I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

As he spoke, he turned around and faced his subordinates behind him.

"This war is far from over! We have only repelled the first wave of the enemy's attack!"

"That being said, we should still celebrate properly!"

At this point, he raised his spear high and launched his classic "victory cry".

"Hey! Hey!"

The next instant, the members of the Fifth and Tenth Divisions raised their fists and swords high above their heads, shouting in unison:

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!"

Of the three sides of the Shinsengumi's position—east, west, and south—the western side has the steepest terrain.

In the same amount of time, the rebel army could send hundreds of men to the southern front, but to the western front, they could only send about fifty men.

Therefore, the western front faces the least defensive pressure.

This is also a major reason why Harada Sanosuke and others were able to defeat the enemy army in front of them so quickly.

At that moment, Niimi Nishiki suddenly glanced sideways at Harada Sanosuke with a complicated look in his eyes.

Under Qingdeng's arrangement, each front was assigned a front-line commander.

The commander in charge of leading the western front was Harada Sanosuke.

To be fair, Nishiki Shinmi was very unhappy with Aoto's arrangement.

Although he wasn't familiar with the "Shieikan faction" as a whole, after spending so many days together, Niimi Nishiki had already figured it out: Harada Sanosuke was simply... to put it nicely, frank and natural; to put it bluntly, a person who was a bit dim-witted!

Is it really okay to appoint someone like this as a commander...? This kind of nonsensical personnel appointment is really not a problem.

Therefore, Nijimi Shinmi subconsciously concluded that Aoto was simply practicing nepotism! He deliberately reserved important positions for his own people and excluded those who were not from the Shieikan faction!

Furthermore, after the rebel army officially launched its offensive, Harada Sanosuke's various actions further solidified Nishiki's belief that "this man is not capable of shouldering great responsibilities."

With a major battle looming, he still had the leisure to sit there munching on wild fruit, and even invited him to eat with him...

At that time, Niimi Nishiki's contempt for Harada Sanosuke had reached its peak.

However... as the war officially began, his impression of the other side gradually changed significantly.

When the bandits attacked, Harada Sanosuke first followed Aoto's instructions and waited until the bandits were tied down by the trenches and fences before allowing the archers to fire freely.

Without hesitation, he grabbed a spear and led the charge, launching a counterattack against the enemy, completely disregarding his own life.

When faced with tough and fierce battles, he truly dares to step up!

Not only were they daring and aggressive, but they were also able to pinpoint the enemy's weak points every time.

Just like now—he found the commander who was giving orders and maintaining order, and promptly sent him to his death, disrupting the rebel army's deployment and greatly exacerbating the chaos within the rebel army.

At this thought, Shinji Nishiki couldn't help but ponder to himself:

—This guy…maybe he’s not as stupid as he looks…

Just then, a sudden remark from Harada Sanosuke brought him back to his senses:

"Shinmi-kun, we should be able to relax for now."

As he spoke, Harada Sanosuke craned his neck and looked around.

Shinji Nishiki nodded slightly in agreement.

"Yes, if nothing unexpected happens, even if we hold out for seven days and seven nights, our position will remain impregnable."

"Right now... I'm only worried about Serizawa..."

Having said that, he turned his head and looked eastward, his facial features tense, a worried expression on his face...

……

……

Shinsengumi's position, Eastern Front (Defense Zone of the 4th and 6th Divisions) —

Whoosh!

Serizawa Duck took the gourd from his waist, opened the bottle, and poured the water inside onto his head in one gulp.

With a "whoosh" sound, wisps of translucent hot air rose up.

Standing beside him, Inoue Genzaburo frowned slightly and said in a concerned tone:

"Serizawa-kun, why don't you take a rest first?"

Serizawa Kamo let out a blatant sneer, as if he had heard some ridiculous anecdote, and then replied, half-jokingly and half-seriously:

"Rest? I want to too! Right now I can't wait to crawl into a soft bed and hold a woman in my arms, but look at this scene!"

He raised the knife in his hand, pointing it directly at himself.

"After seeing such a scene, can you still sleep?"

"..."

Inoue Genzaburo fell silent.

Looking up... before them, on the vast eastern front, were bandits swarming across the mountains and plains!

A truly magnificent expanse covering the entire mountainside!

Fierce figures crowded every path and every open space leading to the eastern front, attacking from all directions!

If the western front had a significant advantage due to its steep terrain, then the eastern front was the opposite.

The eastern part of the Shinsengumi's position has a gentle slope and is quite spacious, so anyone with long legs can climb up.

In other words, the enemy forces could overwhelmingly send far more troops to the eastern front at once!

Furthermore, the rebel army clearly regarded this place as their main direction of attack!

The bandit soldiers gathered here were remarkably young and strong, and many of them clearly had some martial arts training.

Without a doubt... the soldiers of the Fourth and Sixth Divisions stationed on the eastern front endured immense pressure that other units could not even imagine!

Without the trenches and fences to hold off the enemy, and without the desperate fighting of Serizawa Kamo and Inoue Genzaburo, this place would probably have fallen long ago.

Fighting without stopping...

A battle so intense it left no time to catch one's breath...

Under the enemy's frenzied attack, even powerful figures like Serizawa Kamo and Inoue Genzaburo could not help but feel overwhelmed.

At this moment, their light blue haori were stained with blood, and their original color was almost unrecognizable.

Those who didn't know the situation might have thought they were wearing blood-red haori!

Inoue Genzaburo pursed his lips, then suggested to Serizawa Kamo beside him:

"...Serizawa-kun, let's request reinforcements from the main camp."

"The first, second, and third squads are all on high alert in the main camp."

"As long as we can get the help of these three squads, we will definitely be able to stabilize our position."

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Why did Qingdeng deliberately leave the eastern side empty? Can any readers guess? (Leopard.jpg)

Chapter 651 Qingdeng: I can stop the enemy's offensive with just words! [4300]

No sooner had Inoue Genzaburo finished speaking than Serizawa Kamo's face fell.

Despite his displeasure, a thoughtful look still lingered between his brows.

However... before he could figure it out, a series of loud explosions suddenly interrupted his thoughts, pulling his consciousness back to the cold reality before him.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The roar of the cannons echoed throughout the entire stadium!

Suddenly, soldiers carrying brand-new matchlock guns emerged from the gaps in the enemy ranks.

Under the cover of their comrades, they formed three horizontal lines and unleashed a hail of bullets at the soldiers of the fourth and sixth squads with a "three-stage attack"!

The first volley of fire did not cause any real damage to Serizawa Kamo and the others, but it did cause considerable chaos among them.

In an instant, Serizawa Kamo and Inoue Genzaburo's pupils suddenly contracted sharply.

Immediately afterwards, with the speed of a conditioned reflex, they stepped forward and dodged into the shallow pits not far away.

At the same instant, Serizawa Kamo shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Take cover! Take cover! Don't just stand there like an idiot! Do you want to be a target?"

Even without Serizawa Kamo's instructions, the members of the Fourth and Sixth Divisions, driven by their survival instincts, spontaneously dispersed and searched for places to hide.

To facilitate the soldiers' counterattacks, numerous individual bunkers, resembling foxholes, were dug along all fronts.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets, moving so fast they seemed to disappear without a trace, crisscrossed the battlefield, their piercing whistling sound like the call of death itself.

Suppressed by the hail of bullets and unable to raise his head, Serizawa Kamo, with his head buried deep in the ground, felt several bullets hit him squarely near the shallow crater where he was hiding, sending up a lot of mud and sand.

Compared to the battle against the Aizu cavalry a few days ago, these arquebusiers have become much more skilled.

Whether it's loading ammunition or changing formations, the process is remarkably smooth.

In the blink of an eye, a milky white "fog" filled the entire venue, stinging people's eyes.

Stimulated by the gunpowder smoke, Serizawa Kamo felt his throat go dry. He licked his lips and vaguely tasted the dry, bitter flavor of the gunpowder.

He raised his gaze to observe his subordinates nearby—they were all huddled together, their faces showing varying degrees of panic.

Even the bravest soldiers could not hide their fear at this moment.

That's what makes firearms so terrifying.