I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

With the added advantage of his innate "leading the charge," Toudou Heisuke entered the battlefield only half a step behind Sanako.

The precious sword given to him by Qing Deng—Kazusa no Kenko—slashed through the air with streaks of light, injuring those who came near and killing those who touched it!

Although Toudou Heisuke is young and lacks extensive combat experience and top-notch talent, once he enters the battlefield, he transforms into a warrior more courageous than anyone else!

Sanako and Todo Heisuke, with their combined strength, managed to tear a bloody gash through the enemy ranks.

The members of the 7th and 8th Divisions plunged into the opening, further tearing open the gap in the enemy lines created by the two.

The fruits of Seido's painstaking efforts, which he spared no expense on... the results of the special training that had been implemented within the Shinsengumi since they arrived in Kyoto, are now becoming apparent!

Three meals a day, with rice and pork every day... This abundant diet, far exceeding the average level of the time, made the Shinsengumi soldiers all grow stronger due to the ample nourishment!

Therefore, when the members of the Seventh and Eighth Divisions revealed themselves, the bandits were stunned—it seemed that what was attacking them was not people, but walls of people and mountains of flesh!

On the battlefield... especially on a battlefield where hand-to-hand combat is the main form of fighting, strong and robust people are definitely stronger than skinny and bony people.

Therefore, this scene was not unexpectedly born - as soon as the two armies made contact, they immediately showed a trend of overwhelming odds!

The Shinsengumi soldiers swung their swords, swords falling, swords falling, swords falling...

The piercing shouts of battle lingered over the battlefield for a long time.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and excrement, mixed with billowing dust that made it hard to breathe.

First they climbed the mountain, then they encountered numerous obstacles such as trenches and fences... The enemy's formation was already in complete disarray.

Through precise cutting with trenches and fences, the vast battlefield was divided into countless small pieces, artificially creating a large number of narrow terrains where "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand."

The rebel army's original "numerical advantage" was greatly suppressed, while the Shinsengumi's "quality advantage" was greatly amplified.

Thus, relying on the advantageous terrain and superior field fortifications, Sanako and Todo Heisuke, with only about twenty men under their command, managed to hold off the fierce attack of over a thousand bandits! And there were even signs that they were pushing back!

The situation was similar on the western front, where Harada Sanosuke and Niimi Nishiki, commanders of the 10th and 5th Divisions, successfully held off the enemy's offensive.

Currently... the situation on the eastern front is the most dire...

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The New Year holiday is over! (Crying leopard head.jpg) As is customary, today is the day to vote for this book! Please vote for me! Please recommend me! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

P.S.: When writing "war stories," I feel like I'm a few years younger, reminiscing about the days when I wrote my first novel in my university dorm! My first novel was *Military Genius Brings the Zizhi Tongjian to Another World* (what a stupid title!), not *Swordsman*.

Chapter 650 The Eastern Front is in Crisis! The General Reserve Force Deployed? [4100]

Shinsengumi's position, Western Front (the defense zone of the 5th and 10th Divisions) —

"Damn it! These guys are all wearing chainmail! We can't cut through it at all!"

"Besides chainmail, they also have gauntlets and foot armor!"

"I can't even hurt the opponent! How... how am I supposed to fight like this?!"

"Don't cut off their torsos and limbs! Cut off their heads and necks!"

"You make it sound so easy! Do you think we're all great swordsmen with superb swordsmanship?"

"I...I...I'm not fighting anymore! This is practically suicide!"

"Hey! Come back! Don't run away! All of you, come back here!!"

……

With a casual movement, Harada Sanosuke slung the long spear—Narakukan—given to him by Seido, and scanned the area ahead expressionlessly.

In this chaotic battlefield, his "idleness" made him particularly conspicuous.

The Fifth Division Captain, Niimi Nishiki, stood beside him, his light blue haori stained with blood, as was the katana in his hand, making it easy to imagine that he had been through many bloody battles.

As one of the few "non-Shiekan faction" members of the Shinsengumi, Niimi Nishiki is unassuming and quiet, with little presence compared to the hot-tempered and sharp-tongued Serizawa Kamo, and the warm, friendly, and popular Kiyokawa Hachiro.

However, since this person was promoted to team leader by Qing Deng, he must have some extraordinary qualities.

Although he did not have specific permits such as "Catalogue" or "Permission to Transmit All" in hand, he was undoubtedly a master of the Shinto Munen-ryu school!

During the initial "team entry assessment," his skills impressed Qing Deng.

At that moment, as he wiped the sweat and dirt from his face, he cast a puzzled glance at Harada Sanosuke not far away.

"Harada-kun, what are you doing? Are you spacing out?"

"..."

Ignoring the other person's question, Harada Sanosuke continued to roll his eyes and scan his surroundings.

Suddenly, his gaze froze.

His gaze was fixed on the young man who was shouting "Don't run away!" over and over again, trying his best to maintain order. The young man had a very noticeable birthmark on his face, making him a "birthmark face".

The next instant—thump thump thump thump—Harada Sanosuke stomped his hind legs and charged out like an arrow! He headed straight for the face with the birthmark!

In the blink of an eye, his figure had already closed in on his opponent!

Upon hearing the series of strange noises rapidly approaching him, the man with the birthmark immediately looked in the direction of the sound, his expression changed, and he instinctively raised the short gun in his hand.

In his desperation, he disregarded the prohibition that "the Shinsengumi soldiers are all fully armed and their torsos must not be attacked."

He raised his gun, lowered his waist, exerted force, and thrust it straight at Harada Sanosuke's chest!

Playing with a gun in front of Harada Sanosuke... Such behavior, while not exactly showing off one's skills in front of Guan Yu, could certainly be described as showing off one's skills in front of Lu Ban.

Harada Sanosuke casually swung the Naraku Kan.

With a "click," he effortlessly deflected the short gun from the man with the birthmark.

The act of parrying contains a hidden counter-attack technique.

In the blink of an eye, he skillfully turned the gun around and thrust it forward—like piercing a piece of slab paper with a wet dagger, he pierced right through it without much effort.

[Note: Compared to raw Xuan paper, sized Xuan paper is very thin and soft.]

The man with the birthmark on his face, whose chest had been pierced, didn't even have time to let out a scream before his eyes widened, blood gushed from his mouth, and he died instantly.

Harada Sanosuke flicked his wrist and retracted his spear.

Looking at the black gun in his hand, he couldn't help but twirl it and grin.

"Hehe~ It truly lives up to its reputation as a treasured weapon that Mr. Ju purchased at great expense; it works exceptionally well!"

The commander in charge of maintaining order was dead... This was a devastating blow to the disorganized bandit army.

In an instant, the surrounding bandit army was plunged into even more terrifying chaos.

To use a vivid analogy... they are like a camel about to be crushed, just waiting for the last straw to fall.

At this crucial moment, Sanosuke Harada timely delivered the final straw to this "camel."

"Brothers! Follow me! Crush them completely! Beat them so badly they won't even dare to turn their heads back!"

Harada Sanosuke brandished his spear and plunged headlong into the dense, grass-like enemy ranks, and then... began a wild mowing spree!

He wielded the black gun in his hand with the ease of deftly twirling a lamp wick.

The black spear thrust forward for the first time, piercing through the bodies of three bandits in one go.

As he retrieved the black gun, he also knocked down two people.

Extend, retract, extend again, retract again... and so on, in a never-ending cycle.

Although it is a monotonous attack method, it has a terrifyingly high kill efficiency!

Occasionally, a few people mustered up their courage, stopped running away, and turned around to challenge Harada Sanosuke, but none of them could stop his fierce offensive!

Nishiki Shinmi was the first to respond to Sanosuke Harada's order to "follow me."

He rushed forward, his feet barely touching the ground, his hands flashing with lightning, and together with Harada Sanosuke, he wielded his blood-stained blade, tearing apart one bandit after another!

The two men's "leading by example" quickly proved effective.

The soldiers of the Fifth and Tenth Divisions rose up and joined the pursuit of the enemy army, each fighting against ten, and ten against a hundred!

Besides the superior food, Qingdeng's other military achievement—providing armor for every soldier—is shining brightly at this moment!

In this day and age, bulky full armor is outdated.

Lightweight chainmail is sufficient to meet Qingdeng's positioning of the sword-drawing team as "specializing in close combat".

Therefore, when the New Selection Merchants Association earned its first pot of gold, Qing Deng immediately used the money to buy equipment.

Thus, each member of the Shinsengumi possessed a complete set of chainmail, gauntlets, and foot armor, all of which were of excellent quality and brand new.

Having armor on one's body means one is less likely to die; it's like having an extra life.

Moreover, because they were well protected, the morale and fighting spirit of the soldiers were greatly boosted, making them more daring to attack.

Therefore, it is perfectly normal for a person in full armor to defeat ten people in plain clothes.

With their superior individual combat strength and their godlike high morale, the situation on the western front is very favorable.

By now, the enemy forces have suffered heavy casualties, while Harada Sanosuke and his men... have only two minor injuries!

Soon, the pale green waves overwhelmed the chaotic black tide.

The rebel army's first wave of attacks on the western front was already showing signs of collapse.

Within sight, the bandits, utterly routed, vividly demonstrated what it meant to be "utterly defeated."

They ran down the mountain without a care in the world... wishing their parents had given them more wings or legs.

Many people, while fleeing, accidentally fell into deep ditches or crashed into fences, making their escape a truly miserable experience.

After chasing for a certain distance, Harada Sanosuke waved his left hand, signaling to his subordinates behind him, "There's no need to chase any further."

The soldiers of the Fifth and Tenth Divisions stood, gazing at the defeated and fleeing enemy.

The once bustling western battlefield gradually quieted down.

Shinmi Nishiki snorted coldly, shaking his sword to wipe away the remaining bloodstains on the blade, his face showing disdain.

"Hmph! Pathetic!"

Harada Sanosuke raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

"Although we were just lucky to be assigned to defend the easiest place, the fact that we were able to achieve such a dazzling and brilliant victory is all thanks to your courage and all-out efforts in killing the enemy!"