I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

“You should also be well aware that the difference between having a large number of warriors and not having them is like heaven and earth.”

"Although the former numbered in the tens of thousands, most of them were farmers and were nothing more than a mob."

"The latter numbered fewer, but had many warriors."

"In that case, in terms of overall combat strength alone, the latter might even be superior to the former."

"It's always wise to be lenient in assessing the enemy's strength."

"I will never fight a battle I am not confident of winning."

At this point, Qingdeng paused, then adopted a more serious tone:

"The Emperor's 'Yamato Travel' is coming soon."

"This rebel army, which calls itself the 'Heavenly Punishment Group,' didn't show up earlier or later, but just happened to start an uprising at this time."

"Furthermore, they established a so-called 'imperial government,' which clearly indicates they came prepared!"

"It is unclear whether they are colluding with Changzhou."

"But one thing is certain: their uprising was definitely to support 'Yamato Gyokusei'!"

"The rebels' current goal is very clear: to capture Takatori Castle and then use it as a base to rival the shogunate."

"They don't yet understand the situation in Kyoto."

"Imagine what they would do if they learned that things had changed in Kyoto, and that Shin, Kai, and Satsu had formed a coalition to drive out Choshu."

“They couldn’t possibly be unaware that Choshu is a stronghold of the pro-revolutionary faction.”

“The expulsion of Choshu from Kyoto is tantamount to the victory of the pro-shogunate faction over the pro-imperial faction.”

"Their long-cherished ideal of respecting the king and expelling barbarians will fall into an unprecedented low ebb."

"In other words, to avoid this situation, they will definitely lead their troops north and do their best to obstruct us."

"Instead of waiting for them to capture Gaoqu City and grow stronger before causing us trouble, we should send troops now as quickly as possible to uproot this rebel army!"

Aoto's words caused Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kinosuke to remain silent and reflect for a long time.

They are all outstanding individuals, and naturally they understand the stakes involved.

The sudden appearance of this rebel army... in a sense, is one of the negative consequences of poor information exchange.

In reality, apart from high-ranking individuals like Seito and Tokugawa Iemochi who could obtain information from various channels, many commoners... especially those in rural areas, were unaware that the war in Shimonoseki had long since ended.

They had no idea that Changzhou had been utterly and brutally defeated.

At first glance, it seems quite ironic.

The "war to expel the barbarians" that the patriots were so concerned about had already been utterly defeated, yet they remained oblivious and continued to dream of upholding the king and expelling the barbarians.

They still thought that Changzhou was still fighting against the Western countries.

Once you understand this point, it's not hard to understand why, even at this time, there were still people calling for "supporting the court" and "expelling the barbarians," and even raising troops for this purpose.

Therefore, the scene that Qing Deng described, where "the Heavenly Punishment Group could rally in droves at a single call," is not impossible!

Furthermore, Qing Deng's concerns about Gao Qu City were not unfounded.

Although Takagi Castle is one of the most famous castles, a synonym for "impregnable fortress," even the most fortified castle needs a sufficient number of troops to defend it.

There are countless examples of defensive fortifications that were touted as impregnable but turned out to be easily breached in actual combat.

Japan is currently in an era of "comparing the worst."

The shogunate army, which once pacified all the feudal lords, has fallen to this state.

The Takatori Domain was merely a small domain with average national strength, and its military strength... to put it in high EQ terms, was unremarkable.

No one knows what level of military strength the Takamori Domain's army is currently at.

Whether they can actually stop the Heavenly Punishment Group... that's a big question mark.

Just as Matsudaira Katamori had said before, if Takamori Castle fell, the rebels would gain a rear base that would be difficult to attack and capture!

By then, it won't be so easy to quell this rebel army.

While Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kinosuke remained silent, Aoto spoke up again:

"The Choshu army stationed in Kyoto has at most 2000 men."

"The total strength of the Hui-Salih coalition forces exceeded 3000."

"3000 to 2000, the advantage is on our side!"

"Even without the support of the Shinsengumi, the combined forces of the Kaisa and Satsuma are enough to suppress Choshu."

"Therefore, dividing forces and fighting independently is the best solution at present."

Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kinosuke exchanged a glance after hearing this.

A moment later, the latter was the first to express his opinion:

"I agree with Tachibana no Hyōbu's opinion."

"Lady Higo, let us defend the Imperial Palace together!"

"Let Tachibana no Hyōbu run rampant in the war on the Yamato front!"

Matsudaira Katamori pursed his lips.

Before he could finish, he raised his gaze, looked at Qing Deng, and solemnly said, word by word:

"May Tachibana no Bingbu enjoy great military success!"

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

"Yes! I wish you both great success in your martial arts endeavors as well!"

……

……

Aoto rushed towards the defensive stronghold of the Shinsengumi—the Sakai-machi Gate south of the Imperial Palace.

According to Qing Deng and others' estimates, the terrain to the south is the most open and most conducive to the deployment of troops, so it is the most vulnerable to a fierce attack from the Choshu army.

Therefore, Qingdeng deployed the most troops in this direction.

Looking around, 1500 soldiers dressed in light blue feather robes were arranged in an extremely neat square formation, staring straight ahead, truly ready for battle.

"Shinsengumi, listen to my command!"

As soon as these words were spoken, 1500 pairs of eyes turned to look at Qingdeng.

"Switch to marching formation!"

"Marching towards Nara in pairs!"

"Let's go immediately!"

The sudden and strange order left the soldiers present looking puzzled and exchanging bewildered glances.

Wasn't the plan to blockade the Imperial Palace and expel the pro-imperial faction represented by Choshu?

Why are we leaving again after only arriving at the Imperial Palace?

And why Nara?

Despite the many doubts weighing on their minds, under Aoto's careful guidance, the concepts of "emphasizing discipline" and "obeying orders" had taken deep root in the hearts of the Shinsengumi soldiers.

"Yes!!"

With a unified shout and the sound of footsteps following closely behind, the soldiers on the scene started running and quickly changed formation.

In no time, the "square formation" transformed into a "long dragon," heading straight towards Luowai.

At the same time, Aoto sent messengers to convey the same order to the soldiers stationed in the east and west: "Advance to Nara."

Time was of the essence, and there was no time to slowly explain the reasons to the soldiers.

If you want to travel to the Yamato region, Nara is a must-pass place.

First, they went to Nara to organize their supplies and gather intelligence.

Once everything is ready, continue the southward march to annihilate the rebels.

The above is Qingdeng's strategic plan.

After the Shinsengumi left, the Ai-Satsuma Army, under the command of Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kichinosuke, quickly filled the void left by the Shinsengumi's departure.

The Aizu army blockaded the entire western side of the Imperial Palace.

The Satsuma army, with the largest force, blocked the north and east sides of the palace.

As for the south side of the Imperial Palace, it will be jointly defended by the two armies.

Although an uncontrollable accident (the Tenchugu Rebellion) prevented the Shinsengumi from participating in the operation, they still successfully achieved their objective—to seal off the Imperial Palace.

As it turns out, the whole world is just a giant makeshift operation.

Even the most powerful and influential organizations make mistakes.

Or rather, the larger and more sophisticated an organization is, the more likely it is to make seemingly basic and laughable mistakes.

The Shinsengumi, the Aizu Army, and the Satsuma Army, a total of 6000 men, were moving around Kyoto and causing such a commotion that the Choshu and the pro-imperial faction nobles were completely unaware!

They are still in bed.

They were still fast asleep.

They thought tonight would be just another ordinary night.

When you open your eyes, the scene before you will be just as usual.

Little did they know... when they woke up, the world had changed drastically.

……

……

early morning--

Kyoto, somewhere—

Her face was painted white, her teeth were stained black, and Sanjo Shimi, dressed in a magnificent crown and beautiful clothes, bent over and climbed into the luxurious sedan chair.