I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"But I won the bet. Didn't I?"

At this point, he dropped the joking tone and changed the subject.

"Do not worry."

"As the commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi, I naturally would not place my hopes of victory on a vague 'gamble'."

"Otherwise, why would I have set up a 'general reserve team'?"

"My backup plan... is all of you here."

As he spoke, Qing Deng shifted his gaze, sweeping it across the faces of everyone present.

"Whether it's the east or any other direction, no matter which battlefield is lost, I can immediately dispatch all of you here to make up for the losses."

"In short, as long as you are here, I will always be invincible."

Yamanami Keisuke smiled without saying a word.

Kondo Isami nodded slightly.

Hijikata Toshizo grinned.

Yongcang Xinba straightened his back.

Saito Hajime touched the sword at his waist.

They expressed their strong agreement with Qing Deng's words through their expressions and manners.

……

……

The enemy camp, main camp—

Renjuro Shibasaki stood outside the command tent with his arms crossed, gazing at the distant battlefield.

Setsu Yorimitsu stepped out of the command tent and slowly moved to Shibasaki Renjuro's side.

"Lord Shibasaki, what's wrong? Why do you look so worried?"

Renjuro Shibasaki pursed his lips, then said in a deep voice:

"...Mr. Settsu, please forgive my bluntness."

"Can such an old-fashioned battle plan really work? We'll launch a massive attack on the Shinsengumi's positions from the east, west, and south to draw their attention, and then send out our most elite squads to scale the northern cliffs and launch a surprise attack on the Shinsengumi's rear. Will it really work?"

"No matter how stupid that Tachibana Seido is, he couldn't possibly not have set up defenses on the north side, could he?"

Having said that, Shibasaki Renjuro raised his gaze and cast a worried look at Settsu Yorimitsu.

Settsu Yorimitsu raised an eyebrow, then slightly curled the corners of his lips.

Before he could finish, he put his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky, and replied quietly:

"Lord Shibasaki, there are countless military treatises in this world."

"By simply flipping through the pages, one can find a great many methods and tips for winning battles."

"In fact, if we integrate the insights and thoughts of military strategists throughout history and summarize them all, it can be summed up in just one sentence: 'Use the many to defeat the few, avoid the strong and attack the weak.'"

"If our forces are fewer than the enemy's, then we should create an environment where we can fight with superior numbers."

"If you can't find the enemy's weakness, then try to create one."

"This has always been the case throughout history."

"All the victorious generals in history followed and applied this principle flexibly."

"Lord Shibasaki, why do you think my plan is outdated?"

"Isn't it because so many of our ancestors adopted this strategy?"

"So why did our ancestors adopt similar, or even identical, battle tactics?"

At this point, Settsu Yorimitsu paused deliberately, giving the other party time to think.

Renjuro Shibasaki did indeed fall silent, appearing deep in thought.

About half a minute later, Settsu Yorimitsu continued the conversation:

"The strategy itself is not flawed."

"As for whether we can win... it all depends on whether our soldiers can break through the Shinsengumi's northern defenses."

……

……

Shinsengumi positions, northern front—

Thirty-five fully armed bandit warriors are engaged in a fierce battle with nature.

Push aside the rocks blocking the way; cut down the weeds that get in the way; drive away the annoying mosquitoes; climb up the jagged cliff face...

They bravely and aggressively traversed the mountains and valleys.

In just a short while, they all looked like wild men, disheveled and covered in sweat and grime.

Their leader—a dark-skinned, unassuming burly man—wiped the sweat from his face and looked up at the cliff top that was now almost within reach.

Then he turned around and shouted to his companions behind him:

"Give it your all, we're almost there!"

"See the top of the cliff? That's the north side of the enemy's position!"

"Once we reach the top of the cliff, remember to stay close to me!"

"Remember, we have only one mission: set fires everywhere and charge straight at the enemy's main force! Create as much destruction and chaos as possible!"

*******

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P.S.: Serizawa Kamo is very learned, and he is also a man skilled in both literature and martial arts. This was mentioned earlier. Therefore, Kiyokawa Hachiro felt that Serizawa Kamo had wasted his time studying the classics.

Chapter 654 "Bring the spear!" [4200]

Since they were sent to participate in the crucial surprise attack, these 35 people were certainly not ordinary.

Among them, 25 were handpicked from tens of thousands of bandits, selected for their agility and strength, as well as their martial arts skills.

The other 10 were direct disciples of Shibasaki Renjuro.

Due to limitations in the quality of soldiers and communication capabilities, a major model of classical armies was "using a small force to lead a large force, and using the strong force to lead the weak."

A small elite force plus the vast majority of a rabble – this is the pattern of peasant armies throughout history and across the world.

Shibasaki Renjuro's disciples played the same role as the former, serving as a stabilizing force and a ballast stone in the enemy army.

This type of army is well-suited for counterinsurgency operations, which involve bullying the weak. However, it performs poorly in large-scale troop battles.

If the elite troops are still there, then this army still has fighting power.

If the elite troops are gone, then even if the army still has many soldiers, it will be easily defeated and collapse like a house of cards.

For untrained "original farmers," if you ask them to burn, kill, and loot, they are all quick and efficient at it.

But to send them to fight those tough, life-or-death battles, you have to offer them substantial rewards and send brave warriors to take the lead – that's what the elite troops are mainly for.

Shibasaki Renjuro's disciples were distributed throughout the various levels of the bandit army, and it was thanks to their presence that the bandit army maintained a certain degree of organization.

To ensure the success of the surprise attack, Shibasaki Renjuro sent ten disciples to participate in the operation, all of whom were his prized students.

In addition, he appointed his most trusted and relied-upon disciple as the commander-in-chief of the raiding force—the dark-skinned, burly man at the head of the group, named Kenzo Suzuki.

This person was not only highly skilled but also exceptionally courageous. At the same time, he possessed a meticulous mind that was both rough and shrewd, and he enjoyed extremely high prestige among Shibasaki Renjuro's disciples.

Renjuro Shibasaki was very fond of him.

When selecting the leader of the raiding force, he entrusted this important task to the other party without hesitation.

Kenzo Suzuki readily accepted this important task and patted his chest, guaranteeing: "I will certainly live up to your mission!"

It can be said that without Kenzo Suzuki's personal leadership, the rest of the team would certainly not have had the courage to lead and complete the arduous task of "surprise attack on the Shinsengumi".

Although the cliffs north of the Shinsengumi's position were very steep, they were much easier to climb than expected because there were many protrusions on the cliff face to grab onto.

As Kenzo Suzuki climbed the mountain, he strained his ears to listen carefully to the sounds around him.

It was very quiet all around... Apart from the occasional bird chirping, there was no other sound.

The success or failure of the surprise attack would determine the outcome of the Battle of Iga—just thinking about this made Kenzo Suzuki's throat go dry.

And so, he led his comrades, inching closer and closer to the top of the cliff...

Finally—Kenzo Suzuki grabbed the edge of the cliff with both hands, and with a burst of strength, pulled himself up.

In the instant immediately following his ascent to the summit, Kenzo Suzuki was extremely nervous.

He crouched low, supporting himself with his left hand on the ground and his right hand on the sword at his waist, quickly scanning his surroundings for any sign of the enemy.

Upon reaching the summit, he encountered a large contingent of the Shinsengumi stationed there—a situation that Kenzo Suzuki dreaded most.

If they were to encounter such a situation, their chances of survival would be extremely slim...

Fortunately, when he looked around, he only saw dark yellow earth and dust swirling in the wind; he didn't see a single person.

Is nobody here...?

Although he felt somewhat more at ease, he still dared not relax.

He turned back and gestured to his companions who were still hanging on the cliff, signaling them to climb up quickly.

He then waited for his companions to arrive while continuing to keep watch over his surroundings.

Nerves were taut, heart was pounding like a drum, and I didn't dare blink... I didn't miss a single sound.

However, he did not see a single enemy until all his companions had reached the top of the cliff.

For a moment, faced with this situation that he had never imagined... no, it should be said that he never dared to imagine, a feeling called "disorientation" instantly overwhelmed Suzuki Kenzo.