I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I don't want to make Mr. Orochi sad."

No sooner had Shuten-dōji finished speaking than Umibōzu and Sukuna both chuckled:

"Shuten-dōji, who do you think we are? When I was at the height of my power, you were still wearing open-crotch pants."

As he spoke, perhaps to show that his skills were still sharp, Umibozu wielded the greatsword in his hand with incredible agility, making it quite frightening.

At the same time, Su Nuo picked up the conversation:

"Shuten-dōji, thank you for your praise and concern."

"If I were to die, I would definitely shout, 'Shuten-dōji, save me!'"

"At that time, you'll have to use your 'invincible state' to save me."

When Su Nuo mentioned the phrase "invincible state," he emphasized it.

Shuten-dōji chuckled a few times.

"Hehehe, I'm not invincible in that state. At least I can't beat Ōtakemaru. Anyway, if you encounter any danger, I will do my best to help."

After speaking, Shuten-dōji lowered his upper body and rushed out.

"Let's go!"

*******

*******

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

In the previous text, Umibozu appeared in Rasetsu's oral description. Before Rasetsu took power, he was the commander-in-chief of the Hoju Party in the Kanto region.

Chapter 737 The Retreat to Kyoto! The Well-Known Secret Society! [4600]

The deafening roar of cannons that was just a second ago suddenly fell silent.

All that remained in my ears was the buzzing tinnitus.

"It's finally stopped..."

"Ugh... my ears hurt so much..."

"Cough cough cough! Cough cough! Damn it! This must be the Sas's cannons!"

As the smoke of battle gradually dissipated, the true appearance of the Changzhou army's position slowly came into view.

To put it bluntly, it has become the surface of the moon.

Everywhere you look, there are craters of all sizes; everywhere there are broken clods of earth; everywhere there is the foul stench of blood and gunpowder...

The tents and curtains that hadn't been moved in time were torn to shreds, leaving a scene of utter devastation.

The artillery at present is still very backward.

Aiming relied entirely on visual estimation, and its destructive power was incomparable to modern artillery; it couldn't even penetrate thick city walls.

In addition, the darkness made it difficult for the Satsuma soldiers to aim, which further reduced the casualties of the Choshu army.

When everyone was at a loss, Katsura Kogoro stepped forward and became the backbone of the group, quickly ordering the Choshu army to abandon Kyoto and retreat westward to their domain.

Thanks to his decisive action, the Changzhou army was able to withdraw from their positions in time, thus avoiding heavy damage from the artillery fire.

Apart from those who were accidentally injured by shrapnel, only 32 unlucky people were directly hit by the shell and turned into a pitiful pile of minced meat.

Katsura Kogoro kept his word—he personally led 300 men to cover the rear of the entire army.

He leaned on his knife, lowered his eyelids, and gazed at the distant positions of the Hui-Sar coalition forces.

The artillery fire from the Huisa coalition has stopped... This is both a good thing and a bad thing.

When an army stops bombarding the enemy, it often means that... their main force is about to advance!

Sure enough—clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter—the rapid sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached!

Katsura Kogoro frowned and suddenly pulled out his sword from the ground.

"The enemy is attacking! Prepare to engage them!"

The moment he said this, the atmosphere around him instantly tensed up!

The Choshu men who were covering the rear alongside Katsura Kogoro had no time to complain anymore. They picked up their weapons and showed expressions of shared hatred for the enemy.

The force that launched the first wave of frontal attacks was none other than the renowned cavalry of the Aizu army!

Sagawa Kanbei, the fiercest warrior of Aizu, charged ahead, brandishing his spear and shouting:

"kill--!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than shouts of "Kill!" rang out in quick succession, ushering in the second act of this great battle following the artillery barrage!

Katsura Kogoro raised his sword high, his eyes fixed on the approaching cavalry.

"Ready...fire!"

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ear-piercing sound, like popping beans, dominated the eardrums of everyone present.

Thirty musketeers lined up in the shape of a snake from Changshan Mountain and fired their guns at once.

Covering the rear is a skilled job.

Without powerful weapons, one cannot accomplish such a difficult task with just courage.

Before leaving, the main force of the Choshu army deliberately left behind 30 advanced flintlock muskets.

Although few in number, it is absolutely a weapon for achieving unexpected victory!

As a barrage of bullets swept across the battlefield, screams and cries of agony erupted from the Aizu cavalry on the opposite side.

The wounded horse neighed, reared up, and threw its rider off its back.

Startled by the gunshots, the horses slowed down out of fear.

The once orderly cavalry formation was thrown into chaos for a moment.

The results were remarkable, however... with only 30 flintlock muskets, the barrage was far too sparse!

"Don't be afraid! Keep going! Keep going!"

After roaring, Sagawa Kanbei lightly tapped the horse's belly, further urging the horse to accelerate.

Admittedly, Kanbei Sagawa's poor performance in the recent Battle of Iga has added a glaring stain to his resume.

However, his bravery and courage truly deserve the reputation of "the fiercest warrior of Aizu"!

Encouraged by his loud encouragement, the Aizu cavalrymen rallied their spirits and quickly regained their composure.

Finally... the two armies clashed!

"Magnificent, magnificent, magnificent, magnificent, magnificent—!"

One cavalryman after another rammed into and sent flying Changzhou soldiers.

At the same time, Katsura Kogoro and his men launched a fierce counterattack.

"You're a rapist! Die!"

"Look at the knife!"

"Shoot the horse before the rider! Shoot their horse first!"

Katsura Kogoro raised his sword high above his head, staring intently at the rapidly approaching cavalry.

Just as the two figures passed each other, Katsura Kogoro shouted and slashed down with his sword!

With a snap, a perfectly shaped horse head shot into the sky!

Driven by inertia, the headless horse ran forward for a considerable distance before collapsing to the ground as if tumbling forward.

The knight on its back was launched into the air! He flew several meters away and landed on his back.

After landing, he grunted and burped at the ground with his head, just like a wild boar digging in the mud.

It's clear that he wanted to stand up, but he couldn't.

The fall was so severe... even if the person didn't die, they must have suffered serious injuries that are difficult to cure.

Katsura Kogoro truly lives up to his reputation as the recipient of the Menkyo Kaiden of the Shinto Munen-ryu school and the prized disciple of "Saito the Powerful".

Any cavalrymen who approached him were hacked to pieces!

Where the silver light flashed, flesh and blood flew everywhere!

At that moment, another striking sound came from afar.

This time... it was a thunderous, dull thud!

The infantry of the Hui-Salih allied forces charged forward in tight formation!

Compared to the imposing but limited-lethal cavalry, this massive infantry force was the real threat to the Choshu army!

Although Katsura Kogoro was blinded by rage, he did not lose his rationality and judgment.

He wiped the blood from his face, stretched his neck, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Don't linger in battle! Don't linger in battle! Our objective is not to defeat the traitors and bandits, but to buy time for the main force to retreat! Heed my command! Fight and retreat!"

……

……

Intercepting the enemy forces to buy time for the main force to retreat—this was an extremely difficult task in itself.

The Huisa coalition forces had a strength of three thousand men.

Katsura Kogoro's rearguard consisted of only three hundred men.

Three hundred against three thousand... the advantage lies with him!

On this basis, it is also necessary to do everything possible to save the lives of the rearguard... This makes it even more difficult!

While giving precise commands, Katsura Kogoro also personally took to the field, wishing he could split himself into two people to use.

As a result, he did a great job.