I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Amazingly, upon seeing those lifeless, indifferent eyes, he miraculously understood the meaning hidden within them—

Huh? Who are you calling short?

Kinoshita Mai's efficiency in killing enemies is certainly remarkable.

But compared to Qingdeng, it's nothing!

Putting everything else aside, the difference in weapon effectiveness alone is significant.

Kinoshita Mai's punch could at most knock down one or two people.

Ke Qingdeng could easily slice off a large area with a single slash!

Looking up, he saw puffs of blood mist spraying around Qing Deng.

For every cloud of blood mist that appeared in mid-air, a mangled corpse would inevitably appear on the ground.

Aoto and Kinoshita Mai didn't just fight randomly.

They consciously drove the enemies in front of them together, and then divided them up.

In this way, not only can the pressure be reduced and the efficiency of killing enemies be improved, but also the partner can be effectively supported and protected, preventing any escapees from escaping their attack and threatening the partner's back.

Before long, the two stood unharmed on the ravaged, blood-soaked ground—more than ten enemy soldiers had all been wiped out by the two!

"Alright... it's time to part ways for now."

Qing Dengzhen wiped the bloodstains off the Vairocana statue and turned to look south.

To be more precise, it was looking towards the majestic, towering castle tower.

Mai Kinoshita nodded vigorously.

Be careful!

Qing Deng returned the look with a gentle gaze.

"The same to you!"

After leaving a brief message, the two turned and ran in completely opposite directions.

Kinoshita Mai heads north.

Qingdeng faces directly south!

……

……

Takatori Castle, Sannomaru——

"Hurry! Hurry! Everyone keep up!"

"The Shinsengumi have stormed in!"

"How many enemies have arrived?"

"Okay, it seems there's only one person!"

"One? Really?!"

"No matter what, go and meet the enemy!"

……

Upon receiving news of an "enemy invasion," Matsumoto Keido immediately led a small team of more than twenty people to the scene.

On the way to retreat to Gaoqu City, some people became fearful and wanted to give up.

They either took advantage of the night or sneaked away during daytime marches when no one was looking.

Regarding these deserters, Torataro Yoshimura kept his promise: he would not pursue them.

Those who want to escape, then escape! Those who want to stay, then stay! We will neither force you nor punish you.

It is worth mentioning that a considerable number of people from Changzhou were among those who fled.

Intelligent people, those with a bit of a broad perspective, have already realized that Changzhou is now in a precarious state!

The Heavenly Punishment Group has been defeated. Although they still have the option of "defending Gaoqu City to the death," no matter how fancy the words used to describe or embellish it, it cannot change the fact that they are currently just barely surviving.

Since this defeated army is no longer able to rush to the aid of the Kyoto battlefield, it means that the Choshu army will be completely trapped in a predicament where it cannot hold out alone.

Although Kawakami Gensai and the others could not receive news from Kyoto, they could roughly guess that the Choshu army had probably already withdrawn from the capital region.

In reality, "voluntary retreat" was the best outcome the Choshu army could choose.

If they stubbornly refuse to retreat and insist on starting a war, they will only be utterly defeated by the overwhelmingly superior Hui-Sar coalition.

In conclusion, from any perspective, there is no point in continuing to assist the Heavenly Punishment Group.

Otherwise, it would be just like going to seek refuge with Akechi Mitsuhide after the Honnoji Incident—it would be suicidal! It would just be a matter of dying sooner or later.

However, some die-hard supporters—such as Kawakami Gensai—still clung to the beliefs that "the Han and the traitors cannot coexist, and the imperial cause cannot be confined to a corner!" and "How can we submit to the traitors of the Tokugawa shogunate?" and were determined to fight the Shinsengumi to the death.

There were about a hundred people from Changzhou who fled.

Although many men escaped, they also managed to gather a number of remaining soldiers along the way.

After successfully retreating to Gaoqu City and joining up with the garrison left behind, they finally managed to assemble a garrison force of just over three hundred men.

Using a mere three hundred men to defend Gaoqu City... though it was a stretch, it wasn't without the strength to fight.

Thanks to Yoshimura Torataro's "leave or stay" strategy, those who still have the courage to stay are all determined and not easily defeated.

The warehouses in Takagi Castle were stocked with a sufficient amount of supplies.

If you're frugal with your food and supplies, you can easily last a year or two without any problems.

In addition to taking inventory of the supplies, Yoshimura Torataro and his men also toured around Takatori Castle, checking the condition of the gates and any damage to the walls.

During this process, they directly felt that Gaoqu City truly deserves to be one of the "Three Great Mountain Cities"!

The sheer rugged mountains surrounding the city alone were enough to make the attacking side's scalp tingle.

Deeply moved, Yoshimura Torataro and the others felt genuinely fortunate.

Fortunately, the Gaoqu Domain was so corrupt that it couldn't even muster a decent army.

Otherwise, even if they fight to the last man, they will not be able to capture Gaoqu City.

The impregnable defenses of Takatori Castle and the overflowing supplies in its warehouses gave Yoshimura Torataro and his men complete confidence.

Even if the Shinsengumi's forces outnumber them tenfold, they shouldn't expect to take this place easily!

Even if we ultimately cannot escape the fate of the city falling and our lives being lost, we must still take a piece of flesh from it!

They were in high spirits and full of fighting spirit.

Come on, Shinsengumi! Bring it on!

Then... tonight they suddenly received the message that "an enemy has invaded, but there is only one intruder, and he is heading towards the citadel"...

Matsumoto Keido felt his mind go blank, and his temples were throbbing.

—What's going on here...?

—Is this a false alarm?

—Was there only one intruder?

—And he's attacking the citadel?!

—To attack Takatori Castle alone… What a joke! There’s no such thing in this world!

With this thought in mind, Matsumoto Keido gritted his teeth:

—Forget it! I don't want to think about it anymore! Let's intercept the enemy first!

Just then, someone behind him asked him in a panic:

"Mr. Matsumoto, I... I heard that the invading enemy is... is... is that 'Niou' Tachibana Aoto! Is that true?"

These words immediately created an atmosphere of fear and unease.

Those infected by this atmosphere immediately showed expressions of utter horror.

In a very few cases, the face turned pale, the legs trembled uncontrollably, and the person could not even walk properly.

Upon seeing this, Matsumoto Keido's face immediately fell.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, in the eyes of the Zunrang faction, Qingdeng was now a killing star!

With one impeccable and brilliant victory after another, Qing Deng proved his strength and now firmly holds the top position in the Mu army.

From any perspective, he was a major threat to the pro-revolutionary faction.

Of course, seeing is believing.

Previously, the soldiers of the Heavenly Punishment Group did not have a clear concept or intuitive understanding of Qing Deng's power.

All I know is that this person is very powerful and I need to be careful.

It wasn't until... the recent battle on the city walls ended that they changed their minds.

The magnificent scene of Qingdeng, alone with his ox-spear, galloping freely and killing countless people, is deeply etched into the minds of every member of the Tianzhu Group!

It's no exaggeration to say that everyone in the Tianzhu Group is now suffering from a severe case of "orange phobia"!

Even Matsumoto Keido himself felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing the name "Tachibana Aoto".

The identity of the intruder remains undetermined.

But in order to boost morale, he had to bite the bullet and say:

"Of course it's fake!"

"Who is Tachibana Aoto?"

"He's the commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi!"

"Why would someone of such high status personally risk their life?"

"If you let him charge into battle accompanied by his men, that would be acceptable."

"Do you think it's possible to storm the heavily fortified Takatori Castle alone without any guards?"

The effect of Matsumoto Keido's words was immediate.