I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He blinked hard, his expression gradually filling with intense disbelief.

Suddenly, a bold idea popped into his mind:

—Could it be that… Tachibana Aoto didn’t set up defenses in the north?!

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

With a sudden, heavy breath and a rush of blood, Kenzo Suzuki felt his already thunderous heart pounding even harder, as if it were about to leap out of his throat!

He never expected that the famous "Niou" Tachibana Aoto would make such a basic mistake.

—If we don't seize this precious fighter jet, which is like a pie falling from the sky, we'll be too ashamed to face our master!

Kenzo Suzuki took several deep breaths, desperately trying to suppress his excitement.

Then, he drew the sword from his waist, turned to his companions behind him, and whispered:

"Follow me...!"

In the blink of an eye, the raiding squad quickly deployed, forming a long, single-line formation with Kenzo Suzuki at its core. They moved with lightning speed, launching an assault on the Shinsengumi's main camp!

They clutched kerosene, matches, firecrackers, and other tools they used to create chaos.

No matter how elite a unit is, it will inevitably fall into some degree of chaos if it is attacked from behind.

At that time, the main force responsible for launching a feint attack on the front can immediately switch to the main attack! Launching an overwhelming all-out assault on the Shinsengumi's positions!

In this way, the Shinsengumi, attacked from both sides, will inevitably suffer a crushing defeat!

Kenzo Suzuki envisioned a bright future.

Gradually, he felt himself dying.

Just then, he suddenly heard a strange noise coming from ahead.

Click... click... click... click... click...

At first glance, it sounds like the sound of chewing on something hard.

Kenzo Suzuki's pupils contracted sharply, and he subconsciously slowed his pace.

It's not hard to guess: this must be one of the Shinsengumi members eating.

—Finally, we've encountered the enemy…!

His companions behind him also heard the chewing sounds.

Therefore, the entire raiding squad switched to "combat mode," their vigorous strides turning into snail-like paces as they cautiously advanced.

A moment later, after rounding a rock wall, they found the Shinsengumi member eating.

A handsome young man with bright eyes and white teeth, exquisite features, wearing a light blue haori with a purple undergarment, and a neat high ponytail tied behind his head, was sitting cross-legged on a large rock, throwing konpeito into his mouth with a "humming" sound.

Its mouth was stuffed full of colorful candies, and its rosy cheeks were bulging out like two small hills, just like a hamster hoarding food.

The strange "crunch...crunch..." sound was the sound of her chewing konpeito.

The commander was stunned when he saw the unexpected guests.

Immediately afterwards, she opened her eyes wide, parted her lips slightly, and froze in mid-air with her right hand, which was holding a large handful of konpeito (Japanese candy).

At the same time, her cheeks, which had been twitching slightly from chewing the candy, also stopped.

Among those equally stunned were Kenzo Suzuki and others.

They had expected to run into a large contingent of the Shinsengumi.

As a result... looking up, there was no one else in sight except for this handsome young man.

quiet……

Both were so stunned by the sight before them that they forgot to speak and forget to act.

For a moment, silence enveloped the surroundings.

About three seconds later, Souji put down the candy in her hand, and slowly revealed a charming expression...

……

……

Shinsengumi's base, main camp—

After stabilizing the battle situation in the east, the main camp returned to a well-ordered and harmonious state.

Qingdeng and the others sat upright in their respective positions, strategizing and planning.

The members of the Ninth Division frequently went in and out, providing real-time updates on the battle situation.

As of now, all fronts have gradually stabilized.

The western region has become one-sided, with the soldiers of the Fifth and Tenth Divisions repeatedly repelling the enemy's attacks.

The rebel army in the south has been unable to make any progress, and the rebel forces in that area have begun to show obvious signs of fatigue.

The fighting in the east is still intense, but it is far from being at the point where it "cannot hold out".

The expressions on everyone's faces relaxed again.

At that moment, the sharp-eyed Yamanami Keisuke suddenly noticed that Kiyokawa Hachiro opposite him was frowning, as if he was worried about something, with a deep look of contemplation between his brows.

"King Qinghe, what's wrong? Why do you look so anxious?"

All eyes immediately turned to Kiyokawa Hachiro.

Kiyokawa Hachiro blinked, hesitated, opened his mouth as if to speak but then stopped.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and turned to look at Qingdeng not far away:

"...Mr. Ju, I have a question, but I don't know if I should ask it."

Qing Deng raised his chin, indicating, "Speak freely."

Kiyokawa Hachiro took another deep breath.

“Mr. Ju, our north side is adjacent to cliffs, and the bandits cannot deploy their troops there.”

"Thanks to our advantageous terrain, our northern side is temporarily safe."

"That being said, from what I've observed, the steepness of the northern cliffs is far from being 'impossible to climb'!"

"To be honest... I'm very worried that while our attention is focused on the east, west, and south, the enemy will send a small elite force to circle around to our north, climb over the cliffs, and launch a surprise attack on our army from the north!"

"Mr. Tachibana, please send an additional unit to the north!"

"Otherwise, my mind will never be at peace!"

Kiyokawa Hachiro's words were incredibly passionate and inspiring.

It's clear that he was genuinely worried about the northern front of the position.

However... Qing Deng did not react much after listening to his advice.

He simply smiled faintly.

"King Qinghe, you don't need to worry about that."

"I have already considered the defense of the north."

"Of course I am aware of the possibility that the enemy might flank us and ambush us from behind."

"So haven't I already sent a very reliable person to guard the north?"

As luck would have it—just as Qing Deng finished speaking, a member of the Ninth Division rushed into the main camp, looking hurried and anxious:

"Lord Renwang! Enemy troops have appeared to the north! A small group of enemy soldiers has scaled the cliff and entered the north!"

No sooner had this person finished speaking than Kiyokawa Hachiro, his face filled with horror, urgently exclaimed:

"Mr. Tachibana, quickly send reinforcements to the north... wait?"

At this moment, Kiyokawa Hachiro's terror was palpable.

However, everyone in the main camp except for Qing Deng... no, everyone else in the main camp except for Qinghe Hachiro all had a calm look on their faces, as if to say, "Oh, I see."

Just as Kiyokawa Hachiro was bewildered by this inexplicable situation, another member of the Ninth Division entered the main camp:

This time, the team members who appeared no longer looked anxious, but rather... had a complicated expression and a strange look.

"Lord Niou! Captain Okita has annihilated all the invading enemies from the north! Not a single enemy escaped!"

"..."

Kiyokawa Hachiro opened his mouth wide, as if he had been petrified, and froze in his seat.

Aoto, Hijikata Toshizo, and the others seemed to have anticipated this outcome and were unsurprised by it, not even raising an eyebrow.

“Qinghe Jun, look!”

Qing Deng curled the corners of his mouth and gave Qinghe Hachiro a teasing look.

"Am I right? Isn't the person I sent to guard the north extremely reliable?"

Kiyokawa Hachiro remained sitting there, shrouded in a thick, silent fog.

Only after a while did he begin to speak incoherently, simply vibrating his vocal cords:

"This...this...this..."

Not far away, Kondo Isami, wearing the proud expression of someone who had just seen their child get a perfect score on an exam, chimed in at the opportune moment:

"Kiyokawa-kun, don't underestimate the pride of our Shieikan!"

Ta-da!

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached from outside the main camp.

As soon as Qingdeng heard the footsteps, he immediately recognized who it was.

A moment later, that beautiful red figure once again came into everyone's view.

Kinoshita Mai rushed to Aoto's side in three quick steps:

"Qingdeng, the bandits have reinforced their troops to the east. Based on my visual estimation, the total strength of this new reinforcement force they have sent to the east is at least 2000 men."

As Kinoshita Mai finished speaking, the atmosphere at the main camp changed abruptly.

In the blink of an eye, everyone who had been so relaxed and at ease just moments before—including Qing Deng—suddenly became excited and agitated.