I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1168 The Missing Qingdeng

"It actually managed to block Lord Niou's strike?!"

"I am not wrong, right?"

"Who is this person?!"

……

The cavalry, led by Harada Sanosuke, followed closely behind Aoto.

Therefore, the scene of Qingdeng and Ōtakemaru exchanging sword blows was clearly imprinted in their eyes.

The fact that someone could fight Nioh head-on without being at a disadvantage... truly astonished them.

"Stay away from him! Don't go near him!"

Qingdeng's sudden, urgent cry brought them back to reality.

This is a formidable character who can go head-to-head with Qing Deng... Although his identity is unknown, he is undoubtedly a terrifying figure they cannot afford to offend!
So they all followed Qingdeng's instructions, pulled on the reins, turned their horses around Ōtakemaru.

Ōtakemaru is like a stubborn rock stuck in the river, while Harada Sanosuke and the others are like the water in the river—the "water flow" splits into two streams, flowing around the "stubborn rock".

As the riders ran past him, Ōtakemaru didn't even glance at them... no, to be precise, he didn't take them seriously at all.

From the moment he opened his eyes, he couldn't take his gaze off Qingdeng.

Watching Qingdeng run away, he couldn't wait to take off.

However, he had only taken two steps when a hoarse cough came from a nearby tent.

"Cough cough... cough cough cough! Cough cough cough cough!"

He was born deaf and mute, but when the cough came, he seemed to hear it, and his expression changed slightly.

After a very brief moment of thought—about two seconds later—he withdrew the foot he had just stepped out and sheathed the knife in his hand.

At the same time, he reverted to his indifferent and emotionless demeanor.

The intense excitement that had just dominated his facial expressions had now vanished without a trace.

"..."

He glanced intently in the direction Qingdeng had left, a strange light flashing in his eyes, before turning back to the tent and returning to the side of Orochi and Aling.

……

……

"Qingdeng! Are you alright?"

Sanako quickened his pace slightly, caught up with Aoto, and rode alongside him.

While others might not recognize who the young samurai was, Sanako knew him all too well.

Sanako was also present when she encountered Yamata no Orochi and Ōtakemaru while rescuing Ōshio Heihachirō.

At that moment, Ootakemaru's single glance sent her into a chilling abyss, her body breaking out in a cold sweat, and she nearly collapsed... She was twenty-eight years old and this was the first time she had experienced such a situation; she would probably never forget it.

"I am fine."

As Qingdeng spoke, he glanced again at his hands holding the knife—they were still trembling as if shaking a leaf.

The numbing sensation, as if an electric current were passing through him, lingered... For Qingdeng, this feeling of his hands being numbed by the shock was something he hadn't experienced in a long time.

He hadn't held back at all in that strike; it was truly a full-force attack, even using his trump card, the "Selfless Realm."

He never expected that, with the blessing of the "selflessness state", his sword fight with Ōtakemaru would only result in a draw!

Although their exchange was fleeting, Qing Deng understood the details quite clearly.

He keenly sensed that Ōtakemaru was not resisting with brute force.

In terms of sheer strength, he undoubtedly has an overwhelming advantage given his collection of extraordinary talents.

Logically, he should have sent Ōtakemaru flying with his sword.

However... however... Ootakemaru was able to withstand his heavy slash, and even made Aoto experience the numbness in his hand for the first time in a long time.

This goes beyond the realm of "skills." How exactly did he do it?
Upon realizing this, Qingdeng unconsciously turned his head back.

Even though Ōtakemaru was far out of his sight, he couldn't help but cast a solemn glance at him.

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire interrupted his thoughts.

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
The British soldiers' volley came again.

However, due to the distance, the British gunfire did not cause significant casualties among the cavalry.

The gunfire reminded Qing Deng that now was not the time to think about "what about Ōtakemaru"—he regained his composure and hurriedly shouted out the command he hadn't had time to give before:
"Retreat! Full speed retreat!"

After shouting, he pulled on the reins, urging Radish to break through to the side and front.

Sanako turned to the riders behind him and shouted:

"Did you all hear that? Retreat! Everyone follow! Don't leave a single one behind!"

They clearly still had the strength to fight, yet they had to retreat... Many people showed expressions of resentment.

Although it was sudden, when Qing Deng's order came, they immediately chose to obey as if by conditioned reflex.

Many members of the Shinsengumi have this simple belief: Niou's instructions must be correct, and if they contradict my own thoughts, then it must be my problem.

Thus, the cavalry followed Qing Deng and made a sharp turn, beginning to move out of the camp.

No matter how brave and skilled the British soldiers were, they only had two legs and could not outrun the four hooves of a horse (or ox).

Therefore, after shaking off the British army, the cavalry became unstoppable once again.

In just a moment, their momentum, which had just been interrupted, was restored.

Slay the enemy on sight, and kill those who block your way... Qing Deng held his breath and focused all his energy on killing the enemy and clearing the way.

After an unknown amount of time, he was astonished to see that there were no more Northern soldiers blocking his way, and what came into view was a wide open field—they had successfully broken out of the enemy camp!
Just then, the sky brightened, gradually turning into a pale, fish-belly white.

Shortly afterward, Sagawa Kanbei and others who were in charge of the feint attack also successfully broke through the encirclement. Before the battle, Aoto had given instructions that when he led the main force to launch a general attack, the soldiers who were responsible for the feint attack could retreat.

The two groups of people merged together and drove off, leaving behind clouds of dust and a trail of bloody hoofprints.

Qing Deng turned his head and roughly counted the number of people... There were more survivors than he had expected.

Judging from the results, the night raid was undoubtedly a success. All the pre-set objectives—testing the strength of the British army and ascertaining the number of British troops—were successfully achieved, even more so than expected.

Faced with Qingdeng's surprise attack, the northern soldiers were only concerned with fleeing and failed to put up any decent resistance, resulting in many casualties.

However... at this moment, whether it was Aoto, Sanako, Harada Sanosuke, or anyone else, they all had somber faces and their expressions were not relaxed.

The reason for this was that the British army's terrifying fighting power made them unable to take it lightly!

Having followed Qing Deng in his campaigns for many years, Sanako and others learned a great deal of military knowledge through observation and experience.

Therefore, they naturally knew how terrifying the discipline and combat skills the British army had just displayed were.

Regardless of other factors, in terms of "shooting accuracy" alone, they far surpassed the Shinsengumi's musketeers.

After the Battle of Dajin begins, British snipers will surely launch long-range sniping attacks, keeping the defenders on the walls from showing their faces.

This powerful army has a strength of three thousand soldiers...

In comparison, the current 6,000 troops stationed in Dajin seem insufficient.

The more Sanako and the others thought about it, the more they felt a tightness in their chests, a heavy atmosphere enveloping them...

After a moment, Sanako couldn't help but turn her head and ask Aoto with a blank expression:
"...Qingdeng, what should we do next?"

In response to Sanako's question, Aoto smiled.

"Of course, we'll follow the old way—the battlefield is ever-changing, so we'll act according to the situation." He paused, then spoke in a calmer tone:
"Don't worry, I will eliminate all enemies and protect everything that needs to be protected, as always."

Having said that, he gripped the still-sheathed Vairocana tightly, a complex and indescribable light flashing in his eyes.

……

……

About half an hour later—

The main camp of the Northern Expeditionary Army—

Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu… no, he should now be called “Tokugawa Yoshinobu.” Tokugawa Yoshinobu sat pale-faced in the main seat.

He did not stay in the rear, but followed the army south, personally leading the expedition.

On the eve of the war, the officials of the Northern Shogunate strongly urged him to personally lead the army, set an example for the entire army, and fight alongside all the soldiers on the front lines.

Ironically, Tokugawa Yoshinobu did not display any righteous and generous attitude towards this proposal; instead, he was extremely unwilling.

Firstly, he was unwilling to take risks.

Secondly, he understood all too well what these guys were thinking.

Ultimately, the "Northern Shogunate" was just a crudely constructed makeshift organization.

Those who hated Seido, those who were ostracized by Seido, those who were dissatisfied with the status quo, and those who missed the old days... all of these people banded together for mutual support due to their practical needs, and thus the "Northern Shogunate" came into being.

With the exception of a very few individuals, the retainers of the "Northern Shogunate" did not hold Tokugawa Yoshinobu in any particular reverence, nor did they regard him as some unparalleled divine ruler. It was simply because they needed a beautiful "banner" to demonstrate their authority and win over the hearts of the people.

Once you understand this point, it's not hard to understand Tokugawa Yoshinobu's aversion to personally leading military campaigns.

You enjoy the benefits, but I'll take the blame? There's no such thing as a free lunch!
He tried every possible way to refuse. However... as a figurehead ruler with no troops under his command and no real power, he was ultimately powerless to resist.

Under the strong persuasion of the officials of the Northern Shogunate, Tokugawa Yoshinobu had no choice but to grit his teeth and reluctantly go into battle.

He was unwilling to go to the battlefield, so his fighting spirit was extremely low, and he was thinking about "When will the war end?" and "When can I go back?"

With his mind preoccupied with escaping this place... it's not hard to imagine what he must have been doing just now.

When the devastating news of the "enemy attack" arrived, he was so horrified that he couldn't close his mouth.

Despite not being skilled in martial arts, he displayed exceptionally nimble movements in that instant—without even properly dressing, he hurriedly rushed to the stables, preparing to escape on horseback.

He and his servants had not gone far when they learned that "the enemy had withdrawn."

And so, he spent an exceptionally memorable night.

Although unharmed, she is still shaken, and her pale complexion has not yet recovered.

As the nominal supreme commander of the "Northern Army," he not only failed to fight back when the enemy attacked, but also decisively ran away... Such behavior was despised by many soldiers in the "Northern Army."

However, many of them were not in a position to criticize Tokugawa Yoshinobu—because they were also frightened by Aoto's surprise attack, and many of them turned around and fled.

Due to the information gap, the latest intelligence they received regarding the Shinsengumi was that "'Southern Army' was defeated and the Shinsengumi recaptured Toba."

The Shinsengumi, who had just defeated the "Southern Army" yesterday, suddenly appeared in front of them today... It was both unexpected and chilling.

At this moment, a blond, blue-eyed Westerner sitting not far from Tokugawa Yoshinobu said respectfully in fluent Japanese:

"General, it's so good to know you're alright."

The speaker was Sir John S. Satow, an important diplomatic staff member at the British Legation in Japan.

Because of his exceptional linguistic talent, he could speak fluent Japanese Mandarin (Edo dialect), and had also learned many other dialects and could read classical texts. Therefore, after being sent to Japan, he quickly became the most relied-upon advisor and assistant to the first Minister to Japan, Rutherford Alcock, and his successor, Sir Harry Parks. He served as the interpreter for almost all important diplomatic negotiations and meetings.

As one of the few "Japan experts" in the British Legation in Japan, he became an important bridge between the British government and the "Southern Court".

Tokugawa Iemochi forced a smile:
"Thanks to you, I'm fine."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a shout rang out:

"Weak! You are so weak!" (in English)

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned their gaze to the young man sitting next to Sa Daoyi.

This man was none other than William Howell, the commander-in-chief of the British army that aided the "Southern Dynasty".

Howell snorted coldly and continued with a disdainful expression:

"If it weren't for my soldiers' quick reaction and timely repelling of the enemy's attack, who knows how many more would have died!" (in English)

His words were utterly merciless, a direct insult directed at Tokugawa Yoshinobu and his ilk.

Upon hearing this, Sa Daoyi couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

To avoid escalating the conflict, he had to use more euphemistic wording when translating these words into Japanese.

Even so, after Sadao finished speaking, many people present were still furious.

"You bastard! What did you say?!"

"How dare you look down on us!"

"Don't think that just because you're guests you can take advantage of us!"

Howell couldn't understand Japanese, but he could guess most of what they were saying just by looking at their expressions.

He then snorted coldly, his disdainful expression deepening.

"Did I say anything wrong? It was just an attack of this magnitude, and you were beaten so badly you ran away with your tails between your legs! Not only do you not reflect on your mistakes, but you also refuse to admit them. You are truly shameless!" (in English)

Seeing the argument escalating, Sa Daoyi quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Gentlemen, please calm down! We are about to reach Dajin. If we start fighting amongst ourselves now, we will only lose a battle that we could have won!"

Sa Daoyi enjoyed considerable popularity in the Southern Dynasties.

So as soon as he spoke, the Northern Army officers, who had just been furious, immediately backed down and stopped trying to outwit him, instead glaring fiercely at Howell.

Howell shrugged, spread his hands, and gave me a "what can you do about it?" look.

Seeing this, Sa Daoyi breathed a sigh of relief—although the air was still thick with tension, at least the arguing had stopped—he cleared his throat and adopted a serious, solemn tone:

"Gentlemen, the Shinsengumi have obviously returned to Ōtsu. With a formidable enemy at hand, we must unite as one."

"Although we suffered considerable losses tonight, we successfully intimidated the enemy with the power of our guns and cannons."

"We must regroup as soon as possible and then continue our advance to capture Dajin as soon as possible!"

……

……

About eight hours later—

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Dajin City——

"Mr. Saito, have you found Mr. Tachibana?"

Heisuke Todo looked at Hajime Saito with a nervous expression.

Saito Hajime shook his head quickly, his tense expression no less than that of his opponent.

Suddenly, Inoue Genzaburo emerged from a corner of the corridor, looking at the two of them with a blank expression.

"Huh? Saito-kun, Toudou-kun, what are you doing here?"

The two turned their heads and cast anxious glances at Inoue Genzaburo, then shouted in unison:

"Mr. Orange has disappeared!"

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P.S.: Leopard is so fragile... The fatigue from the "Macau-Guangzhou day trip" the day before yesterday still hasn't recovered, and my limbs are still weak today... (crying leopard head.jpg)