I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

It's not just because it's easy to master and has terrifying destructive power, but also because it can bring people a dual stimulation of hearing and smell.

A tremendous roar, a pungent smell of gunpowder... these unusual sounds and eerie smells, completely unrelated to daily life, are enough to send shivers down one's spine!

"Oh shit……!"

Serizawa Kamo gritted his teeth and cursed loudly:

"No wonder it's so quiet in other directions...it turns out these bastards have gathered all the arquebusiers here!"

……

……

Shinsengumi's base, main camp—

From the very beginning, Qing Deng positioned the Ninth Division as an intelligence agency dedicated to gathering information.

Therefore, at the beginning of the team's formation, he intentionally assigned those with ordinary appearances and good physiques to the Ninth Division.

In other words, the members of the Ninth Division are a group of people who are not lacking in physical strength.

Apart from the First, Second, and Third Divisions waiting at the main camp, all other units were fighting desperately, and the Ninth Division, designated as the "communications unit," was not idle either.

They tirelessly traveled around, relaying the latest battle situation from all fronts to their headquarters, and also conveying the latest military orders from their headquarters to all fronts.

As the battle intensified, the main camp became increasingly busy.

The members of the Ninth Division frequently appeared inside and outside the main camp, their movements hurried.

"Lord Niou, the Fifth and Tenth Divisions have repelled the invading enemy!"

Qingdeng nodded slightly:

“Hmm, very good. Tell Harada Sanosuke: Don’t pursue too far, conserve your energy. Our main task right now is ‘defense,’ so don’t waste your energy on unnecessary things.”

"Yes!"

……

"Lord Niou, the situation on the southern front is excellent! The Seventh and Eighth Divisions have gradually gained the initiative on the battlefield!"

Qingdeng: "Okay, I understand. You may leave now."

"Yes!"

……

"Lord Niou, there's been no movement on the northern front. Captain Okita asked me to pass on a message to you: I'm so bored! How long am I supposed to sit here in this godforsaken place?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

Tell her: "Take it easy, you have a lot on your shoulders."

"Yes Yes!"

……

Good news, good news, good news... The news that came back to the main camp was one good news after another.

The enemy forces in the east and south have been suppressed.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, there's no need to worry about anything going wrong in these two places in the short term.

Faced with this gratifying result, the facial lines of many people, including Hijikata Toshizo, Kondo Isami, and Yamanami Keisuke, gradually softened and became less tense.

In fact, facing this great battle, not to mention everyone else, even the usually calm and collected Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke couldn't help but feel nervous.

After all, this was the Shinsengumi's first major battle.

The previous "punishment of the Kusunoki Group" was just a small-scale operation.

No one in the newly formed group took the Kusunoki Group seriously, considering them merely a bunch of Yakuza who could only bully the weak.

In this massive game played out on the entire nation's territory, with various major powers participating, the mere Yakutsk is utterly insignificant.

Even the Shimizu clan, which was once powerful in the Kanto region, only acquired such terrifying power thanks to the dedicated cultivation and strong support of the Fazhu Party.

This was also the first battle after Qingdeng launched its "military reforms".

The success or failure of this battle, and the results of this battle, directly determined the success or failure of Qingdeng's "military reforms," ​​as well as the world's evaluation of the Shinsengumi.

As the saying goes, "God cannot shed blood."

A god who bleeds will lose the world's awe of Him.

It is no exaggeration to say that for all the soldiers of the Shinsengumi, this battle was one that they absolutely could not afford to lose.

We must win!

And you must win beautifully!

Because of this mindset, most of the people in this camp have had stern faces and exuded a dignified aura since the two armies began to clash.

Only when good news kept pouring in did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, at that moment, a red figure suddenly entered everyone's field of vision—Kinoshita Mai rushed straight towards Aoto with the speed of lightning.

After all the uniforms (light blue haori) of the Shinsengumi were in place, Aoto issued a decree that everyone, regardless of rank, must wear this uniform in formal occasions and public places.

However, he did not impose any mandatory regulations on the color or style of the soldiers' undergarments and trousers.

As a result, the Shinsengumi soldiers... especially the officers, dressed themselves however they pleased.

Take the three women of the Shinsengumi as an example—Souji's inner garment is purple, Sanako's is blue, and Kinoshita Mai's is red.

Fortunately, light turquoise is a very versatile color, so it won't look too bad no matter what color the inner layer is.

Kinoshita Mai is a master of agility, able to move with ease even on rugged mountain terrain, possessing the fastest speed in the new lineup.

Therefore, Qingdeng specially entrusted her with an important task—to stay away from the battlefield and monitor the enemy camp.

If any strange movements are detected from the enemy's side, they should immediately rush back to report.

Her sudden return must mean she has something important to report to Qingdeng immediately.

Facts have proved that it is true.

As soon as she arrived beside Qingdeng, she spoke in a low voice:

"Qingdeng, the current situation on the eastern front is very bad."

"I saw that the rebel army sent out new troops to reinforce the east."

"If this continues, there is a risk that the eastern front may be lost."

As luck would have it, just as Kinoshita Mai finished speaking, the roar of cannons came from the east... Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke and the others' facial expressions tightened again.

Kinoshita Mai was not the first to bring back bad news from the Eastern Front.

Since the start of the war, the members of the Ninth Division have been bringing back bad news such as "the eastern front is under pressure" and "the defense of the eastern front is under great pressure".

After a moment of silence, Hijikata Toshizo said in a low voice:

"...Ju, things aren't looking too good in the east."

Qingdeng nodded slightly:

"That being said, this is something we anticipated from the beginning, isn't it?"

He let out a long sigh of relief as he finished speaking.

"There's no other way... It seems I still have to make the trip."

After saying that, he stood up slowly.

Upon seeing this, everyone turned to look at him with surprise.

Hijikata Toshizo raised an eyebrow:

"Ju, are you going into battle already?"

"No, that's not true. This level of predicament doesn't require my personal intervention."

Qing Deng smiled slightly.

"I only need to say a few words to stabilize the situation in the east."

……

……

Shinsengumi positions, Eastern Front—

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

Under the cover of the arquebusiers, the ordinary soldiers of the bandit army took this opportunity to consolidate their fighting strength and, while resting for a moment, formed neat attack formations.

In no time at all, they will be able to prepare for another attack.

Although when they launch a new offensive, the gunners will certainly stop firing to avoid accidentally injuring friendly forces.

But because they had a precious opportunity to regroup, when they launched their second offensive, their momentum was absolutely heavy and fierce!

As a result, Serizawa Kamo and the others will be in an extremely unfavorable situation.

Inoue Genzaburo glanced at the enemy troops opposite him, then turned back to Serizawa Kamo and offered his advice again:

"Serizawa-kun! Quickly request reinforcements from the main camp!"

"..."

Serizawa Kamo remained silent, his brows slightly furrowed, still deep in thought.

And it was at this moment—

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

Another series of loud explosions... but this time the gunfire didn't come from in front of them, but from behind!

Serizawa Kamo paused for a moment, then turned his head to look behind him—he saw the 20 arquebusiers that Matsudaira Katamori had lent them, each finding their own foxholes, setting up their muskets, and pulling the triggers... A barrage of bullets swept towards the enemy army.

Due to their small numbers, the Aizu arquebusiers were unable to form a "three-volley" formation.

The rebel army had at least 60 arquebusiers, three times the number of them.

However, they managed to fight to a standstill with their superior combat skills.

The two sides exchanged fire, one shooting at the other, and the other shooting back... It was quite a spectacle, but in the end, very few people fell to their guns.