I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1188 Old soldiers never die, they just keep fighting! Qilin'er, reporting for duty!

Sanako never dreamed that Souji would attack her.

Fortunately, the strike was not swift or fierce; it was more like a drunkard's casual blow.

Sanako hurriedly raised the naginata in her hand and steadily blocked Kikuichimonji Norimune's blade.

"Tsukasa! It's me! Sanako!"

"...Sanako?"

Souji slowly raised his head, staring straight at Sanako, his unfocused eyes revealing a pair of blank stares.

Only after hearing Sanako's voice did a glimmer of light finally appear in her eyes.

"Where am I... Sanako... the enemy...?"

Seeing this, Sanako immediately realized that Souji's mind was still deeply caught up in the vortex of the battle, and his consciousness was hazy.

She was blinded by rage and could no longer distinguish friend from foe; any creature that came near her would be considered an enemy!
"You've repelled all the enemies! Wake up!"

The commander blinked again and turned to scan the corpses around him.

"I see... I've repelled all the enemies... I've won..."

"Xiao Si, what exactly happened? These people... you killed them all?"

Sanako couldn't help but show an expression of disbelief.

To single-handedly repel hundreds of well-equipped enemy soldiers... Such a feat is truly astonishing!

Sanako had absolute faith in Souji's abilities, but she could not suppress her shock.

"I don't remember much... I lost my memory halfway through the game..."

As he spoke, Souji put down the knife in his hand.

With Sanako so close at hand, she could intuitively feel the fact that "there are no enemies around."

Feeling relieved, she gradually regained her senses, and fragmented memories began to surface in her mind.

The enemies surrounded and attacked...

Exhausted, she was too weak to get up and fight back...

A promise that suddenly came to mind...

A sudden surge of power...

A wider field of vision...

There were no distracting thoughts or emotions in my mind...

He wielded his sword with abandon, slaughtering enemies with abandon, every muscle in his body seemingly transformed into a precision component designed specifically for "killing"...

The enemy's will to fight was completely extinguished; as if they had encountered an incomprehensible monster, they fled in panic...

She couldn't remember what happened after that... but the feeling of cutting flesh and breaking bones still lingered in her palms!
At this moment, she belatedly recalled the past—this invincible posture that could scare away gods and ghosts was something she had often witnessed in Qingdeng after he entered the "selfless state"!

With this thought in mind, she curved the corners of her mouth into a calm smile.

"So that's how it is... This is the 'state of no-self'..."

After being stuck in a bottleneck for a long time, she finally reached a new peak!
Her joy came quickly and went quickly—the next moment, she slowly closed her eyes, her body went limp, as if all the bones in her body had turned into noodles, and she fell straight to the ground.

Fortunately, Sanako reacted quickly, extending her arms to pull her into her embrace.

"Sōji? Sōji?!"

The commander kept his eyes tightly closed, his red lips moving slightly:
"I...can't stand up anymore...let me...sleep for a while..."

She spoke softer and softer, until the last few words were barely audible.

After she finished speaking, she fell into a deep sleep, her chest rising and falling steadily.

Seeing this, Sanako breathed a sigh of relief.

"Seriously... don't scare me..."

At this moment, a squad member issued a warning:

"Captain Chiba! Enemies! New enemies are attacking!"

Although Sanako changed her name to "Tachibana Sanako" after marrying Aoto, there were too many captains with the surname Tachibana (Tachibana Tsukasa, Tachibana Mai), which could easily cause confusion. Therefore, for the sake of convenience, the Shinsengumi members still called them "Captain Chiba", "Captain Okita", and "Captain Kinoshita" as before.

Sanako raised her gaze and looked out of the city—a large force of enemy soldiers was charging menacingly towards them.

This place is strategically important, and the enemy would never give up so easily; it would be only natural for them to attack again.

"Xiao Si, you've worked hard. You should get some rest. Leave the rest to us!"

After saying that, she turned to the soldiers beside her and shouted:

"Take Captain Okita to the rear!"

"Yes!"

Because they were concerned that Souji might get injured, Sanako brought a stretcher with her when she came to help.

The soldiers quickly and efficiently placed the commander onto a stretcher, and just as they were about to carry him away, one of the soldiers cried out in alarm:

"Huh? Captain Okita's sword won't come off!"

Souji was still tightly holding Kikuichimonji Norimune, and even in his sleep, he did not let go of him.

The soldier tried to untie Kikuichimonji Norimune, but found that each of Souji's fingers was like steel and could not be bent! It was as if they had become fused with the hilt of the sword!
Left with no other choice, they could only carry Souji away first, and then try to get her to put down the knife once they were in a safe place.

After watching the commander leave, Sanako withdrew her gaze and cast a cold look at the countless enemy soldiers who were getting closer and closer outside the city.

"Come on, let me see how many more attacks you can launch!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the more than one hundred soldiers behind her spread out horizontally, took their positions, and prepared to meet the enemy.

……

……

Otsu Castle, north wall——

The enemy transported several cannons into the city and bombarded the defenders at a very short distance.

At this moment, a lone artillery crew is holding its ground.

After the two artillery units closed the distance and began close-range artillery fire, the casualties among the artillerymen began to increase dramatically.

The logistics personnel responsible for transporting shells and gunpowder also suffered considerable casualties.

Admittedly, many logistics personnel are afraid of blood and fire and dare not transport supplies to the front line, but many others still stick to their posts!
A moment later, a boy braved the intense artillery fire, carrying a barrel of gunpowder on a handcart, and headed straight for the artillery position that was still fighting... or rather, still surviving.

He was only about ten meters away from the artillery group.

However, this distance of just over ten meters became an insurmountable chasm for him—

boom!
Like a thunderbolt, a shell landed squarely on the boy's head.

The next moment, a giant red flame shot high into the air, and thick smoke billowed upwards.

At the same time, a stray bullet pierced the neck of the gun crew leader.

The leader of each artillery group is responsible for both command and aiming.

The sudden death of their key member threw the other team members into a panic, leaving them at a loss for what to do.

Just then, an elderly man with white hair and beard rushed out from the side and darted to the side of the cannon.

"Let me take aim! You guys load the shells!"

As he spoke, Ōshio Heihachirō bent down and personally took charge of firing the cannon.

Even when he was still a private tutor, he and his students often studied firearms day and night.

After forming the Great Salt Party, he paid close attention to the development of Western firearms, often spending a lot of money to buy the most advanced guns and cannons for research, and always regarded "firearmization" as the development goal of the Great Salt Party.

In short, he was very skilled with firearms! Especially cannon fire!
Although it is unclear who this old man is, judging from his actions, he clearly knows artillery.

As a result, the team members all straightened up, stopped looking around, and each went about their own business.

The gun barrel was cleaned, the propellant charge was reinserted, and the shell was loaded tightly... Finally, Ōshio Heihachirō, who was in charge of aiming, adjusted the direction of the cannon muzzle.

Once everything was ready, he turned to the archer beside him and shouted:

"put!"

The archer immediately set fire to the medicine chamber.

In an instant, with a loud "boom," the surrounding air vibrated, and the shell shot out! It hit several enemy soldiers in the distance, blasting them all into the air!
"Hit! Hit!"

The team members cheered continuously.

Heihachiro Ooshio also breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on his cheeks.

Unfortunately... before they could even celebrate for a moment, several shells landed around them, raising a dust wave several feet high...

……

……

"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...!"

Shintaro Toujou, who had just been brought back from the front lines, leaned against the brick wall behind him and greedily inhaled oxygen.

Beside him, a rather young doctor used scissors to cut open his khaki, revealing a bloody wound on his right leg.

"I'm going to stitch up your wound. It will hurt a lot, so please bear with it!"

As the doctor spoke, he pulled out a sharpened fishhook.

Without hesitation, Shintaro Toujou said seriously:

"Go ahead and do it. Be quick, I need to get back to the battlefield as soon as possible!"

"Understood!"

The doctor nodded solemnly and immediately began the treatment.

The next moment, excruciating pain, like needles pricking his nerves, repeatedly stimulated him. Shintaro Toujou gritted his teeth and endured it without uttering a sound.

This place is a "temporary hospital" where many wounded people are sent for centralized treatment.

Today's battle was exceptionally fierce and dangerous.

The fresh troops sent by the other side were not just in good condition; they had clearly received professional training and were quite capable in combat.

Even more astonishing is their exceptionally strong fighting spirit; they are incredibly brave and tenacious in their attacks, and even when they suffer heavy casualties, they do not easily retreat.

The city's defenders, already on the verge of collapse, naturally found themselves struggling against such a formidable force!

The battle has progressed to this point, and there is an emergency situation in all areas.

When Shintaro Tojo was carried to this location due to a leg injury, the front line he was in charge of was already in dire straits.

We must return to the front lines as soon as possible! Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable!
With this thought in mind, Shintaro Toujou became even more anxious.

"Doctor, is it still not done?"

"This is just the beginning! Don't rush! I'll let you know when it's finished!"

After answering without looking up, the doctor said nothing more and continued to meticulously stitch up Shintaro Toujou's leg injury.

To distract himself, Shintaro Toujou had to turn his gaze around and scan his surroundings.

Looking up, one sees wounded everywhere, their groans and cries filling the air. Remarkably, the vast majority of them are militiamen hastily mobilized after being inspired by Qingdeng!

At first, like many others, Shintaro Toujou didn't take the militia seriously.

They believed that they were simply acting on impulse and without any sense of urgency.

Once the initial enthusiasm fades and the passion subsides, the cunning and cowardly "nature" of the common people will be revealed.

Unexpectedly, the reality that finally appeared before him slapped him in the face and opened his eyes wide—the militiamen's fighting spirit was terrifyingly tenacious!
Some people were so afraid they were trembling.

Some people are so nervous that they freeze in place.

Some people went mad because they couldn't adapt to the battlefield.

But very few people threw down their weapons and turned to run away!
If it had been a month ago, before this battle began, he would never have imagined that ordinary people could unleash such power!
At this moment, Shintaro Toujou belatedly realized something: he seemed to be one of these "hard-working bastards".

—This battle has nothing to do with me, yet I'm so deeply involved…

Shintaro Toujou pondered to himself, a complex expression, neither a smile nor a frown, appearing on his lips.

He was put into this battle under orders from Ōshio Heihachirō.

At the beginning, he was completely in the "just do your best" mindset.

Unbeknownst to him, he had come to regard this battle as his own, giving it his all and even urging the doctor to stitch up his wounds as soon as possible so that he could return to the battlefield sooner.

Since the "Ōshio Heihachirō Uprising," he had become accustomed to decadence and self-abandonment.

When was the last time you were able to "wholeheartedly devote yourself to something" like this?
At that moment, Shintaro Toujou suddenly noticed an injured person lying next to him.

This person, like him, had a large gash in his leg, and a doctor was stitching up his wound.

Because he received treatment earlier, his wound was almost completely stitched up.

Shintaro Toujou glanced at the man a few more times—he was in his thirties, with a weathered face and a scholarly air about him. It was clear at a glance that he was not a samurai, but more like a private tutor.

At that moment, he shouted out the same words that Shintaro Toujou had just shouted:

"Doctor, please hurry! I need to get back to the battlefield as soon as possible!"

Driven by curiosity, Shintaro Toujou asked softly:

"...Aren't you afraid, my lord?"

The sudden conversation startled the young man.

He turned his head, looked Shintaro Toujou up and down, and smiled:
"Of course I'm scared. But... the thought that 'Otsu will fall if we don't go into battle' gives me strength back."

Shintaro Toujou pursed his lips and asked again:

“You can escape, can’t you? The enemy has only surrounded the east and north sides of Dajin City, while the west and south sides are wide open. If you really want to escape, you can fly far away.”

The young man smiled and shook his head:

"As I just said, if we don't go into battle, Otsu will fall."

"Therefore, we cannot run away."

"My lord, did you hear Lord Niou's speech before the war began?"

Shintaro Toujou shook his head:
"I arrived in Otsu very late, so I was unable to listen."

"I see. That's a pity."

The young man took a deep breath and pretended to recall something.

"On that day, Lord Niou spoke of his ideals and asked us to lend him a hand..."

"I'm just a nobody teaching at a temple school; I don't understand any profound principles."

"However, I understand one thing—if it is Lord Niou, he truly wants to realize this ideal and would never deceive us."

"If I can die for this grand ideal, then I will have died a worthy death!"

"I believe that everyone was moved by Lord Niou's ideals, which is why they chose to fight to the death and never retreat."

At the very moment the young man finished speaking, the doctor treating his injury tore off the sutures, looked up at the young man, and said:
"Alright! The wound is stitched up! But you must be very careful! It would be very dangerous if the wound reopened!"

"Okay, thank you. I'll be more careful."

After offering a brief thank you to the doctor, the young man struggled to his feet.

"Although we didn't have time to chat for long, it's fate that we met. My name is Risaburo, what's yours?"

The young man solemnly introduced himself.

"East……"

He subconsciously wanted to say "Shintaro Tojo".

But when he tried to speak, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to utter the pseudonym he had used for nearly thirty years.

Seeing Shintaro Toujou suddenly freeze, the young man felt strange but didn't ask any further questions.

He nodded to Shintaro Toujou and smiled:
"Your Excellency, I shall take my leave now!"

After saying that, he picked up a bamboo spear from the side, used it as a cane, and limped away from the "temporary hospital" to the battlefield.

Shintaro Toujou watched the young man's receding figure, a variety of expressions appearing on his face, eventually blending into an indescribable complex emotion.

Suddenly, a young male voice came from not far away:

"...You're Shintaro Toujou?"

Shintaro Toujou raised his gaze and looked in the direction of the sound—a young man covered in blood, holding a sword in his hand, was staring straight at him.

"...I recognize you. You're that famous Sagara Sozo, right?"

Xiang Le Zong said three times:

“I know you too; you’re also a member of the Big Salt Party.”

"Yes. We're colleagues, you know."

As he spoke, Shintaro Toujo carefully examined Sozo Sagara's entire body—his forehead, neck, arms, and other parts were wrapped in thick burlap, clearly indicating that he had been through countless fierce battles.

"...Sōzō Sagara, you're really working hard."

"You're not bad either."

As Sagara Sozo spoke, he looked down at Toujou Shintaro's leg injury, which was almost stitched up.

Shintaro Toujou shrugged and said half-jokingly:
“We are clearly members of the Salt Party, yet we are all working harder than the last when it comes to aiding the Zuo family.”

Souzo Sagara twitched the corners of his mouth, a calm smile slowly appearing:
"These people are fighting so hard; it would be outrageous for us to be timid and hesitant."

After pausing for a moment and pondering for a while, Sagara Sou continued in a firm tone:
"Shintaro Tojo, I've made up my mind. After this battle, I will leave the Ooshio Party and join the Safu faction."

"The ideals of the Zuo family coincide with my own aspirations."

“I once thought Saigo Kichinosuke was an outstanding and wise leader—which proves that I have no reliable judgment of people.”

"I don't know if the Zuo family is worth following—but since so many people are willing to fight for him, I'm willing to trust their choice!"

After saying that, Sagara Sozo scanned the wounded around him with his sharp eyes.

Shintaro Toujou stared blankly at Souzo Sagara without blinking.

A moment later, he pulled down the corners of his mouth, revealing a self-deprecating bitter smile:
"You're all so dazzling that I just want to look away..."

Sōraku Sōsan smiled:

"Thank you for the compliment. Shintaro Toujou, I'll be going now."

After leaving those words, Sagara Sozo turned and left.

However, he had only taken two steps when Shintaro Toujou suddenly called out to him:
"...Sagaru-kun, please wait a moment. Do you have a knife? I'd like to borrow it."

……

……

Dajin City, North Wall, a battlefield somewhere—

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"A few more are coming! We can't hold them off any longer!"

"You'll have to figure it out yourselves! We simply don't have enough manpower available!"

……

Shimada Kai (the vice-captain of the First Division) clicked his tongue, his face full of anxiety.

On the battlefield, where blood and flesh were flying everywhere, the defending army's lines were showing signs of collapse.

Shimada Kai has no reserves left. If no reinforcements arrive, the front line here will collapse completely in just 10 minutes!

"...Damn it! I'll fight!"

He gritted his teeth and drew his sword—since he had no reserves left, he would be the last reserve!
In a split second, he shifted his feet, rushed forward, and launched a desperate attack.

Although he was very brave, his personal involvement in the battle could not fundamentally change the situation.

Having given his all, Shimada Kai could only watch helplessly as his comrades fell one by one, and watch in despair as the defensive line collapsed...

At this critical moment——

call out! !

Beside Shimada Kai, a large spear drew a crescent-shaped arc, cutting several enemy soldiers into shattered remains!

Bathed in the pouring rain of blood, Shimada Kai stared blankly at the suddenly appearing fat man.

"Toujou...kun?"

It's no wonder that Shimada Kai was so surprised—the Toujou Shintaro in front of him was no longer the disheveled and decadent figure he once was.

He shaved his beard, washed his face, and combed his hair meticulously.

Compared to his appearance, the change in his spirit was even more significant—his eyes shone with a bright, spirited brilliance!

Even his bulky physique and numerous wounds could not conceal his heroic spirit!

Sagara Sozo slowly arrived at the battlefield half a step away from Tojo Shintaro.

The terrifying destructive power of a single shot, which sent several people flying, deeply shocked the enemies present.

In an instant, a barrage of terrified gazes focused on Shintaro Tojo.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shintaro Toujou calmly surveyed the entire scene.

Before them stretched a vast horde of enemy soldiers, their faces contorted in a ferocious and vicious manner.

Behind him were the people who fought alongside him.

Yes, it's different from 29 years ago... This time, I stand with the people!
"...Sōzō Sagara, have you ever encountered a place where you would be willing to risk your life 'here'?"

Before Xiang Lezong could reply, he continued on his own:

"I've found... a place worth risking my life for, right here!"

The next moment, he took a deep breath and, with a look of triumph, called out the name he hadn't heard for thirty years—

"Kazami Kazuma, the 'Naniwa Kirin' (a prodigy), reporting for duty!"

Shintaro Toujou... no, Kazuma Kazami raised his spear and strode towards his destiny!

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New book countdown: 5 days!
My new book is being released after three and a half years... Although it's a work I'm confident in, I'm still so nervous... (nervous leopard.jpg) I was so nervous last night that I couldn't sleep... (crying leopard head.jpg)