I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"At 8 PM today, please gather here so I can announce my battle plan!"

……

……

That night--

Ueno Basin, Shinsengumi camp, main camp—

There was still some time before the agreed-upon 8 o'clock, but all the Shinsengumi generals had already gathered in the command tent.

"Now that everyone's here... let's begin!"

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Yesterday, a reader said that Qingdeng is "Orange Killer Arthur", so today I'm just borrowing that joke (cheeky leopard.jpg).

P.S.: To gather material, I've recently been playing *Fate/Samurai Remnant*. Saber's voice perfectly matches my image of Souji's voice! (Leopard excited.jpg) Yui Masayuki also perfectly matches my image of Sanako! (Leopard super excited.jpg)

Chapter 648 The Battle of Iga Begins! [4100]

Qing Deng, seated in the main seat, surveyed the entire room with an expressionless face.

Everyone whose gaze fell upon him straightened their backs and unconsciously held their breath.

Upon entering the command tent, the Shinsengumi generals were immediately drawn to the messy map spread out on the low table.

The entire map is scattered with dozens of chess pieces, including "King," "Gold General," "Silver General," and "Infantry," scattered like stars in the sky. Just looking at it gives one a sense of solemnity and grandeur.

Since announcing to everyone, "At 8 PM today, I will announce my battle plan to you," Qing Deng has not left his command tent.

Looking at this messy "chessboard," it's not hard to imagine how fierce and bloody the battle between the two armies must have been in this small area while everyone was waiting for nightfall!

Strangely enough, many of the people present only truly felt that they were "in battle" at this moment, after seeing this messy "chessboard".

Qingdeng slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at the map on the low table.

"Tonight's meeting is a military council, so I won't waste any more words and will get straight to the point!"

……

……

At the same time—

Iga, Ueno Basin, bandit camp, main camp—

Settsu Yorimitsu glanced briefly at the generals before him, then turned to Shibasaki Renjuro beside him and asked:

"Mr. Shibasaki, is everyone here?"

Renjuro Shibasaki nodded vigorously.

"Yes, everyone's here!"

Setsu Yorimitsu nodded slightly.

"Then... let's begin!"

……

……

Qingdeng stood up, put his hands behind his back, and began to speak eloquently:

"The rebel army has a force a hundred times larger than ours, and is also equipped with a considerable number of arquebuses."

"Although they are powerful, their weaknesses are also obvious."

"To put it bluntly, they are just a bunch of untrained, unskilled scoundrels."

"When they bully the weak, they are all like wolves and tigers, afraid of falling behind others."

"But once they encounter tough battles, their morale and fighting spirit will decline rapidly."

"This is their fatal weakness."

"The band of rebels in front of us has been burning, killing, and looting everywhere since they started their rebellion, and they have amassed considerable strength."

"Now is when their morale is at its peak and their fighting power is at its strongest."

"Therefore... the first battle will be the decisive battle!"

……

……

Settsu Yorimitsu stood with his arms crossed beside the hanging map, and began to speak in a gentle, detailed manner:

“Iga is the only place we can pass through on our way to Kyoto.”

“If we force ourselves to take a detour, it will take a long time and be very dangerous.”

"The shogunate troops stationed in Iga were like a 'horse-drawn' formation."

[Note: *Uma-dake* (馬艹): A classic defensive structure of Japanese castles, primarily serving to delay enemy attacks. As a firing position, its purpose was to strengthen the castle's defenses. Additionally, *Uma-dake* were extensively constructed within the castle grounds as garrisons for small units, facilitating counterattacks from within the castle walls.]

“By bypassing Iga, we are essentially exposing our flank and rear to Tachibana Aono.”

"Ju Qingdeng can lead his troops to follow our army and attack our flanks and rear at any time."

"This is an unavoidable battle, so please be mentally prepared!"

"However, there is no need for you all to be too nervous."

"While Niou's abilities are indeed formidable, we still hold a significant advantage!"

"According to reliable intelligence, the only Baku army currently stationed in Iga consists of Tachibana Aoto's Shinsengumi and a portion of the Aizu army, totaling less than two hundred!"

"As the ancients said, 'One should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane on the second attempt and be exhausted on the third'—this ancient saying is perfectly suited to us!"

"Although our forces are large, they are generally poorly trained."

"If we fail to capture the city after a prolonged siege, chaos is bound to ensue!"

"Therefore, the first battle is the decisive battle!"

"We must go all out in this first battle! We'll use every trick in the book! We'll annihilate the Shinsengumi in one fell swoop! We'll take Iga!"

……

……

Qingdeng pointed to a corner of the map.

"This is our 'city'."

"The enemy army has surrounded our east, west and south sides, but the north side is spared from attack because it is adjacent to the cliffs."

"Once the war begins, a vast number of enemy soldiers will inevitably surge in from the east, west, and south like a tidal wave!"

……

……

Setsu Yorimitsu pointed to a corner of the map.

"Look, everyone! This is the Shinsengumi's position!"

"Its north side is adjacent to a cliff, making it inconvenient for our troops to deploy there."

"In other words, only the east, west, and south sides are suitable for use as battlefields!"

……

"Therefore, our first phase of the operation has a very simple objective: to hold our ground to the death! We must never allow the enemy to set foot here!"

……

"Therefore, our first-phase operational objective is very simple: to launch a full-scale offensive! To unleash an offensive with all our might!"

……

"The terrain to the east is gentler and more open, making it the most ideal battlefield. The enemy will inevitably make the east their main attack direction!"

……

"The terrain to the east is gentler and more open; there is no better battlefield. We will make the east our main attack direction!"

……

"Therefore... we will abandon the defenses in the east! We will only need to deploy a minimal number of garrison troops in the east, and let the enemy army attack as they please!"

……

"Gather all the skilled and strong men in our army... in short, gather all the elite soldiers of our army to the east! We must create an overwhelming force in the east!"

……

"The Fourth and Sixth Divisions are responsible for the eastern front. Serizawa Kamo will be the overall commander of this front."

"The Fifth and Tenth Divisions are responsible for the western front. Harada Sanosuke will be the overall commander of this operation."

"The Seventh and Eighth Divisions are responsible for the southern front. Chiba Sanako will be the overall commander of this area."

"Okita Souji is in charge of monitoring the northern front."

"The Ninth Division serves as a messenger unit, responsible for relaying the battle situation from each front back to headquarters, and conveying headquarters' orders to each front."

"Hijikata Toshizo, Kondo Isami, Yamanami Keisuke, Kiyokawa Hachiro, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, and the First, Second, and Third Divisions, along with the above personnel and units, shall be the general reserve force!"

……

"Finally, our second... and final phase of operations objective is—"

With that, Settsu Yorimitsu grabbed a handful of Go stones...

……

"Finally, our second... and final phase of operations objective is—"

As he spoke, Qingdeng picked up three chess pieces—the "King," the "Silver King," and the "King Horse"...

……