I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

However, anyone with even a slight understanding of the Shinsengumi's combat strength knows that it's hard to say whether the latter will gain an advantage in this exercise.

After all... she's on the red team.

……

……

Seeing that the soldiers of both sides below the watchtower were almost ready, Qing Deng turned to look at Tokugawa Iemochi beside him and cast a questioning glance.

Tokugawa Iemochi nodded slightly.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng immediately stood up.

At this moment, everyone on and off the watchtower knew that the martial arts exercise was about to begin, and a tense atmosphere immediately filled the air.

The surroundings became completely silent.

Only various flags fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.

Qingdeng slowly moved to the edge of the watchtower, and then suddenly raised the military fan in his hand.

[Note: Military-grade round fan: A round fan made of leather or thin iron, used as a tool for issuing military commands]

In an instant, it was as if a bolt from the blue had struck out of nowhere!

The large drums below the watchtower began to beat in unison.

At first glance, it seems no different from the sound of a regular drum.

But gradually, everyone present felt that awe-inspiring majesty!

The rhythm of the drumbeats was simple and unadorned, yet concise and clear.

That is precisely why it possesses a unique kind of charisma.

When the fighting reached its climax, it seemed as if even the clouds in the sky were shaking!

The drumbeats gradually rose in intensity, followed by the mournful sound of conch shells.

The loud and majestic bugle call soared into the sky, swirling and echoing above the training ground, and carried far away by the strong wind.

The commander pulled out the wooden sword that was stuck in the ground at his feet.

At the same time, Saito Kazuya on the opposite side also held a sword in his hand.

Souji and Saito Hajime: "Follow me!" *2

Before they could think further, both sides' soldiers charged out simultaneously, roaring and attacking each other!

The charge was extremely fast, but it was fast and orderly.

In the blink of an eye, the two armies clashed violently!

The team that took the lead first was surprisingly the red team.

The Red Team displayed terrifying fighting power.

Souji and Inoue Genzaburo charged ahead, and the vanguard soldiers formed wedge formations, splitting up to pierce into the white formation and launching a thunderous and fierce offensive.

Slashes, thrusts, shoulder strikes... the white team's formation was instantly riddled with holes.

Of course, White's defeat is only temporary.

"Attack back!"

Saito gave a concise order, then casually swung his sword—and with a single blow, shattered three porcelain bowls.

"No retreat! Forward! Even if we fall, we'll fall on the path of the charge!"

Serizawa Kamo roared as he kicked a hesitant recruit.

Zhai and Qin took the lead, personally serving as the spearhead of the counterattack.

Inspired by the two of them, the white team quickly regained its footing, regained its fighting spirit, and gradually launched a counterattack.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Stay close to Captain Okita!"

"Quick! Quick! Keep up! Fill that gap!"

"Let them witness the might and power of the Shinsengumi's strongest force!"

"Bullshit! Our Third Division is the strongest unit in the Shinsengumi!"

……

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

As the battle progressed and the situation continued to change, Tokugawa Iemochi and others could no longer hide their astonishment, and their facial expressions became increasingly out of control.

They soon discovered that the soldiers on both sides were not fighting indiscriminately like street thugs.

Apart from a very few individuals such as Souji, Saito Hajime, and Serizawa Kamo, the vast majority of soldiers attacked and defended in small squads.

Some people are responsible for the main attack, some for the secondary attack, and some for the cover...

Despite the apparent chaos, the soldiers on all fronts were actually delivering their offensives in an orderly manner.

Besides their combat skills, the fighting spirit of the soldiers below the watchtower also deeply shocked Tokugawa Iemochi and others.

Right at the very front of the battle, the harsh realities were everywhere.

People who have been knocked to the ground, people who have accidentally broken their arms or legs, people whose mouths and noses are bleeding...

Whether it was the red team or the white team, they all put in their best effort and threw themselves into the martial arts competition before them.

They did not slack off just because it was a martial arts exercise.

Qing Deng's statement that "everything is based on actual combat" was not just empty talk.

This martial arts demonstration, inside and out, was indeed full of the power and spirit of real combat!

At this moment, everyone on the watchtower couldn't help but think: If they are so desperate in their daily martial arts practice, how fierce and brave will they be when real combat comes?

Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug...

The sound of swallowing saliva filled the air.

The generals of the "Imperial Guard," those who had just praised the "Sanbangu" and subtly belittled the Shinsengumi, are now all silent.

They all kept their eyes downcast, their faces pale, adopting an ostrich-like posture.

After witnessing the Shinsengumi's bravery, no one dared to make any more boastful remarks.

At this moment, Tokugawa Iemochi and others noticed something that caught their attention: whenever a wounded soldier retreated, a person wearing a white haori would immediately rush to meet him and lead him away.

Looking at these men in white, Tokugawa Iemochi asked the question he had repeated many times since entering the Shinsengumi headquarters:

"Qingdeng, who are these people?"

Qing Deng immediately replied:

“They are from the ‘medical department’.”

"'Medicine prescriptions'? Are they doctors?"

Qingdeng nodded:

"Yes."

"From my observation, the number of people who die directly on the battlefield is actually not that many."

"Many soldiers did not die during the war, but after the war."

"Due to a shortage of doctors and medicines, many soldiers who could have survived died in their hospital beds in such a miserable state."

"Take the recent 'Battle of Iga' as an example."

"Let's not even talk about those seriously injured patients who would make even Hua Tuo shake his head."

"A significant number of the wounded soldiers only suffered minor injuries, such as broken legs or cuts to the arms."

"As a result, because they didn't receive timely medical attention, their wounds became infected and festered, ultimately leaving them disabled or even dead."

"The loss of these precious soldiers is both heartbreaking and deeply regrettable."

"Therefore, in order to avoid this situation from happening, I decided to establish an institution specifically for treating the wounded soldiers."

"That is, the 'medical prescription' that you are seeing now."

"No age limit, no gender limit, and no genre limit."

"Whether you are a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner or a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, as long as you can treat illnesses, especially if you are skilled in treating knife wounds, gunshot wounds, and sprains, you can join the medical prescriptions of my Shinsengumi."

[Note: Kampo medicine and Lanpo medicine refer to traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, respectively.]

"The pharmaceutical team was officially established half a month ago, and so far it has 6 members."

"Although the number is small, all six members are experienced doctors."

"Thanks to them, the soldiers who were injured in daily training received timely and good medical treatment."

"However, compared to the size the Shinsengumi will eventually have, this number of doctors is far too small."

"I intend to maintain the ratio of doctors to soldiers in the new formation at '1 to 100'."

"Therefore, at this stage, I have decided to gradually expand the scale of the pharmaceutical division to at least 30 people."

Upon hearing this, Tokugawa Iemochi and the others all showed expressions of utter astonishment.

They looked at each other, staring at each other, as if trying to find something in each other's faces.

In the end, they could only find intense shock on each other's faces.

A medical facility specifically for the military... This concept was far too advanced for them!

Not to mention in Japan today, even in Western countries today, "battlefield nursing" is only just beginning.

The medical team assembled by Qingdeng completely exceeded their expectations.

Suddenly, Yamaki Yunro reached out and pointed to someone on the "battlefield".

"Your Excellency, who is this person?"

Qingdeng looked up and smiled slightly:

"Captain of the First Division of the Shinsengumi's Battōtai, Okita Souji Fusayasu."