, which had caused so much suffering to the Shinsengumi soldiers, was reduced to pieces and was already showing signs of collapse!
Driven to desperation, the artillerymen hastily adjusted their guns, attempting to fight Zhai and Qin to the death.

One of the cannons was already loaded with shells and the fuse lit—the person the cannon was pointing at was Serizawa Kamo.

Saito Hajime noticed the cannon about to fire out of the corner of his eye. With lightning speed, he changed his stance, pierced the chest of the southern soldier in front of him with the tip of his knife, and then used a sudden burst of strength to send the southern soldier flying.

The southern soldier glided low into the air before crashing heavily into the cannon. The cannon, originally aimed directly at Serizawa Kamo, was now tilted downwards by the pressure, pointing directly at the ground. The next moment, the shell shot out, slamming into the ground at point-blank range… the enormous recoil directly ripped the cannon barrel off!
It shot into the sky like a firecracker, drew a clumsy parabola, and fell into the distance, creating a huge crater.

Serizawa Kamo was a beat slow to notice the cannon that had nearly killed him.

Seeing that Saito had resolved the danger for him, he couldn't help but cast a complicated look at Saito.

"……Thanks."

While whispering his thanks, he expressed his gratitude with a practical action—he stepped forward and rushed towards Saito Hajime, passing by him and helping him deal with the Southern soldiers who were about to launch a sneak attack from behind.

Soon after, Todo Heisuke and his men arrived and overwhelmed the artillery position from the front... At this point, the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

Most of the southern soldiers were killed, and those who were lucky enough to survive scattered and fled, not daring to look back.

"...Serizawa, thanks to you, you've been a great help."

Saito Hajime, with his back to Serizawa Kamo, uttered a flat compliment.

Serizawa Kamo also had his back to Saito Hajime.

He tilted his head slightly, glanced at the other person, then snorted coldly, silently looked away, and ignored him.

They were both very calm, as if they had only done something insignificant, but the others were not like that at all—Toudou Heisuke led a group of soldiers to rush towards them and hugged them with great excitement.

Although the war is far from over, it does not stop them from celebrating this hard-won small victory.

……

……

Toba, South Palace of the City—

Before Saigo Kichinosuke, a messenger knelt on one knee and succinctly reported the latest battle situation.

Sitting upright on a small stool, Saigo Kinosuke, along with Katsura Kogoro, Goto Shojiro, and others beside him, all held their breath and listened attentively.

According to the report, the battles in Fushimi South and North were unprecedentedly fierce, and the situation was extremely tense.

In conclusion, Saigo Kichinosuke's plan was a success.

The vast majority of the Shinsengumi's fighting force was successfully lured out and held back.

However... Katsura Kogoro and the others did not show much joy on their faces.

Despite committing most of the Southern Army's fighting force, they still couldn't defeat the Shinsengumi... In a sense, this is hardly a cause for celebration.

Despite possessing a significant numerical advantage and the aid of powerful weapons like the "Decisive Battle of Dian," the battle still ended up like this...

Based on the information currently available, in addition to being constrained by the terrain of Fushimi, the main reason lies with the captains of the Shinsengumi.

The captains, led by Kondo Isami, were all capable of taking on a hundred men each!

What's even more frightening is that they are not just powerful militarily.

They are always able to calmly analyze the battlefield and deploy troops, making them both formidable "individual combat weapons" and outstanding commanders, thus turning the tide time and time again!
Such a battle situation made Katsura Kogoro and others realize once again the strength of the Shinsengumi and the difficulty of this battle.

A moment later, Katsura Kogoro, Goto Shojiro, and the others turned to look at Saigo Kichinosuke as if by unspoken agreement, awaiting his next instructions.

But to everyone's surprise, amidst everyone's eager anticipation, Saigo Kinosuke began talking to himself, uttering remarks completely unrelated to the current battle:

"...When I read the Records of the Grand Historian, I was always puzzled by the good fortune of Emperor Gaozu of Han."

"Why was Emperor Gaozu of Han so lucky? He had so many strategists and fierce generals by his side at the very beginning of his hegemony."

"Why is it that such outstanding talents as Xiao He and Cao Can could emerge from the small county of Pei?"

Why did all these talented individuals happen to appear around Emperor Gaozu of Han?

"I used to naively believe that Emperor Gaozu of Han was a true dragon emperor, so Heaven surrounded him with outstanding talents."

"It wasn't until I grew up and gained more experience that I belatedly realized the truth."

"It wasn't that Emperor Gaozu of Han was favored by Heaven; it was simply because there are many fine horses, but few discerning judges of horses."

"Emperor Gaozu of Han gave Xiao He, Cao Shen and others the opportunity to show their talents, which is why they were able to grow into pillars of the state."

"Without Emperor Gaozu of Han, Xiao He, Cao Can, and others would have been just ordinary people."

"This moment is just like that moment..."

“Once upon a time, Hijikata Toshizo, Kondo Isami, and others who followed Tachibana Aoto to Kyoto were all insignificant ‘taro samurai’.”

At this point, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Fushimi with a complicated expression.

"Those once unknown Taro Warriors have all grown into outstanding figures..."

Upon hearing this, Katsura Kogoro, Goto Shojiro, and the others fell silent, their faces showing complex expressions.

Even Katsura Kogoro, who hated the Shinsengumi the most, had to admit that compared to the heroes of the Shinsengumi, the officers of the "Southern Army" were indeed lacking in experience.

Unless someone is an idiot or an unlucky person, they will always undergo a transformative growth after being constantly trained.

A moment later, Katsura Kogoro cleared his throat and bluntly "reminded" him:

"...Mr. Saigo, now is not the time to be sentimental about the strength of the enemy."

Saigo Kichinosuke nodded slightly.

"I understand. Don't worry, I may feel emotional, but I won't hold back."

"On the contrary, because the strength of the Shinsengumi has repeatedly exceeded my expectations, I am even less likely to hold back."

"In order to eliminate any future troubles, we must completely destroy the Shinsengumi!"

Saigo Kinosuke cast a sharp glance at the messenger in front of him:
"Send the order to the west: prepare to attack!"

"Yes!"

After responding loudly, the other party turned and left.

However, he had only taken two steps when Saigo Kinosuke called him back.

"...Wait a minute, is there any news about Tachibana Aoto?"

No. There is currently no news about Tachibana Aoto.

"...Okay, it's alright. Go and relay the message to the west."

The messenger gave a slight salute and quickly withdrew.

Saigo Kinosuke frowned slightly, adopting a serious expression. The rest of the people present had similar expressions.

The intelligence they are currently most concerned about is undoubtedly the movements of Tachibana Aoto.

Long ago, Qingdeng proved one thing through countless solid achievements: he possessed the formidable strength to "single-handedly shake the course of a battle"!

Just a moment ago, Tachibana Aoto was very active, but now he has suddenly become silent... It would be impossible for Saigo Kinosuke and the others not to be worried about this.

At this moment, the same question arose in their minds—where did Tachibana Aoto go?

……

……

Fushimi, the plains to the west—

Saigo Kichinosuke deployed the remaining fighting force of the "Southern Army"—a full twelve thousand men—to this location!
While the "Northern Route Army" and "Southern Route Army" were fighting fiercely in Fushimi, this "Western Route Army" quietly completed its assembly.

At this very moment, a massive army of twelve thousand lay spread out across the vast wilderness, poised to strike!
Whether the "Western Route Army" can penetrate Fushimi and directly attack the Shinsengumi's main camp will determine the outcome of this battle.

Therefore, Saigo Kichinosuke entrusted this important task to his trusted confidant, Murata Shinpachi.

This man was a capable lieutenant of Saigo Kichinosuke, brave and skilled in battle, and proficient in spear and sword techniques.

After a long wait, he finally received the order for a "general attack".

Overwhelmed with emotion, he spurred his horse, faced the vast army surrounding him, and shouted:
"The Shinsengumi's stupid dogs have been scattered to the south and north of Fushimi!"

"Right now, Fushimi's central area is extremely vulnerable! It could crumble at the slightest blow!"

"Right now, if we launch an attack, we can easily capture Fushimi and destroy the Shinsengumi's main camp!"

"The opportunity to make a name for ourselves is right before our eyes!"

"Charge with me! Straight to the Shinsengumi's main camp!"

Murata Shinpachi's words caused the surrounding temperature to rise instantly.

Cheers erupted one after another.

Just as Murata Shinpachi was about to shout the order "All troops, attack!"—

Dong dong dong dong dong dong…

He suddenly heard a strange sound... the sound of horses' hooves striking the ground.

And there were an astonishing number of horseshoes!
He instinctively looked in the direction of the sound—right in front of the army, thousands of cavalrymen were approaching in dust, the leader holding a black sword and riding a majestic black bull.

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