I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

“What Ichichi said just now was very good.”

"Changzhou's principles, righteousness, strategy, and martial prowess are all inferior to ours! How can we not be defeated?"

After giving a brief pep talk to everyone present, Qingdeng leaned forward slightly and looked down at the map.

"Now, I'm going to announce my battle plan!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present naturally knew that the key point of the meeting had arrived. They all perked up, hurriedly leaning forward to huddle around the map, holding their breath and not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

"The movements of the rebel army are now very clear."

As Qingdeng spoke, he skillfully arranged the wargame pieces on the map.

"They planned to surround Kyoto from three sides: Tenryu-ji (west), Yamazaki (southwest), and Fushimi (south)."

"In that case, our strategy is very simple."

"Concentrate our elite forces and wipe out one of their routes first! Then defeat them one by one!"

He then placed a piece of chess in the position marked "Fushimi".

"On the first day of the battle, we first eliminated the enemy forces in the direction of Fushimi, and then we made a detour to the north and drove the remaining troops towards Yamazaki."

"On the second day, we defeated the enemy forces in the direction of Yamazaki, and then continued to drive the remaining troops towards Tenryuji."

"On the third day, gather all our forces and completely crush all the enemies lurking in Tenryu-ji!"

"Drive out the rebel army within three days!"

After speaking, Qing Deng raised his head, looked around the room, and asked:

What are your thoughts or opinions?

utter silence...

The crowd looked at each other, speechless.

In fact, this battle plan was the result of repeated discussions and deliberations between Aoto, Saigo Kinosuke, Matsudaira Katamori, Hijikata Toshizo, and others.

In other words, this battle plan had already been approved by the leaders of the Qin, Hui, and Sa kingdoms before it was officially announced to the public.

Therefore, the step of "announcing the plan's contents to the public and soliciting opinions" is merely a formality.

The big shots have already held a small meeting beforehand and all agree with this battle plan. What right do you little guys have to offer opinions?

Qing Deng did not believe that these good-for-nothings could offer any constructive military advice.

That is indeed the case.

The regional military commanders naturally dared not utter a single word, nor did they have the ability to do so; they all remained silent.

Seeing that no one spoke, Qingdeng continued:

"Alright, now I will announce the specific battle plan!"

"The battle at Fushimi is of paramount importance."

"If we cannot defeat the enemy forces heading towards Fushimi as scheduled, then all subsequent plans will be meaningless."

"Therefore, I will personally lead the 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th Divisions of the Shinsengumi, a total of 3300 men, to oversee the battle at Fushimi!"

At this point, he looked up at Hijikata Toshizo and Saigo Kichinosuke.

"Toshizo led the second, third, fourth and fifth divisions of the Shinsengumi to join forces with the Satsuma army, totaling 3500 men, to confront the bandit army from the Yamazaki direction."

"Lord Higo led 2000 troops of the Aizu army to contain the rebel army in the direction of Tenryuji Temple."

"The rest of the troops will stand by in the rear as reserves."

The regional military commanders were just waiting for Qingdeng to say this!

To them, the simple phrase "wait in the rear as a reserve force" was like heavenly music.

They all looked relieved and overjoyed.

Stay in the back, be a good mood-maker, and don't cause trouble—this is the best arrangement Qingdeng can think of for these useless people.

"Toshizo, Saigo-kun, the troops you are about to face are the main force of the rebel army."

"You have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders, so you must be careful and cautious."

Hijikata Toshizo grinned:

"Exactly what I want!"

Saigo Kinosuke bowed slightly and said loudly:

"Lord Aki, please rest assured! We will do our utmost and fulfill our mission!"

The rebel forces in the directions of Tenryuji and Fushimi each numbered only 3000.

The rebel army in the Yamazaki direction, however, numbered 6000, accounting for half of the total rebel force.

Aoto assigned 1500 troops to Hijikata Toshizo.

The Satsuma army has 2000 troops.

Even after the two armies joined forces, they only had 3500 men.

3500 vs. 6000... a significant difference in troop strength.

Although there are definitely many people in the Changzhou army who are just there to make up the numbers, it's always better to be extra careful.

In fact, Aoto played a trick—he prevented the Satsuma army from acting alone and forced Saigo Kichinosuke to fight alongside Hijikata Toshizo.

The reason for this was to keep an eye on the Satsuma Domain and prevent this "fence-sitter" from causing trouble in secret.

Just yesterday, Aoto secretly contacted Hijikata Toshizo, asking him to keep a close eye on Saigo Kichinosuke.

Having been involved in the underworld since his youth and having witnessed the wickedness of human nature, Hijikata Toshizo naturally understood Aoto's intentions. So he nodded solemnly and said, "Leave it to me."

He has to avoid those incompetent bastards who drag him down, and he also has to be wary of allies who are very capable but not very loyal and cause trouble... Being Qingdeng, the "legion commander," is not an easy job...!

After announcing the detailed battle plan, Qingdeng asked the same question again:

What are your thoughts or opinions?

The scene was recreated, but no one spoke.

Seeing this, Qingdeng didn't hesitate and immediately shouted outside:

"Bring the wine!"

Before long, the waiters who had been waiting outside came in quickly, carrying several bottles of fine wine and a large number of wine glasses.

The waiters, as if they had rehearsed beforehand, methodically distributed the glasses to everyone present and filled each one with wine.

After all the generals had received their wine and the servants had all left, Qing Deng stood up, holding a full wine cup.

Seeing that the general had stood up, everyone present dared not delay and hurriedly followed suit.

"Gentlemen, a great battle is imminent!"

Let us drink this cup to the brim today, wishing for a resounding victory!

"And I also wish you all great success in your military endeavors!"

After saying that, Qingdeng took the lead, raised his cup, drank it all in one gulp, and then threw the cup heavily to the ground, shattering it into pieces.

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere, or perhaps inspired by Qing Deng's words, everyone present tensed up.

Even the cowardly generals of the vassal states showed solemn expressions at this moment.

They all drank their wine to the last drop, and then, imitating Qing Deng's earlier actions, slammed their glasses to the ground.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!

The sound of porcelain shattering lingered for three days!

……

……

The daimyo are fighting in the Kinai region... The last time something like this happened was 250 years ago, during the Siege of Osaka (1615).

Now, 250 years later, a large-scale battle between daimyo has broken out again in the Kinai region!

The people in the capital region were filled with fear and unease.

People outside the capital region eagerly await their return.

Although the scale of the battle was not large enough to be called "grand", there is no doubt that the outcome of this war would greatly influence the subsequent course of history!

Time passed...

Finally... on August 29, the three armies of Choshu arrived at the outskirts of Kyoto.

On the same day, Qingdeng led his army out to meet them and deployed his troops in the field.

More than 20 feudal states participated in the battle, with a total of nearly 50,000 troops on both sides. The great battle, later known as the "Kyoto Summer Campaign," has begun!

……

……

The first year of Yuanzhi (1864), December 30th——

Fushimi, southern suburbs of Kyoto—

The Kamo River meanders along, emitting a low, monotonous roar.

A strong wind, carrying with it the heat of the day, howled and swept across the land.

On the fertile summer fields, which are dyed green in every direction, rows of tents are neatly arranged. The sunlight outlines the continuous tents. There is a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps. Large flags of different colors flutter in the morning breeze, standing tall and imposing!

Among them, the tallest and most conspicuous flags are the three-leaf hollyhock flag representing the shogunate, the gentian leaf flag representing the Hatatsu Domain, and the "sincerity" flag representing the Shinsengumi.

Qingdeng wouldn't dare say he was a great fighter, but he was quite confident in his ability to set up camp and establish fortifications.

Under his command and with the full cooperation of the civil engineering team of the Shinsengumi (the General Affairs Department), a tightly guarded military camp, resembling a hedgehog, was formed in just one night!

The camp was heavily fortified, with numerous sentry posts that formed a defensive perimeter.

If the Choshu army were to launch a forced attack, they would surely suffer a crushing defeat!

First make yourself invincible, then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable—Qing Deng has truly put this principle into practice to the extreme.

Although it was just dawn, Qing Deng was already fully dressed, his hand resting on the Vairocana pendant at his waist, standing majestically in the center of his main camp, gazing at the distant Choshu army camp.