I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Torataro Yoshimura's intention was simple—to consolidate the central and right flanks while creating an advantage on the left flank!

Yoshimura Torataro no longer held any hope for those "respectful and rebellious patriots" who lacked resolve.

He'd be grateful if these guys didn't collapse too quickly.

As it turns out, the saying "It's better to learn from the three sworn brothers of Peach Garden than from the one incense burner of Wagang" is indeed a crystallization of the wisdom of our ancestors.

Yoshimura Torataro's core team consisted of veterans led by Matsumoto Keido.

When they joined Yoshimura Torataro in raising an army, they had already disregarded life and death; they were all ruthless characters who risked their lives.

Therefore, their fighting spirit is the strongest, and they are the force that Yoshimura Torataro relies on most.

His reason for concentrating the elders on the left wing was to create an advantage on local battlefields and thus achieve victory.

If the left wing wins, it can then maneuver to the right to support the central army. Under the combined attack of the left and central armies, the Shinsengumi's central army will collapse. Finally, it can continue to maneuver to the right and take down the Shinsengumi's left wing as well.

In other words, as long as victory is achieved on one battlefield, survival is assured!

Of course, it would be unacceptable to place all the "patriots" on the right wing.

When these cowardly fools who are incapable of shouldering great responsibilities gather together, a "cowardly resonance effect" will occur. They will collapse on their own after being attacked even slightly... or perhaps before they have even been attacked.

Therefore, Yoshimura Torataro placed another of his confidants, Fujimoto Tetsushi, and a small group of veterans on the right wing to serve as the ballast of the right wing.

This means adopting the classic feudal-era combat model of "a small number of elite troops + the vast majority of cannon fodder soldiers".

As long as the elite troops are still there, the army will remain organized.

If all these elites are gone... then everything is gone.

Woo-woo—! Woo-woo—! Woo-woo—! Woo-woo—!

Suddenly, the sound of conch shell horns rang out again from behind the Shinsengumi's ranks.

The loud and majestic bugle call sounded just like an eagle soaring high, circling and gliding over the battlefield, drifting far away.

Yoshimura Torataro was immediately jolted.

Although he was unfamiliar with the Shinsengumi's military system, his basic intuition told him that the bugle call was signaling the start of the general offensive...

Just as expected!

The Shinsengumi's left, center, and right armies accelerated rapidly!

They strode forward with their heads held high, from a jog to a sprint, and then to a full-speed sprint!

The billowing clouds of dust grew thicker and thicker, almost obscuring the sky!

In that instant, all the soldiers of the Heavenly Punishment Group felt a chilling killing intent rushing towards them!

As the distance closed, Yoshimura Torataro gradually saw the faces and expressions of the Shinsengumi soldiers opposite him.

Most of them were very young, and their faces were filled with intense tension.

According to Yoshimura Torataro, after the recent large-scale expansion, more than 90% of the Shinsengumi's members are now newly recruited soldiers.

In other words, today's battle is the first battle for these new recruits.

Even so, if you look closely, you'll find that there's not a trace of fear on their faces.

The only things they displayed on their faces were a thirst for fame and fortune, and a desire to take the enemy's head!

Frankly, the outcome of this battle was already decided before it even began.

One side is a well-trained regular army.

One side is a hastily assembled mob.

One side is full of fighting spirit and eager to try.

One side was cowering in fear, like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow.

The outcome of the battle... is not hard to imagine.

Finally... the two rapidly approaching armies collided heavily!

The outcome was decided almost instantly!

Countless spears thrust out.

Countless blades fell.

The Shinsengumi soldiers ruthlessly inflict violence! They unleash bloodshed and terror upon the enemy!

Like a long scythe cleaving through the weeds, the two armies clashed and instantly reaped hundreds of lives! Just like mowing grass!

Blood rained down in waves.

The falling blood droplets stained the soil beneath their feet, turning it into a muddy swamp; they stained the layers of corpses piled together, turning them into gruesome chunks of flesh; they stained the faces and armor of the survivors, making their expressions terrified and fearful.

"Aaaaaah..."

"Gaa ...

"Save me... save me..."

Groans, screams, cries for help... all sorts of sounds mingled together, indistinguishable from one another.

In reality, these voices, which rise and fall, do not have a very strong presence.

Because they were instantly drowned out by the deafening battle cries, quickly disappearing into the boundless shouts.

Some survivors managed to escape the first wave of attacks through skill or luck.

However... their feet were already piled high with the corpses of their comrades.

Whether advancing or retreating, a single misstep could cause one to stumble over the corpses of their comrades and fall into pools or streams of blood.

The Shinsengumi soldiers completely disregarded whether the bodies beneath their feet were dead or alive.

Their eyes were always fixed on what was ahead.

Their feet are always moving forward!

Even if the people in the front row run out of energy, the people in the back row will quickly take their place.

Thus, the Shinsengumi's offensive was relentless and never-ending!

Like the waves of the ocean, one after another!

Some members of the Tenchu ​​Group—such as the always reckless Totsugawa Goji—mustered their courage and began to fight the "light green" figure in front of them.

remarkably brave.

However, it was all in vain.

"Go to hell!"

Someone roared and slashed with a knife.

The blade sliced ​​through the light blue haori, but instead of spilling blood, it left a trail of sparks.

"Chain armor?!"

After leaving these last words, a large hole was cut open in the man's abdomen.

"Look at the knife!"

Someone slashed horizontally with a knife.

His opponent raised his gun to block.

In the blink of an eye, another figure in light green seized the opportunity, swiftly stepped forward, and ended the man's life with a single stroke.

While someone was focused on fighting the enemy, he was suddenly ambushed, his left foot was cut, and he fell to the ground in a pool of blood.

The next moment, a barrage of large feet rained down on him, and soon his body was inextricably intertwined with the pool of blood beneath him.

All of the above-mentioned horrific scenes were repeatedly seen throughout the battlefield!

Fighting against fully armed opponents with bare hands.

Fighting against well-trained opponents with sheer passion.

They resisted strict discipline by going their own way.

There is a huge gap, almost insurmountable, between the two armies in terms of equipment and training levels.

This outcome is not surprising.

Admittedly, the vast majority of the Shinsengumi members are currently rookies.

Nevertheless, they had at least received some training and enjoyed a period of lavish feasting, which helped them recover.

Therefore, even the new recruits are far superior in overall quality to this "mixed-race" unit.

Yoshimura Torataro stared wide-eyed at the one-sided battlefield.

He probably never imagined that the left wing, on which he had placed so much hope, would be the first battlefield to collapse!

It has to be said that Yoshimura Torataro was really unlucky.

The left wing of the Tenchu ​​group was facing off against the right wing of the Shinsengumi, namely the second and third divisions of the Shinsengumi.

They are two of the Shinsengumi's three elite units!

In other words, the left wing of the Tenchu ​​Group was directly facing the main force of the Shinsengumi!

Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime stood at the front of the battle.

The moment these two gentlemen appeared, the members of the second and third divisions felt reassured and their morale soared.

As soon as the battle began, Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Ichiro didn't hesitate to take off! They bravely took on the heavy responsibility of leading the charge!

Having experienced the recent battles of Iga, Shinpachi Nagakura, Hajime Saito, and others have accumulated a wealth of valuable experience in how to lead troops.

As a result, under their repeated attacks, the left wing of the Heavenly Punishment Group quickly collapsed.

Ironically, the vast majority of casualties in the Second and Third Divisions did not die at the hands of the enemy, but rather from unnatural deaths.

For example: accidentally falling down and being stepped on by a comrade behind you.

For example, because he felt hot, he took off his light blue haori, which led his comrades to mistake him for an enemy and cause him to be accidentally injured.

The battle has become so one-sided that it has reached this point.

Almost at the same time that the left wing of the Heavenly Punishment Group collapsed, its right wing also collapsed.