I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

A group of people were crying, howling, fleeing for their lives, begging for mercy, and dying—Shuntaro Aso recognized these people; they were the villagers of Hiroto Village.

Another group laughed, shouted, chased, destroyed, and slaughtered.

They brandished their weapons, recklessly hunting down villagers, robbing them of their property, and abducting women.

Shuntaro Aso did not recognize these people.

However, based on his experience of living in the countryside since childhood, he dared to conclude that these guys who were committing violence at will were undoubtedly farmers!

Only farmers would dress and look like that!

Fueled by the ever-growing fire, the increasingly scorching wind carried wave after wave of human voices that sent chills down Aso Shuntaro's spine:

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll give you all the money and food in my house right now! Please spare my life!"

"Hmph! When I asked you to hand over the money and supplies, you made all sorts of excuses. Now you're trying to beg for mercy? Too late!"

"Aa ...

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle! Quickly pack all the money and grain into the sacks!"

"My cow! My cow! Give me back my cow!"

"Shut up! It's so noisy! Just go die!"

"Please! I'll give you everything I have, just spare my daughter! Spare my daughter!"

"Shut the fuck up! I've never been with a woman since I was born! Tonight I'm going to taste what a woman is like! If you don't want your head chopped off, get out of here!"

Hey! Look! There's another young woman here!

"Hehehehehe~~ I finally caught a woman!"

"Help! Help!"

Who wants to go first?

"Nonsense! I found this woman! Of course I was here first! Quick! Grab her hands and feet! I can't hold back any longer!"

……

Exploding sparks.

A blood-stained blade.

A smug smile.

Red, red, red...

Red is everywhere.

The once tranquil village of Guanghu is now enveloped in all sorts of "red" colors.

Red blood.

Red flames.

The sky and earth are red.

The scene was so tragic, it's indescribable!

Even the raging flames couldn't restore Shuntaro Aso's pale complexion.

When he came to his senses, he was shocked to find himself slumped on the ground, his legs weak and trembling.

Just then, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from afar, and a series of... conversations that, to him at that moment, sounded like the whispers of demons:

"Hey! Look! There's a really impressive house here!"

"Hahaha! There must be a lot of money in this house!"

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Don't let others get there first!"

Shuntaro Aso looked in alarm toward the sound—three thugs carrying katana were rushing toward him excitedly.

This scene and this situation robbed the last trace of color from his face.

His first instinct was to get up and run for his life.

However... no matter how hard he tried, his weak legs wouldn't obey him.

In desperation, he prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and cried out:

"Wait, wait a minute! What do you want? Money? Food? Just spare my life, and I'll give you as much as you want..."

Before Aso Shuntaro could finish speaking, there was a "whoosh" sound—a shining silver line plummeted down and struck him squarely on the back of the neck.

Instantly, a jet of blood spurted out.

Although he was stabbed in the back of the neck, Aso Shuntaro did not die on the spot.

The swordsman's skill was truly appalling.

Insufficient strength, misaligned blade... with such swordsmanship, it would be a miracle if anyone could even decapitate someone.

However, no matter how bad the knife skills are, it's still a gleaming knife.

With one slash, although Aso Shuntaro's head was not severed, only half of his body remained connected by flesh and blood.

Such severe injuries would make even Hua Tuo shake his head in dismay.

"Hehehe~ This guy is so stupid! He actually posed in a way that made it easy for us to chop him up!"

The three thugs pushed past Aso Shuntaro's body and rushed impatiently into his mansion.

"Gurgle...! Gurgle...! Gurgle...! Gurgle...!"

Shuntaro Aso felt his body convulsing uncontrollably.

He clutched his wound, which was gushing blood, and tried to save himself.

He wanted to breathe... but with each breath, unbearable pain would spread throughout his body.

He wanted to stay awake... but the boundless darkness emerging from the corner of his eye gradually climbed toward the center of his vision, soon covering his entire field of vision.

On his deathbed, he heard the screams of his beloved concubine, Ah An.

After that, as his consciousness rapidly faded, he knew nothing more...

……

……

A place very close to Hiroto Village —

"Shibasaki-sama! Shibasaki-sama!"

An unremarkable-looking, sleazy young warrior with two swords at his waist rushed up a small hill.

On the hilltop, a tall, proud samurai, around 35 years old, stood with his hand on the sword at his waist, gazing indifferently at the village of Hiroto engulfed in flames.

"Shibasaki-sama!"

The sleazy samurai knelt on one knee behind the arrogant samurai and proclaimed in a loud voice:

"This village is indeed very prosperous! We've collected quite a bit of grain!"

The proud samurai, addressed as "Shibasaki," nodded slightly, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"Very good! Let the brothers relax tonight! We'll set off for Luoyang first thing tomorrow morning!"

……

……

Wenjiu three years (1863), January 1th——

Kyoto, Mibu Village, Shinsengumi Garrison, Training Ground No. 1—

"Charge!"

"Kill them!"

"Stay close! Don't fall behind again!"

……

Shouts, shouts, and cries rose and fell.

Shimada Kai, carrying his sword, was sweating profusely alongside his comrades.

The positive effects of improving the diet are immediate.

Nourished by rice and fatty meat broth, the Shinsengumi soldiers became much stronger.

With their healthy and rosy complexions, and strong and robust physiques, the Shinsengumi already showed signs of becoming a formidable force, judging from their appearance alone!

At this very moment, Shimada Kai is practicing a new formation with his comrades.

This new formation consists of 5 players per team.

One captain in charge of leading the troops, one spearman, one shieldman, and two swordsmen.

The shield bearers were in front, the spearmen in the middle, the captain in the back, and the two swordsmen on the left and right.

Anyone familiar with the history of ancient Chinese warfare would surely recognize this formation upon seeing it.

That's right, this formation is the "Mandarin Duck Formation"!

Qi Jiguang, a famous Ming Dynasty general who fought against Japanese pirates, first applied a brand-new military formation based on the characteristics of the southeastern coastal region, which is characterized by hills, ravines, crisscrossing rivers and canals, narrow roads, and the fighting style of the Japanese pirates.

This formation is named "Mandarin Duck Formation" because its shape resembles a pair of mandarin ducks.

The "Mandarin Duck Formation" consists of 11 people per team.

The one at the front is the captain, who is in charge of the entire team.

The two men each wielded a long shield and a rattan shield, respectively.

The long-armed man held a long shield to block the Japanese pirates' arrows and spears.

The rattan shield bearer carries a lightweight rattan shield and is also equipped with a javelin and a waist knife.

Long shield bearers and rattan shield bearers mainly cover the advance of the rear guard. In addition to providing cover, rattan shield bearers can also engage in close combat with the enemy.

The other two were wolf-brush wielders, responsible for holding the wolf-brush.

The wolf-tooth spear is made from moso bamboo that grows in the south. The old and sturdy bamboo is selected, and the end of the bamboo is cut diagonally into a point, while sharp branches are left around the edges. Each wolf-tooth spear is about 3 meters long. The wolf-tooth spearman uses the sharp blade at the front of the spear to stab the enemy in order to cover the advance of the shield bearers and the attack of the spearmen behind them.