I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

At this moment, Harada seemed to recall something, and he paused for a moment.

Then, he lowered his voice and spoke slowly in a low, melancholic tone:

"To be honest... I've had my doubts for a long time."

"What do you suspect?"

Nagakura Shinpachi asked a rhetorical question.

"Mr. Tachibana and Okita...could they be members of the Sodo sect?"

"Huh? What kind of stupid question is that?"

Shinpachi Nagakura's thick eyebrows twitched at the corners of his raised eyes.

Harada Sanosuke continued the conversation:

"Look, those two are always glued together. I can't speak for other places, but at least in Shieikan, wherever Okita is, Mr. Tachibana is usually there, and wherever Mr. Tachibana is there, Okita is usually there. Isn't it a bit strange that their relationship is this close?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nagakura Shinpachi scoffed dismissively.

"Hey, I thought you were going to say something. I think you're overthinking it. Mr. Tachibana and Okita have always had a good relationship. Close friends are inseparable, isn't that normal?"

At this moment, Todo Heisuke chimed in:

"Besides, didn't Mr. Tachibana and Ms. Chiba kiss in public? Since he's kissed a woman, there's no doubt that Mr. Tachibana likes women, right?"

"Toudou, you don't understand, do you? In this world, there are some oddballs who like both women and men."

Just as Harada Sanosuke was about to say something more—

"Hey, hey, hey, what the hell are you guys talking about?"

Hijikata Toshizo interrupted impatiently:

"Weren't we discussing battle strategy? How did we suddenly turn to Tachibana and Okita's personal matters? Let's leave topics unrelated to this Red and White Battle here for now!"

With his profound experience of being on friendly terms with Kondo Isami and his solid abilities, Hijikata Toshizo has always enjoyed extremely high prestige in the Shieikan.

He had ordered the conversation to stop, and no one dared to disobey, so they quickly shut their mouths.

At this moment, Yamanami Keisuke, who had remained silent except for answering Harada Sanosuke's question, finally spoke up:

"...Hijikata-kun, how good is your brother-in-law's fighting skills?"

Yamanami Keisuke crossed his arms thoughtfully, gazing at the white side's "main camp" opposite him.

Sato Hikogoro, who was in charge of the White Army's overall command, stood with his hands on his hips, chest puffed out, looking very excited and smug—he seemed quite happy to be in charge of the army.

"Not very good."

Hijikata Toshizo tilted his head and answered without hesitation.

"My elder brother loves swordsmanship and has practiced martial arts since childhood. However, his talent is limited. Despite decades of training, his skills are still unremarkable."

"If that's the case, then things will be much easier."

Yamanami Keisuke nodded slightly.

"This is a 'Red and White Battle,' not a swordsmanship sparring match where we must determine a winner with every single person. As long as we can take the head of the general, it will be our victory. Therefore, we don't need to worry about how to defeat Tachibana-kun and Okita-kun at all."

Hijikata Toshizo grinned:

"Shannan, you're thinking the same thing as me. Tsk, if only our commander-in-chief were a little more reliable. That way, we'd have even more tactical options."

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively turned their heads and looked behind them.

"Mmm...mmm...mmm...snoring...snoring...snoring...snoring..."

His white hair was completely unblemished, and he looked to be around seventy years old. He was dressed in a magnificent jinhaori and sat imposingly on a stool. This old man was none other than the Red Army's Commander-in-Chief: Ogiwara no Tsukasa.

At this moment, he was fast asleep with his head tilted back, facing the sky, and a snot bubble the size of a thumb was spurting out of his nostril.

Seeing this, Inoue Genzaburo quickly walked towards him and shouted loudly:

"Mr. Ogiwara! Mr. Ogiwara! Wake up! Wake up! Don't sleep!"

The snot bubble popped with a "pop".

"Hmm...? Ah? Oh? Oh, it's Yuan! Where is this? Is it lunchtime yet?"

"Mr. Ogiwara! This is not the time to eat!"

"Oh! I remember now, I'm attending Ah Yong's wedding right now..."

"No way! The young master's wedding was two years ago! What you are attending now is a red and white battle specially held to celebrate the young master's successful succession as the fourth head of the Tennen Rishin-ryu main family!"

"Oh! Right, right, I remember now, it's the Red and White Battle. Thanks to my nap, I'm full of energy now! Okay! Let's have a good fight... snoring... snoring... snoring..."

"Mr. Ogiwara!!"

Hijikata Toshizo's lips twitched involuntarily.

"Couldn't we pick someone stronger to be our general? If our defenses are breached, this old man will be finished."

Yamanami Keisuke cast a helpless glance at Hijikata Toshizo.

“Mr. Hijikata, you must not call Mr. Ogiwara ‘old man.’ He is, after all, a senior of our Tennen Rishin-ryu school, and you must not use such a rude term for him.”

Hijikata Toshizo ignored Yamanami Keisuke's advice.

He casually shifted his gaze from Ogiwara no Tsukasa back to the white side on the opposite side.

"Shannan, since you and I have the same idea, I'd like to hear your opinion."

At this point, Hijikata Toshizo paused, then, mimicking a storyteller's tone, added, "What plan do you have?"

Yamanami Keisuke smiled and began to speak eloquently:

"No matter how strong Tachibana-kun and Okita-kun are, they're only two people with four arms and four legs. Whether it's a one-on-one fight or a group attack, we can't defeat them both. But when it comes to core fighters, our side has the advantage. So..."

……

After quietly listening to Yamanami Keisuke's idea, Hijikata Toshizo's two mouths stretched to the left and right respectively.

"Shannan, you and I really think alike."

……

……

time flies.

Kondo Isami, standing on the high platform, raised his gaze and looked at the sun overhead.

Behind him, Kondo Shusuke whispered a reminder:

"Yong, it's almost time."

Kondo Isami nodded vigorously, then stood up abruptly, his armor clanging as he did so.

Upon seeing this, the guests below the platform all quieted down on their own.

Knowing that "time has come," the soldiers on both sides immediately conducted a final check of their equipment and took their positions.

A moment later, Kondo Isami strode forward two steps, then raised his pistol high and shouted in a loud, forceful voice:

"start!"

[Note: A military fan, made of leather or thin iron, was used to issue military commands.]

No sooner had Kondo Isami finished speaking than Sato Hikogoro of the White Team impatiently swung his fan:

"Charge!"

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!"

The White Army soldiers responded to their commander-in-chief's orders with roars that pierced the clouds and shattered rocks.

The red team on the other side—

"Mr. Ogiwara! Mr. Ogiwara!"

Pop! The snot bubble bursts again.

"Hmm? Oh! It's time? Let's eat then."

"It's not time for dinner! It's time to go into battle!"

"Hmm? Oh! Right, I'm participating in the Red and White Battle right now, alright! Then—let's go, let's go!"

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!"

Despite a minor hiccup, the Red team's momentum was in no way inferior to that of the opposing team.

One red, one white—two distinctly colored waves crashed against each other, colliding heavily.

Aoto and Souji did not participate.

They stood still, observing the battle situation at a leisurely pace.

"Ah... it really turned out like this. We got beaten up so badly."

The commander murmured softly.

Qingdeng shrugged and echoed:

"With Hijikata and the others on the other side, it's only natural that the battle has turned out this way."

……

White side, main camp—

Sato Hikogoro stood with his hands on his hips, beaming with pride, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of commanding "thousands of troops."

Suddenly, a "soldier" with a white headband and covered in mud rushed up to him in a flustered manner.

"General, something terrible has happened! The enemy is closing in!"

Sato Hikogoro's smile froze instantly.

"Huh? The enemy is advancing? This is only the beginning!"

As he spoke, he craned his neck and gazed at the distant front lines.

"Haa ...

Nagakura Shinpachi charged forward with overwhelming momentum, brandishing his sword.