I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1190 adds a brilliant touch to the story of "Nioh"!
Otsu Castle——

Under Qingdeng's orders, all warhorses that could still move and all cavalrymen who could still fight were summoned—a total of over a hundred riders.

The Shinsengumi cavalry, the Aizu cavalry led by Sagawa Kanbei... hundreds of faces, yet all with the same expression—a resolute expression of being prepared to die!

Many familiar faces were among them, including Kazami Kazuma and Sagara Sozo.

Kondo Isami, Sanako, and others also spurred their horses and whipped them on, wanting to draw their swords and ride alongside Aoto until the very last moment!
Those soldiers who could still move but were unable to participate in the next desperate assault gathered around, watching the warriors who were going all out with either sadness or admiration.

After all the cavalrymen were fully armed and seated on their horses, Qingdeng gently nudged the belly of the black ox beneath him.

Luo Bo immediately understood and spurred his horse forward, carrying Qing Deng at the very front of the cavalry.

Masajiro Ozeki carried the "Sincerity" flag, while Kaito Shimada carried the battle flag that read "Honor to die, shame to live," standing guard on either side of Aoto like bodyguards.

Qing Deng, chin held high, inspected the troops with a blank expression.

After his gaze swept across the faces of each cavalryman, he took a deep breath and shouted loudly:
"Gentlemen! We've reached our limit, but the enemy has reached their limit too!"

"If we deliver a heavy blow now, we may be able to completely crush them!"

"In other words, the upcoming assault will be the final battle of this campaign!"

"Many people will die...before dawn breaks."

"But all who stand on this earth must eventually die!"

"The death of a person can be as weighty as Mount Tai or as light as a feather!"

"To fight and die for the good things in the world is the greatest honor!"

"Gentlemen! Look at the clothes you wear, and look at the swords in your hands!"

"These are just ordinary clothes and ordinary swords."

"But after we win this battle, the clothes we wear and the swords we wield will become precious history books! Bloodstains will be illustrations, and cuts will be words! Future generations will read them again and again!"

"Now, I will issue the final order for this battle—"

At this point, Qingdeng suddenly drew the Vairocana sword from his waist, raised it above his head, and the black blade shone brightly in the direct sunlight!

"Charge out of the city! Face the formidable enemy! Follow me to write history!"

The moment he finished shouting, he kicked the cow's belly hard.

Radish, which had been poised to pounce, let out a low roar and charged forward with all its might.

A headwind blew in my face, lifting the hem of my haori and making a rustling sound.

Shimada Kai and Ozeki Masajiro, carrying the flag; Kondo Isami, enduring his injuries; the cavalrymen shouting in unison... everyone eagerly spurred their mounts, closely following Aoto.

As the warhorses galloped, countless hooves pounded the earth!

Led by Qingdeng, hundreds of cavalrymen formed a tight, compact wedge formation and charged straight toward the enemy camp!
Soon, they crossed the broken city walls and rushed outside the city.

The enemy camp, adorned with fluttering banners, had already come into view on the horizon.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Qingdeng caught an incredible glimpse of a tall figure, as imposing as a mountain, riding a horse on the horizon east of Dajin City.

In an instant, Qingdeng stared wide-eyed in disbelief, unable to contain his astonishment.

"Mr. Ogata...?"

Although they were quite a distance apart, Aoto was certain that he and Ogata had made eye contact.

Ogata smiled slightly and said softly in a voice only he could hear:

"I'm here to help you."

At the same moment Ogata finished speaking, countless figures appeared behind him—an innumerable number of knights spread out to the left and right from him, filling the horizon like surging black water!
……

……

The positions of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army—

"Look! They're coming out!"

"Only a hundred or so riders... that's far fewer than I expected!"

"Mr. Howell, you were absolutely right! They really did send out their cavalry for a final gamble!"

Seeing the cavalry charge leaping over the city walls and charging straight towards them, Howell curled his lips into a sneer, first letting out a few cold laughs, then calmly shouting:
"Don't be careless! That Ju Qingdeng is not easy to deal with! If we let our guard down, we'll let victory slip away! Stay calm and fight! Musketeers forward! Cannons ready!"

At his command, the musketeers quickly moved forward and formed a tight formation, while the artillery behind them raised their cannons, waiting for Howell to give the order so that bullets and shells could be poured on Qing Deng and his men!

Just then, Ōtakemaru tugged at Aling's sleeve.

"Hmm? Brother, what's wrong?"

Ōtakemaru made a gesture to Aryu with a serious expression.

After reading it, Ah Ling's expression changed slightly, and she immediately turned her head to look east—in an instant, her expression changed from "slightly changed" to "majorly changed"!
"Lord Orochi, please look to the east!"

Upon hearing this, Orochi, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Itsumade all instinctively turned their heads to the east.

Then, just like Ah Ling, their faces suddenly changed color.

The usually calm and composed Yamata no Orochi, unusually, lost his composure and couldn't help but cry out in surprise:

"What……?!"

After hearing the Yamata no Orochi's scream, Howell, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, and the others present finally realized that something was amiss.

Hey! Look! To the east!

"East? This...this is...!"

"How is this possible! Who are those people?! Where did they come from?!"

"What the fuck!"

In the blink of an eye, they all turned into clay and wooden sculptures, standing frozen in place.

After a moment, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, who had been speechless, was the first to recover, letting out a sharp, explosive sound from his throat:

"Enemy attack! A large number of enemies have appeared in the east!!"

……

……

Chiba Michizaburo let out a long breath.

"Great... Dajin City hasn't fallen yet... We've made it in time..."

Chiba Eijiro said softly:

"Yes...it was a close call..."

Chiba Sadakichi turned to look at Chiba Tamon Shiro beside him:

"Si Lang, can your back still hold?"

Chiba Tamon Shiro rubbed his lower back, which was numb from days of riding, and said with a wry smile:

"To be honest, my back is almost numb... But I've finally made it to the battlefield, how can I give up halfway?"

Not far away, Arima Hideyuki (the former superior of Kiyoshi and Aoto in Hokuban-sada-cho, Edo) frowned:

"It's not time to relax yet... The situation in Dajin City is not optimistic. The enemy is still besieging Dajin City. A bloody battle is inevitable."

Ushiyama Masaji (Edo Kitabancho Huihara Doshin) said solemnly:

"Just what I wanted!" Inoya Hanjiro grinned.
"If anything were to happen to Aoto, and we were to go to another world, we would have no face to see Takayuki (Tachibana Takayuki)!"

Aoi Osamu (a former member of the 3rd Division of the Fire Thieves, and a former subordinate of Aoto) swallowed hard:

"I saw a cavalry unit charging out of the city, and the captain... ah, no, is Lord Niou there?"

Mizutori Ninzaburo (Captain of the 4th Division, now a thief) whispered:

"Too far away, can't see clearly. However, based on what I know about Tachibana-kun, unless he is seriously injured or dead, he must be in that cavalry unit. He always appears in the closest place to the enemy."

Kenjiro Sakakibara (a teacher at the martial arts academy and a disciple of the "Sword Saint" Seiichiro Otani) turned his head and scanned the martial arts students around him, including Susumu Oishi and Hideaki Iba.

"Last year, Lord Niou saved Edo! Today, our chance to repay his kindness has arrived!"

Kiryu and Kinoshita Rin rode out simultaneously from the left and right, standing on either side of Ogata.

Kinoshita Rin murmured:
“We’ve arrived just in time…”

Kiryu's boss picked up the conversation:

"If I'm not mistaken, this war is nearing its end, and both sides are making a desperate last stand."

Kinoshita Rin tugged at the corners of her mouth, a smile playing on her lips:
"Oh, I see. Then we've come at just the right time."

During the conversation, a crow flew in from the side, spread its wings, and glided over Ogata and the others.

Beneath it, more than 800 cavalrymen of various identities, ages, clothing, and weapons stood solemnly!

Regarding how to assist Aoto, Ogata's idea was very simple—since Aoto enjoyed extraordinary prestige among the people of the "Northern Court," how many people could be recruited in the Kanto region, which revered "King Ni," to help Aoto even at the cost of their lives?

And so, he and others from Huluwu went to Edo and recruited volunteers by "shouting in the square".

Despite being mentally prepared, the final result still left Ogata and the others dumbfounded—more than five thousand "volunteers" rushed to apply after hearing the news!
The Chiba family, officials with ties to Aoto, soldiers from the Fire Thieves, martial artists from the Academy... Upon learning of Aoto's predicament, "volunteers" from all walks of life rushed to his aid!

Even Ogata, who was used to seeing all sorts of things, was taken aback by this result.

This number far exceeded their expectations.

Even with all the resources and connections of the Gourd House, Kinoshita Rin could only manage to procure a little over eight hundred warhorses in a short period of time.

Therefore, they could only select more than 800 people skilled in riding from these 5,000-plus "volunteers" and then rush to Otsu under the cover of night.

Then, this magnificent scene was carved out!
At that moment, a private soldier from the Gourd House rode up behind Kinoshita Rin:

"My lord! Everyone is ready! We can attack at any time!"

Kinoshita Rin nodded gently.

"Oh, I see."

After saying that, she and Mr. Kiryu turned to look at Ogata at the same time.

Ogata sensed their intention and raised an eyebrow:
Should I give the 'opening remarks'?

The Kiryu boss smiled:

"At times like these, it's your turn to say something."

Kinoshita Rin nodded slightly in agreement.

Seeing that the two shared the same opinion, Ogata chuckled a few times, then skillfully turned his horse's head, scanned the area, and loudly proclaimed in a strong voice:

"Everyone! Please listen to me!"

Upon hearing this, everyone raised their eyes to look at the middle-aged man, whose identity was unknown but who exuded a unique aura.

"Ju Qingdeng is in that castle! He needs our help!"

"For a long time, Tachibana Seito has lived up to the name 'Niou' and protected us like a god!"

"Now, it's our turn to protect Niou!"

The instant Ogata finished shouting, Kiryu drew his sword and yelled:

"kill!"

Kinoshita Rin also drew her sword:

"kill!"

Those who had connections with Qingdeng shouted:
"kill!"

Although they had never dealt with Qingdeng, those who greatly admired it were filled with enthusiasm:
"kill!"

The shouts of the crowd merged into one:

"kill!!!"

The next moment, led by Ogata, the riders spurred their warhorses and charged out with overwhelming force! A thick cloud of dust rose slowly!
Most of them had never learned cavalry tactics; they only knew how to make their horses charge—but that was enough!

As long as we can charge forward, that's enough!

……

……

"what is that?"

"Reinforcements... yes, reinforcements!"

"Reinforcements have arrived from the east! Reinforcements have arrived from the east!"

"Reinforcements? How could there be reinforcements at a time like this?!"

"It really is reinforcements! More than eight hundred cavalrymen charged straight at the enemy!"

"Is this...is this a miracle...?"

……

The sudden appearance of reinforcements not only shocked the enemy, but also left Qing Deng and his men in a daze.

Astonishment, elation, disbelief... countless emotions appeared on their faces.

Although the details are unknown, it is clear that now is not the time to hesitate!
Qingdeng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, and turned to shout to the crowd behind him:

"Gentlemen! Have you all seen that? Our reinforcements have arrived! This is the decisive moment!"

Kondo Isami raised his arms and shouted:
"kill!"

Captains Sanako, Saito Hajime, and others followed closely behind:

"kill!"

All soldiers:
"kill!!!"

Amidst the rousing cheers, Qingdeng and the others all lowered their upper bodies, maximizing their charging speed!
The two cavalry units resembled two sharp arrows, flying towards the enemy from the south and east!
In the blink of an eye, two cavalry units, each led by Aoto and Ogata respectively, charged into the enemy lines, one after the other!
A one-sided battle immediately broke out!
Caught in a pincer attack, the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army were instantly at a disadvantage!
The balance of power on the battlefield, which had originally favored the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army, was completely reversed at this moment!
The swordsmen of the Chiba family displayed exquisite skills on horseback, cutting down enemies as easily as mowing grass.

The martial artists from the training school displayed their unique skills, and in the blink of an eye, they broke into the depths of the enemy's formation.

Many of them, such as Arima Hideyuki, Ushiyama Seiji, Inoya Hanjiro, and Aoi Osamu, were not skilled in martial arts, but the warhorses they rode were incredibly sharp weapons!
They steered their warhorses straight toward every enemy soldier in their field of vision!
How can a mortal body withstand a horse charging at high speed?

The enemy soldiers who were hit were all sent flying into the air before crashing back to the ground.

Even if we don't kill the enemy, it doesn't matter. The sheer force of their "galloping horses" is enough to terrify the enemy soldiers!

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New book countdown: 3 days! (Leopard Hi.jpg)

The next chapter will feature the duel between Niou and Ōtakemaru. Leopard has already written the "Author's Closing Remarks" and a timeline of major events after Aoto becomes "the ruler of the land"!
P.S.: Those who had received favors from the protagonist in the past all rushed to his aid without hesitation when he was in trouble—this is one of Leopard's favorite storylines.