I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The forces facing off on the right wing of the Tenchu ​​Group were the left wing of the Shinsengumi, namely the First and Fourth Divisions.

In other words, they will be facing off against the Shinsengumi's renowned genius (Souji) and notorious thug (Serizawa Kamo)...

From a certain perspective, it's quite remarkable that they managed to hold on until now before collapsing.

The left and right flanks vanished like snowflakes doused with hot water, leaving only the central army struggling to hold on.

The forces facing off against the central army of the Tenchu ​​Group (Totsugawa Goji Army) were the fifth, sixth, and eighth divisions of the Shinsengumi.

The Totsugawa militia truly lived up to its reputation as a renowned militia organization.

Although they were also suffering setbacks, they did not collapse and continued to resist in an orderly manner.

However... judging from the current situation, their struggle to hold on is not necessarily a good thing...

After defeating their respective opponents, the Shinsengumi's left and right flanks maneuvered towards the center.

In no time, they arrived at the left and right flanks of the village militia, forming a pincer movement against them!

If viewed from above, the entire battlefield at this moment resembles a giant "U" shape.

The Shinsengumi's central force is the arc below the "U" shape, while the left and right flanks are the lines on either side of the "U" shape.

As for the local militia, they were trapped in the middle of the "U"!

They were attacked from three sides!

This is exactly the situation that Qing Deng hoped to see!

The reason he placed the most elite First, Second, Third, and Fourth Divisions on the flanks was to quickly eliminate the Tenchu ​​Group's wings, and then have all the units hunt down the central army.

Throughout history, there have been very few troops that have managed to fight back after being attacked from three sides.

Clearly, the local militia was not such a powerful army.

No matter how strong their willpower or how much they strive in terms of spiritual strength, there is always a limit.

Soon, the formation of the village warriors' army gradually collapsed like an avalanche—large chunks of it crumbled and fell, then poured down in a torrent!

The villagers screamed in terror, shoving, jostling, and fleeing, their will to fight gone.

Enemies are in front of us and on both sides.

Their only option for escape was to look behind them.

"..."

The expression on Yoshimura Torataro's face... words like "stunned" and "lost in thought" are not enough to describe it.

The shock and impact he experienced were not over yet!

For him, the real nightmare was yet to come.

Suddenly, the neighing of warhorses came from afar.

Yoshimura Torataro mechanically turned his head to look—a large cavalry unit was charging straight toward him.

The leader was imposing and carried a terrifying long spear.

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That's right! Qingdeng's formation is exactly like the classic Battle of Canni! The Heavenly Punishment Group is really too weak, they couldn't even last a single chapter.

Chapter 734 Qing Deng Slays Generals! 2000 Ranks Slain! The Shinsengumi Achieves a Great Victory! [4800]

"Moo moo moo moo moo moo—!"

The radish roared in anger.

The warhorse (or ox) first took small steps, and then gradually accelerated.

The "thump-thump-thump" sound of horses' (cows') hooves striking the ground is like both the sound of drums and the rumble of thunder.

In the infantry-led resistance, cavalry would roam outside the battlefield, waiting for the enemy's formation to show obvious signs of wavering before entering the fray to reap the rewards and expand the gains—this was a tried-and-true tactic in the feudal era.

Qing Deng used this tactic to deal with the Tianzhu Group.

He personally led the 7th and 10th Divisions, waiting in the woods on the east side of the battlefield.

The reason he deployed his military camp here was because there was a grove of trees nearby that was perfect for hiding cavalry.

While other units were fighting to the death on the front lines, the members of the Seventh and Tenth Divisions waited quietly in this grove, awaiting Qing Deng's next instructions.

Qingdeng climbed the tallest tree and used binoculars to observe the movements on the distant battlefield—at such a distance, it was difficult to obtain accurate information about the battle situation with just his talent "Sharp Eyes +5".

Those who were squatting on the tree trunk together with Aoto, gazing at the battlefield, included the captains of the 7th and 10th Divisions, namely Sanako and Harada Sanosuke.

Harada Sanosuke was born into a lower-ranking samurai family and had been roaming the countryside since childhood.

He was very skilled at climbing trees, swimming, fishing, and stealing bird eggs.

On the other hand, Sanako... she had no experience in this area.

As a young lady from a samurai family who grew up in a castle town, when had she ever done anything so rude?

She tried many times, using both her hands and feet, but the result was always the same – after climbing only a few steps, she would slide back to the ground with a "whoosh".

The embarrassing scene made her face flush red with shame.

Left with no other choice, Qingdeng had to carry her on his back, like a koala carrying its cub, and lift her up the tree.

After noticing that the left wing of the Tenchu ​​Group was beginning to crumble, Sanako suggested to Aoto:

"Tachibana-kun, shall we go into battle?"

Qingdeng shook his head:

No, it's not the right time yet.

After a while, the right wing of the Tenchu ​​Group also began to collapse, and Sanako suggested to Aoto again:

"Tachibana-kun, isn't it time to go into battle?"

Qingdeng shook his head again:

"No, wait a little longer."

Qingdeng's repeated shaking of his head prompted Sanako to ask in return:

"Tachibana-kun, when exactly are we going to make our move?"

Qing Deng replied calmly:

"The rebels on the left and right flanks are nothing but a bunch of insignificant pawns."

“Even if we kill them all, it will not do us any good.”

"If you're going to kill, kill someone with more value."

"My goal was decided long ago."

As he spoke, Qing Deng raised his gaze and stared intently at the large banner with the inscription "Ling Shi Yin" on the central battlefield.

Sanako immediately understood Aoto's intention and fell silent.

As soon as the Tianzhu Group arrived at the location, Qingdeng immediately issued the order to attack.

Since it was an encounter battle, Qing Deng was naturally unaware of the Tianzhu Group's formation.

However, just as the battle was about to begin, Qing Deng suddenly discovered that the central army of the Tianzhu Group was flying the banner of "Ling Shi Yin".

The Totsugawa Banner... This is the banner of the Totsugawa samurai army!

Upon seeing this flag, Qing Deng immediately understood: the Totsugawa samurai army was in the center!

In an instant, he knew what his goal was.

Just as Qing Deng said, those so-called "patriots" are utterly insignificant.

Whether they live or die, Qing Deng felt indifferent from the bottom of his heart.

However, the Totsugawa samurai army was not like that.

Qing Deng had long disliked this semi-independent militia.

Due to complex historical reasons, Totsugawa has always been a semi-independent administrative region, and the local gentry within its territory are a group of unruly individuals.

They only respected the imperial court and did not obey the orders of the shogunate, so naturally they paid even less attention to Qing Deng.

How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?

If he were to lie low and not cause trouble, then Qingdeng would tolerate it.

This time, these guys actually openly confronted him with arms!

It’s tolerable, it’s unbearable!

If we let them off the hook this time, who can guarantee they won't cause trouble again next time?

Regardless of the circumstances, this is an armed force with nearly a thousand soldiers, and one that cannot be ignored.

This kind of unpredictable hidden danger must be eliminated as soon as possible!

There can only be one supreme military commander in the Gyeonggi region! That is me, Tachibana Aoto Moriharu!

Therefore, Aoto made up his mind that the primary objective of this battle was to annihilate the Totsugawa samurai army!

Let's seize this opportunity to completely eliminate this destabilizing factor!

If all 960 villagers gathered here die, then Totsugawa will not be able to recover for at least the next 10 years!

Compared to this, all other targets—including the head of Yoshimura Torataro—have to take a backseat.

Anyway, Yoshimura Torataro and his gang are just a bunch of clowns; killing them would be a piece of cake.

Therefore, Qing Deng remained completely unmoved by the collapse of the Tianzhu Group's left and right wings.

His gaze remained fixed on the central battlefield.

Only after the Shinsengumi's left, center, and right armies had completed their encirclement of the village samurai army, and the latter finally began to crumble, did Qing Deng finally leap down from the tree and shout loudly:

"Everyone, draw your swords and mount your horses!"