I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1183 Inoue Genzaburo Shot

Regardless of which side fires, the other side will immediately retaliate.

Doing this during the day is one thing, but doing it at night will only prevent everyone from getting a proper rest, resulting in a lose-lose situation.

Therefore, at night, both sides would tacitly cease shelling.

Of course, appropriate vigilance is essential.

At all times, there are always enough guards to stand guard at every outpost, monitoring all the movements outside the city.

……

……

That night--

Otsu Castle——

"Make way! Let the wounded pass!"

"The handcart is here! Quickly put these bodies on the cart!"

"The moon is very round tonight! The light is abundant! Since the weather is so kind, we can't afford to slack off! We must hurry and repair the city walls! Not a single second can be wasted! Do you understand?!"

……

Even at night, Otsu Castle was still bustling with activity.

After several days of intense fighting, the medical facilities are once again overcrowded.

The night when the gunfire ceases is the best time for Puqing to repair the city walls.

The general affairs officers also sprang into action, tallying today's battle losses.

[Note: Management: Lower-level staff in the General Affairs Department]

Most of the soldiers who had fought all day were now asleep in their barracks.

A life-or-death struggle is an extreme test of a person's physical and mental strength.

Whether it's farm work, civil engineering, or any other kind of physical labor, nothing can compare to it.

After the battle, the soldiers who retreated to the rear had only one thought in their minds: Let me eat! Let me sleep!
They asked for nothing more than a sumptuous meal and a set of soft bedding.

Even if you just dig a sandpit and tell them, "This is where you'll sleep tonight," they'll eagerly crawl in like worms to sleep.

At this moment, Shintaro Toujou was alone in a corner of the castle, chewing on a rice ball with a blank expression.

He hadn't changed his clothes yet; he was still wearing the same outfit he wore when he went into battle today.

From the outer haori to the inner lining, everything was soaked with the enemy's blood, displaying a dark color and emitting a pungent odor.

Suddenly, accompanied by quick, powerful, and steady footsteps, an aged voice rang out:

"Shintaro, thank you for your hard work today."

"Your Highness..."

Upon seeing the sudden appearance of Ōshio Heihachirō, Tōjō Shintaro was taken aback and quickly stood up to prepare to bow.

Ōshio Heihachirō preemptively indicated, "No need for such formalities."

"Shintaro, are you hurt?"

The old man asked questions as he sat down cross-legged, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ōshio Heihachirō.

"Thanks to you, I am unharmed today."

"It's good that you're not injured. This battle will last for a long time, so we must do our best to preserve ourselves while killing the enemy."

In order to defend Otsu, Qing Deng mobilized all available combat forces.

Therefore, we cannot overlook the once-famous "Naniwa Kirin'ji" of Osaka.

There is absolutely no reason to abandon such valuable high-end combat power.

So, shortly after returning to Otsu, Aoto summoned Shintaro Tojo from Kyoto.

During the period when Aoto led his army to fight against the "Southern Court", Tojo Shintaro fulfilled his duties as the Kyoto Governor, fully responsible for maintaining the security of Kyoto and preventing the enemy from disturbing the rear.

The persuasion of Shintaro Tojo went very smoothly—Heihachiro Oshio personally came forward to ask him to assist in the defense of Otsu Castle.

The result was exactly as expected—he nodded in agreement without hesitation.

"Your Highness, thank you for your kind words."

As he spoke, Shintaro Toujou forced a bitter smile.

"However, I am no longer the promising young man I once was."

"I narrowly escaped injury and even death several times during the battle with the enemy today."

"My hands and feet have become very sluggish. I can no longer do the movements that I used to be able to do easily."

"In short, my strength is not what it used to be, so it's best not to have too high expectations of me."

As he spoke, Shintaro Toujou tucked the fabric of his shirt tightly around his abdomen, highlighting his large, protruding belly.

Ōshio Heihachirō smiled slightly:
"Since your skills are not what they used to be, you need to be even more careful. Don't get hurt, and more importantly, don't die."

At that moment, the old man noticed Shintaro Tojo's stubble.

"Shintaro, how about I shave you? You look really unsightly with that stubble."

During the Edo period, samurai families did not favor having beards. Any samurai with a beard was considered a savage barbarian.

If you can't even manage the most basic cleanliness, then having such a messy stubble is even worse.

Shintaro Toujou raised his hand to stroke his stubble and smiled:
"I look fine as I am, so please don't trouble yourself."

"..."

Ōshio Heihachirō pursed his lips, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"...Toujou-kun, I've already forgiven you. Shouldn't you stop this self-destructive behavior?"

The old man shifted his gaze, looking at Shintaro Toujou's disheveled hair and beard, and then at his out-of-shape physique.

The instant the old man finished speaking—

"But I can't forgive myself!"

Shintaro Tojo suddenly raised his voice, making it deafening.

After roaring, his shoulders heaved violently, and he took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

"...The people of Osaka regard me as their pride and call me 'Naniwa Kirin'."

"But for my own selfish reasons, I bloodily suppressed the rebel army, not only causing your uprising to fail but also slaughtering countless elders and fellow villagers... How can I forgive myself for this...?"

"Your Highness, to be honest, if you hadn't personally spoken up, I really wouldn't have wanted to participate in this battle."

"The sight of corpses strewn across the ground brings back painful memories..."

“Every time I recall it, it's like being boiled in oil, an unbearable torment for me…”

"I have no attachment to this world anymore. I just want to find a suitable place as soon as possible to give up my life."

"In this way, the blood debts that have been accumulating on me should be somewhat reduced..."

At this point, Shintaro Toujou looked up at the sky, gazing at the vast expanse of heaven, his eyes filled with a self-deprecating expression.

"I've begged to die time and time again, but God just won't let me... What will it take for me to be free?"

"What good is my worthless life anyway?"

Ōshio Heihachirō listened quietly until the very end.

"...So, Shintaro, what kind of place do you think is worth risking your life for?"

Shintaro Toujou remained silent for a long while, then answered softly:

"I don't know... This question has been bothering me for over twenty years. If I survive this battle, it will probably continue to bother me."

…… ……

at the same time--

The Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army's camp—

"Useless! You're all a bunch of useless trash!" (in English)

Howell's eyes widened, his face contorted in rage, and his blood rushed to his head, transforming him from a white man into a "red man."

Before him, a large group of British officers lowered their heads, looking down at their noses and not daring to breathe.

Not far away, the generals of the "Northern Army" gathered together, watching Howell's speech with great interest, occasionally chuckling to themselves.

Although they couldn't understand English, they could roughly guess what Howell was saying, so it didn't affect their enjoyment of the play at all.

These British officers were all incredibly arrogant—they appeared polite, but their behavior was full of arrogance—they looked down on both friendly and enemy forces, and a few days ago they even boasted that "the capture of Dajin City is just around the corner."

They all boasted more and more, but they suffered a crushing defeat in today's siege! The attack on Dajin City ended in a disastrous failure!

Regardless, the British army has always been their ally.

They should never gloat over the setbacks of their allies.

However, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't suppress the upward curve of their lips!

At this moment, looking at Howell and the others who were covered in dust and dirt, they felt a secret sense of satisfaction!

Their laughter, though not loud, still reached Howell's ears.

Being mocked by those who looked down on him... this made Howell even more furious.

He vented his anger on his subordinates who had embarrassed him.

"If there were city walls blocking the way, that would be fine."

"The city wall has clearly been breached, leaving such a large gap! Yet you suffered such a crushing defeat!"

"Why is this happening?! You didn't underestimate us, did you?!"

An officer hurriedly responded:

"No! How could we possibly make such a basic mistake!"

The other officers chimed in, all saying things like, "We absolutely did not underestimate the enemy," and "We gave it our all."

Howell turned his sharp gaze and glared menacingly at the officer in front of him.

"What exactly is going on with your report? What do you mean by 'a samurai blocked our attack'?"

The other person swallowed hard, then said in a panicked and serious tone:
"I... I would never lie! There really was a young samurai wielding a black sword, incredibly strong! He single-handedly interrupted our attack!"

Another officer quickly added:

"I've also encountered a warrior with extraordinary skills! However, he wields a spear, and despite being a large, obese man, he moves as nimbly as a cat!"

"Shut up! I didn't tell you to speak! Until I tell you to open your mouths, all of you shut up!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, too terrified to utter another word.

He scolded, scolded, and scolded again... Halfway through his sentence, Howell's scolding was no longer a condemnation, but simply a venting of anger.

After a long while, Howell finally stopped talking because he was tired of cursing. He put his hands on his hips and breathed heavily.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sa Daoyi stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
“Mr. Howell, please calm down. Getting angry won’t solve anything.”

"A head filled with anger cannot think normally."

"This battle concerns the future masters of Japan, as well as the British Empire's strategic layout in the Far East."

"The higher authorities attach great importance to this. They started planning for it as early as a year ago."

"For our own future, and for the British Empire behind us, we must win this battle!"

Sadao's persuasion made Howell's expression improve somewhat.

His facial expression changed dramatically, especially after hearing the phrase "for our own future."

“…Yes, Mr. Sadao, you’re right. Nothing is more important than ‘victory’ right now.”

After saying that, he turned his head and gazed at the distant city of Dajin.

"...I have to admit that I really underestimated the enemy. Although they are uncivilized natives, they are indeed quite capable."

Sadao moved to stand next to Howell and asked:

"Mr. Howell, what do you think we should do next?"

After a moment's thought, Howell lowered his voice:

"Since they excel at close combat, let's focus on shooting! Don't give them a chance to get close!"

……

……

The following day (the 8th day of the Battle of Otsu) —

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
More continuous artillery fire followed.

The whistling of countless shells heralded the arrival of the eighth day of the Battle of Otsu.

The walls on the north and east sides of Otsu Castle were already beyond repair.

Therefore, as soon as the firecrackers started today, the northern wall of Otsu Castle collapsed just like yesterday, exposing a brand new breach!
Inoue Genzaburo immediately led his soldiers out of their bunkers and forward to meet the enemy.

Outside the city walls, hundreds of British soldiers once again marched in perfect unison, slowly approaching the breach.

Inoue Genzaburo's counterattack formation was the same as yesterday's—musketeers in front, militiamen in the middle, and swordsmen at the rear.

However, unlike yesterday, he now commands a special long-range attack force—

"Throw stones!"

At Inoue Genzaburo's command, countless stones rose up like locusts, streaking through the air in clean parabolas before plummeting towards the approaching British soldiers.

Besides bamboo spears, another weapon that the militiamen practiced diligently for was slingshots.

The sling is quite powerful and easy to use; it can be learned with a few simple practices. Like the bamboo spear, it is one of the most suitable weapons for militia.

The stone rain was quite powerful, but its effect was rather limited due to the distance.

Stand still, raise your gun, aim—yesterday's defeat seemed to have had no effect on the morale of the British soldiers, whose movements remained fluid and skillful.

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
There's really nothing to say about the shooting duel between the two sides; it was simply a contest of perseverance and fighting spirit to see which side would give up first.

However... the British soldiers did not launch an early attack as they had the day before, but maintained a certain distance and unleashed wave after wave of bullets.

Upon seeing this, Inoue Genzaburo immediately guessed the other party's intention, and his face darkened.

"You've already figured out a countermeasure so quickly...?"

Sozo Sagara, Shintaro Toujou, and others also saw through the other side's intentions.

The soldiers in Dajin City were least afraid of hand-to-hand combat; in fact, they even hoped that the enemy would engage them in hand-to-hand combat.

Whether it was the sword masters led by Qing Deng or the tradition of emphasizing close combat, they all gave them the confidence to fight hand-to-hand with the enemy.

However, when the enemy stops approaching them and instead adopts a "barrage suppression" strategy, their lack of muskets and their less-than-stellar musket skills and tactics will become very apparent!

Inoue Genzaburo lowered his eyelids, frowned, and pondered whether to take the initiative to attack—since the enemy was unwilling to approach, he could only create an opportunity to get close!
Just as he was pondering this in secret—

Bang!
With the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left leg.

He instinctively looked down—a stray bullet had struck his left leg! Crimson blood flowed straight out from the thumb-sized hole, instantly staining his trousers red!
In an instant, he felt everything go black before his eyes, and his body fell uncontrollably to the ground...

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It's the end of the month again! This is the last month-end vote for this book, so if you have any monthly passes, please be sure to vote for it! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

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P.S.: The Battle of Otsu is finally drawing to a close, and I can finally write about the final battle between Aoto and Ōtakemaru. A duel between swordsmen is definitely more interesting! (crying emoji)