I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1179 The Battle of the Logistics Personnel! The Fall of Otsu Castle is Imminent!

Otsu City, Rear Hospital—

"Over here! Quickly bring the wounded over here!"

"Ugh... I can't take it anymore... Kill me..."

"Hang in there! The doctor is coming soon!"

"Doctor! Doctor!"

……

After the battle began, wounded soldiers were successively sent to rear hospitals.

All members of the Shinsengumi's medical team began their battle!
The elderly, women, and children, who are struggling even to do logistical work, mostly gather here to assist with treatment. They are mainly responsible for odd jobs such as boiling water, wiping the injured, and washing clothes.

It was called a hospital, but it was really just a few tents set up in the square behind the hospital. Doctors carried out treatments inside the tents, while the wounded waited in line outside.

As the head of the medical department, Nanjo Akizaburo was the most skilled doctor in the department, and therefore naturally bore the heaviest pressure.

People who couldn't be saved by other doctors were all sent to him.

If even he can't save someone, then there's absolutely no hope for them; they can only wait to die.

It is worth mentioning that, in recent years, under the vigorous reforms of Nanjo Akizaburo, the medical aspects of the Shinsengumi have been completely transformed.

With the support of Qing Deng, the ever-enlightened man fully introduced Western medical techniques and advanced medical equipment, resulting in many changes to the current Shinsengumi medical practice.

For example, many doctors have learned simple surgical techniques such as stopping bleeding and suturing wounds.

For example, when treating the injured, they would wear headscarves and masks.

All of these are different.

Besides being open-minded, Nanjo Akizaburo was also very studious.

Upon learning that the young doctor named Kita Jin had managed to save Hijikata Toshizo from a gunshot wound to the stomach, he immediately became very interested in him.

So he turned to Qingdeng for help.

Qingdengba couldn't bear the thought of all the doctors under his command seeking advice from Beifangren, so he readily accepted the request.

Through his matchmaking, Nanjo Akizaburo and Kita Jin quickly became close pen pals due to their shared interests, frequently corresponding and discussing medical matters together.

With Kita Jin's meticulous guidance, Nanjo Akizaburo's medical skills improved by leaps and bounds, and he is now one of the most outstanding doctors in the Kyoto region.

At that moment, after stitching up the wound of another wounded soldier, Nanjo Akizaburo slowly pulled down his mask, revealing a weary face. He let out a long sigh and turned to walk out of the camp.

He wanted to rest for a while, and also wanted to see with his own eyes how many wounded people were still outside.

At that moment, a woman suddenly darted out from the side and grabbed Nanjo Akizaburo's sleeve.

"Mr. Nanjo! Please save my husband!"

Nanjo Akizaburo glanced at her, a hint of anger flashing across his face.

In the race against time to save lives, the order of "priority for the seriously injured and deferred for the lightly injured" must be followed. How can anyone cut in line?
However, despite his displeasure, Nanjo Akizaburo did not reprimand the other party.

He recognized the woman—she had actively assisted the medical team since the battle began, fearless of blood and corpses, and very quick and efficient, helping a great deal.

Out of consideration for this relationship, Nanjo Akizaburo turned his head to look at the young man lying on the stretcher at the woman's feet.

He glanced at the other person only once before shaking his head:
"This guy is beyond saving, let's take him away."

After saying that, Nanjo Akizaburo broke free from the woman's hand.

Upon hearing this, the woman's face immediately changed, and she quickly stepped half a step to the side, blocking Nanjo Akisaburo's path.
"Doctor! He's still breathing! Please save him!"

Seeing the persistent woman, Nanjo Akizaburo's face darkened, his brows furrowed, and he spoke sternly and solemnly:
"It's not that I'm unwilling to save him! It's just that he's truly beyond saving! Even if I exhausted all my knowledge, I couldn't pull him back from the brink of death!"

"We don't have enough manpower right now! We can only save those who have a chance of survival! We have to abandon those who are clearly beyond saving!"

"Do you understand?!"

As he finished speaking, Nanjo Akizaburo unconsciously raised his voice, releasing all the pressure and resentment that had been building up inside him.

The moment he finished speaking, the huge tent became so quiet you could hear a pin drop... Everyone present stared blankly at Nanjo Akizaburo, their faces filled with sorrow.

Nanjo Akizaburo wasn't lying; the other woman's husband was indeed beyond saving, the kind of person even Hua Tuo couldn't save.

His entire body was severely burned, most of his body was charred black by the flames, and he couldn't even bleed... It was obvious that he must have been too close to the impact point of the shell and was attacked by a huge wave of flames.

He was still breathing, but only very faintly, and could only live for another half an hour at most.

Since the start of the war, Nanjo Akizaburo has seen far too many wounded like this.

The British artillery fire was exceptionally fierce, and the number of people wounded by shells increased rapidly.

Putting aside other symptoms such as internal organ damage and excessive blood loss, the extensive burns alone were enough to leave all the doctors on the medical team helpless!

The stark reality cut deep, leaving bloody wounds in the women's hearts.

She seemed to have lost her soul; her eyes were glazed over, her gaze vacant, and she slowly slumped to the ground…

Seeing this, Nanjo Akizaburo's eyes flashed with a hint of pity, and a strong sense of guilt welled up in his heart—he took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed all these emotions.

One of the essential qualities required of a doctor is to have a hard heart.

He bent down, patted the woman's shoulder, and whispered, "I'm sorry, please accept my condolences"—this was the only way he could comfort her at that moment.

After speaking, he walked past the women, lifted the curtain, and strode out of the tent.

The sunlight shone directly on his face, causing him to instinctively lower his eyelids and use his eyelashes to filter the light.

As his eyes gradually adjusted to the light, he was instantly stunned by the sight that came into view.

The number of wounded waiting for treatment outside the tents had reached an astonishing scale! The line stretched as far as the eye could see!
The vast majority of the wounded were injured by artillery shells. Those in good condition could still let out a few shouts, while those in bad condition didn't even have the strength to groan.

In less than half a day, so many wounded have appeared… Nanjo Akizaburo murmured involuntarily:
"Is the battle really this intense...!"

The original idea of ​​"taking a short break" vanished at this moment.

He put his mask back on and tied his headscarf tightly, then resolutely turned around and went back into the tent.

"Bring in the next injured person! Also, boil three more basins of water! Scald all these scissors!"

……

……

Otsu Castle, east——

"Chief! The enemy's artillery fire is too intense! Don't you have any countermeasures?"

One of the team members covered his ears and shouted his grievances to Kondo Isami.

Kondo remained silent. Judging from his gloomy expression, it was clear that he was in a very bad mood.

At the same time, the north and east sides of Otsu Castle were attacked on a large scale.

The British bombarded the east side of Otsu City with just as many shells as they did the north.

Therefore, Kondo Isami and others who were responsible for guarding the eastern city wall also suffered considerable casualties!

Staying on the wall meant certain bombing, but they couldn't easily leave the wall—because the "Northern Army" soldiers kept attacking.

Logically, with friendly forces already attacking the city, the British should have slowed down or even stopped shelling to avoid friendly fire. However, the British artillery barrage showed no signs of abating.

Although its artillery accuracy is high, it is not so precise as to be accurate to the millimeter.

Kondo Isami witnessed many "Northern Shogunate Army" soldiers being blasted into the air due to accidental injury.

This fighting style, which completely disregards the lives of friendly forces, truly left Kondo Isami and others speechless.

If there is any solace at this moment, it is probably that the soldiers of the "Northern Expeditionary Army" are being held back outside the walls.

No matter how hard the soldiers of the "Northern Army" fought, they could not get past the walls of Taijin City and the three layers of defense that Qing Deng had carefully arranged on the walls.

Unfortunately, while they could withstand the Northern Expeditionary Army's strong offensive, they were helpless against the British artillery barrage...

The artillery unit, led by Juro Abe, had already retaliated with all its might, and there was no reason to criticize him further.

The endless barrage of artillery fire not only causes enormous casualties, but also crushes people's will.

The incessant explosions alone were enough to drive anyone crazy.

Serizawa Kamo, who was standing to the side, could no longer contain herself and shouted angrily:
"Damn it! How many shells do the British have?!"

Just then, one of the team members shouted excitedly:

"Chief! Look! The puppet troops (Northern Army) have retreated!"

Upon hearing this, Kondo Isami quickly poked half his head out and looked over the wall.

The soldiers of the "Northern Army" who had just been charging aggressively towards the city wall were now retreating rapidly like the receding tide.

Although the specific reasons for the retreat were unclear, Kondo Isami would certainly not let go of this precious opportunity to catch his breath.

He immediately ordered:

"Get off the city walls! Get into the bunker!"

Since the Northern Army is no longer attacking, there is no need to defend the city walls any longer.

Staying on the wall would only result in being bombarded by British artillery. It would be better to leave a few sentries on the watchtowers to keep a close watch on the outside of the wall and prevent the enemy from approaching again.

As soon as Kondo Isami finished speaking, the soldiers present were immediately granted a pardon and rushed to leave the city wall.

Soon, the sounds of voices and footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only the roar of cannons dominating the vast city walls.

……

……

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
The British artillery fire seemed to never stop.

After the initial siege failed, the enemy stopped sending troops to attack and just kept firing cannons.

The continuous roaring and explosions gradually turned the soldiers hiding in the bunkers from initial fear into numbness.

While enduring the continuous bombardment of artillery, they awaited the order to attack that could come at any moment... This was the so-called "torture," where every minute and every second was unbearable.

This caused the soldiers inside the bunker to lose their sense of time, not knowing what time it was or how much time had passed.

The hour hand slid one tick after another in the clock... Finally, the sound of cannons disappeared, and the world returned to peace.

Because the silence came so suddenly, the first emotion that permeated the bunker was not joy, but bewilderment.

"There's no sound..."

"Ah? What did you say?"

"Great...the shelling has finally stopped..."

"Huh? What did you say? Speak louder! I can't hear anything right now! All I can hear is a buzzing sound!"

"Can we go out now?"

"Don't be careless! This could very well be a trap! They've deliberately stopped shelling to lure us out of our bunkers! We might just step out and the shells will start raining down again!"

Fearing it might be an enemy trick, the crowd looked at each other, remaining motionless for a long time.

It wasn't until quite a while later that some people mustered up their courage and voluntarily stepped out of their shelter to check the situation outside for everyone.

As soon as we stepped out of the bunker, the pungent smell of gunpowder assaulted our nostrils, making it hard to breathe. It was as if the air was filled not with dust, but with countless gunpowder particles!
Following the air filled with an astonishing amount of gunpowder, they were shocked to find that the orange-red glow of dawn had spread across the sky, and the blood-red sunset was about to sink below the horizon.

Before they knew it, it was already dark... The British bombardment had continued for the entire day!

The first day of the Battle of Otsu ended amidst the continuous sound of artillery fire... There was no fierce fighting, no bloody battle for every inch of land; they simply hid in their bunkers, waiting patiently for the enemy's shelling to end... This reality was completely different from what many soldiers had anticipated.

Suddenly, someone shouted:

"Hey! Look at the city wall!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads to look at the city wall not far away—only to see that the city wall in front of them was in a dilapidated and miserable state!
A large chunk of brick was blown away here, and a small section collapsed there; cracks appeared here, and the original appearance of the bricks and stones was no longer visible there...

Such a situation is not surprising.

After all, the city walls endured a full day of intensive bombardment from the British army's precise bombing.

It is already quite remarkable that it has withstood such intense and continuous shelling.

However... although it hasn't collapsed yet, the extent of the damage is not to be ignored!

Initially, many soldiers were very confident in the grandeur of Dajin City and placed high hopes on it.

However... the scene that came into their view caused their confidence to be severely shaken.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy, someone couldn't help but murmur:
"Can our city walls...hold out until the end of the war?"

The scene was silent; no one could offer an answer.

Just then, a loud shout came from afar:

"Make way! Make way!"

With this shout, dozens of burly men carrying various tools rushed menacingly toward the city wall—it was the Shinsengumi's general office!

[Note: General Affairs Department: The department specifically responsible for civil engineering work]

Head of the General Affairs Office, Shinonome Natsujiro, swung his arms and shouted loudly to his subordinates behind him:
"From this moment on, it is our battle! We must do everything in our power to repair the city walls! Do you understand?!"

The moment he finished speaking, the civil engineering guys following behind him roared in unison, full of fighting spirit.

The surrounding soldiers belatedly made way to the left and right, watching as these warriors, who did not wield swords, headed to their own battlefield!
……

……

North of Otsu Castle, the camps of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army—

Howell (the British commander-in-chief) held up his binoculars and carefully observed the distant city of Great Tsun.

Sa Daoyi, who was standing to the side, asked:
"Mr. How is it going? How long will it take to take this castle?"

Howell slowly put down his binoculars, curled his lips into a confident smile, revealing even his few yellowed front teeth.

"Ten days... no, at most eight days, and I can destroy this castle!"

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P.S.: Damn it! Hasn't the Qingdeng hack-and-slash scene gotten to it yet? (crying leopard head.jpg)