I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

On the surface, the commanders of these three Choshu armies were the three chief retainers of Choshu: Fukuhara Echigo, Kunisaki Shinano, and Masuda Uemon.

In reality, everyone knows that the true commander of the Choshu Army was a group of madmen with radical ideas, led by Hisaka Genzui.

Based on all the information currently available, it can be confirmed that the actual commander of the Choshu army on the Fushimi side is named Kurushima Matabei.

Qingdeng had heard of this person's name.

This man is quite old; he was born in the fourteenth year of the Wenhua era (1817) and is 47 years old this year.

Interestingly, both the pro-shogunate faction and the pro-revolutionary faction are characterized by their leaders being "young".

Aoto is 22 years old, Matsudaira Katamori is 28 years old, Saigo Kinosuke is 36 years old, Kusaka Genzui is 24 years old, Takasugi Shinsaku is 25 years old, Katsura Kogoro is 31 years old...

Their average age is no more than 30.

It is extremely rare to find a leader of the pro-imperial faction as old as Kijima Matabei.

In the twelfth year of the Tenpo era (1841), he began studying swordsmanship under Oishi Susumu.

Oishi Susumu—also known as the "Seven-Foot Warrior" who was over two meters tall, once invincible in Edo, but was eventually defeated by Otani Seiichiro, and had a duel with Aoto before going to Kyoto.

Under the tutelage of Daishi Jin, his martial arts skills improved rapidly.

In 1863, Kurushima Matabei was ordered to gather ronin to form a "sniper squad" and march to Kyoto.

After the "August 18th Coup," he returned to the Choshu Domain and formed a new force called the "Guerrilla Force," which consisted of 600 men and was a very strong fighting force, becoming one of the main forces of the Choshu Army.

In short—this is a formidable person with both ability and experience, and should not be underestimated.

With the enhancement of "Sharp Eyes +6", the detailed appearance of the Changzhou Army Camp clearly came into Qing Deng's view.

The camp was arranged in an orderly manner.

There are quite a few sentry posts, and their deployment locations are quite strategic.

It's obvious that an expert gave you guidance.

This shows that the Changzhou army was by no means a worthless bunch!

Suddenly, the once quiet Changzhou military camp erupted into a cacophony of noise.

Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo

Despite the remote location, Qingdeng, with his exceptional hearing, could faintly hear the urging sound of bugles.

With each bugle call, the soldiers in the Changzhou army camp began to run quickly.

They gathered in a line and jogged out of the camp!

Qing Deng lowered his eyelids, thinking to himself:

—It's started!

Just then, Souji's voice rang out from behind Qing Deng:

"Tachibana-kun, the Choshu army has entered the fray."

As he spoke, the commander took two quick steps and stood beside Qing Deng.

Since a suitable replacement for Kaga Kiyomitsu's sword has not yet been found, Aoto temporarily lent his sword, the Demon-Slaying Sword, to Souji.

Since the advent of Vairocana, the appearance rate of spirits and deities has decreased dramatically.

In the beginning, when Qing Deng wore the Vairocana amulet, he would also carry the Tranquilizing Spirit amulet and two katana swords with him when he went out.

But gradually, because he found it troublesome and the two swords were too heavy, always making his belt loose, Qing Deng gradually reduced the frequency of wearing the Tsurugi pendant.

About half a year ago, the spirit-controlling device stopped appearing on Qingdeng's waist.

It was placed on the knife rack in Qingdeng's bedroom, next to the equally "glorious retired" Juju.

Of course, Qingdeng would not mistreat this "old minister" who had accompanied him for a long time and made great contributions to him.

As always, he regularly oiled and sharpened the blade.

That being said, it would be a tremendous waste to leave such a fine sword idle on a sword rack.

Since the commander is currently lacking a good sword, let the spirit of the demon-slaying sword radiate its remaining heat in his hands!

Thanks to Qingdeng's meticulous care for the spirit-controlling device, it still maintains its sharpness, capable of cutting through iron like mud, and can be used immediately after being pulled out!

While keeping an eye on the movements of the Changzhou army camp, Qing Deng said calmly:

"Now that the enemy has moved, then we... um?"

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow.

The commander beside him also showed a slight change in expression.

Looking up, a rider suddenly galloped out of the Changzhou military camp.

This man rode his horse to the front of the two armies, then, while pulling on the reins, shouted loudly:

"I am Yamamoto Sakuyuki! Is there any brave warrior willing to fight me?!"

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Chapter 841 Instant Kill! Qing Deng's Absolute Crushing of the Enemy Army! [4300]

As he shouted, the man drew his sword menacingly from his waist, pointing the tip at the Shinsengumi camp.

The commander stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief.

About five seconds later, she finally came to her senses and murmured:

"A one-man battle...?!"

"One-on-one duel" – simply put, it refers to a general engaging in a one-on-one duel on the battlefield.

In ancient China, the idea of ​​"military generals determining victory or defeat in a one-on-one duel" basically only existed in historical novels; no one actually did it in reality.

In ancient Japan, however, this was a classic and legitimate tactic.

Ikki Toho originated in the Heian period (794-1192) and flourished during the Kamakura Shogunate period (1185-1333).

Japan's Heian period was similar to China's Western Zhou period, with a strong emphasis on etiquette, even in warfare, where various rituals and laws were observed.

For example, before the war, the generals of both sides would introduce themselves by saying who their ancestors were and what their names were.

The emphasis on elaborate etiquette, coupled with the rise of samurai culture, led to the emergence and popularity of the "one-man duel" fighting style.

To put it bluntly, "one-man duel" is an awkward invention created by samurai to boast about their lineage and their own martial prowess.

If I don't run to the front lines of the two armies and fight one-on-one, how will the world know that I am a descendant of a distinguished family with a distinguished lineage, extraordinary courage, and superb skills?

So, in order to take showing off to the extreme, these idle samurai designed a lot of complicated rules for Ikki Tou.

Before a fight begins, participants must identify themselves, it must be a one-on-one match, and no tricks or schemes are allowed... and so on, the list goes on.

The specific competitions included both sword fights and archery contests on horseback.

The essence of "one-man raid" is showing off and performing.

If the rules are broken, how can we all happily show off together in the future?

Therefore, both sides tacitly praised the one-man show and abided by the rules of the one-man show, and everyone was happy... Then, the Yuan army arrived.

At that time, many Japanese generals, influenced by path dependence, foolishly ran to the front lines of the two armies, wanting to fight the Yuan generals one-on-one.

Such behavior amused the Yuan soldiers—why were these guys so eager to throw their lives away?

Only a fool would fight them one-on-one! A volley of arrows rained down, turning the Japanese generals into sieves.

Even today, ancient paintings depicting "Yuan soldiers shooting Japanese generals" still exist.

In general, the Yuan Dynasty's eastern expeditions indirectly improved Japan's level of warfare.

After the Kamakura period, the Ikki-sou (one-man slaying) gradually faded from the historical stage.

By the Warring States period, no one was foolish enough to engage in one-on-one duels anymore.

As for the story of "Takeda Shingen's one-man duel with Uesugi Kenshin," it's purely a product of later generations' fabrication; there were many such fabricated stories during Japan's Sengoku period.

It's now the mid-19th century, and to still see people doing this kind of performance art... It has to be said that it's quite shocking, with a kind of "traveling back to the Kamakura period" beauty.

Even Qingdeng was taken aback.

However, he quickly came to terms with it.

Although this is outrageous, it's not unusual for people from Changzhou to do this.

In recent years, in order to confront the Western barbarians and demonstrate their irreconcilable opposition to them, a "retro trend" has gradually emerged among the pro-Western faction.

Simply put, it advocates that "the things passed down from our ancestors are the best!" and "whoever dares to challenge the ancestral rules will lose their head!"

Under the influence of this trend, many people who admired the ancients were keen to read ancient books, study ancient knowledge, and imitate the behavior of the ancients.

In short, it's about cosplaying as ancient people, making yourself look as much like an ancient person as possible.

Therefore, the concept of "a lone rider attacking in the 19th century" becomes easier to understand.

With his sharp, hawk-like eyesight, Qing Deng keenly noticed that when this guy who called himself "Yamamoto Sakuyuki" rode out into battle, a considerable commotion immediately broke out in the Choshu camp.

Many armored generals rushed to the camp, looking angrily at Yamamoto Sakuyuki, who had already reached the front of the battle, shouting something.

Qingdeng watched the scene while appearing to be deep in thought.

A moment later, a look of understanding appeared on his face.

He could roughly guess the cause and effect of the matter: most likely this guy strongly demanded a grand duel with the Shinsengumi, but his superiors refused, so he disregarded orders and forcibly rode out into battle, determined to play the role of a warrior in the Kamakura period.

This gave Qing Deng a good hint—the Changzhou army on the other side was even less united than he had expected, with many disobedient and willful individuals.

"Tachibana-kun, shall I go?"

The commander turned to look at Qing Deng, his right hand resting on the Ding Gui Shen at his waist.

Qingdeng gently shook his head:

"No rush, let's form ranks first."

……