I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

And so, the two began a secret conversation in the military tent.

Ijichi Ryuemon succinctly outlined his battle plan:

Today's battle may seem like we are outnumbered, but that is just a facade.

The biggest weakness of the Choshu army was undoubtedly its excessive size and number.

The army was filled with a large number of temporarily conscripted ronin, peasant soldiers, and independent troops.

It appears to be very powerful, but in reality it is all show and no substance.

Ijichi Ryuemon thus concluded that there must be a major problem with the Choshu army's command system!

Like a sluggish giant who cannot flexibly control his hands and feet, moving slowly and inefficiently.

Upon observing that the Choshu army's camp was not in good order, Ichiji Ryūemon became even more certain of his judgment.

Therefore, based on this characteristic of the Choshu army, he formulated the following plan:

First, deploy a regular force, and then send out a surprise force.

The main force was responsible for engaging the Changzhou army on the main battlefield, fighting and retreating, luring the enemy to pursue them further and forcing them to extend their battle lines.

As for the surprise force, it will detour westward and lie in ambush at Tianwang Mountain. When the time is right—that is, when the Changzhou army has stretched its battle lines and dispersed its forces—it will launch a surprise attack down the mountain, charging straight into the enemy camp!

The Yamazaki battlefield is very narrow, like a corridor. Going west will lead you into Tennoyama, while going east will block your way with the Kamo River. You can only go north or south.

It's easy to imagine that in this kind of terrain, if the flanks are attacked, the consequences would be unimaginable unless the army has strong organizational capabilities!

After silently listening to Ijichi Ryuemon's battle plan, Hijikata Toshizo quietly said:

"What a coincidence, you and I are thinking the same thing."

This is probably what they call "great minds think alike".

After observing the battlefield terrain and the situation of both sides, Hijikata Toshizo made the exact same judgment as Ijichi Ryuemon!

Moreover, his battle plan was almost identical to that of the enemy.

The same tactic is to lure the enemy with regular troops, and then use surprise troops to achieve a decisive victory.

With the combined attack of the main force and the surprise attack, it is not impossible to defeat the enemy with the weak and crush them in one fell swoop!

Although this is a plan full of variables, whether the main force can effectively restrain and lure the enemy, and whether the surprise force can seize the right time to attack, are all unknowns. However, Hijikata Toshizo, who is naturally bold and has a strong drive, is happy to take this risk!

However, to implement this plan, the help of the Satsuma army is required.

With only 1500 troops under Hijikata Toshizo, it would be impossible to carry out such a large-scale operation.

Hijikata Toshizo was already preparing to personally go to the Satsuma army's main camp to explain his battle plan to them.

However, Ijichi Ryuemon beat him to it.

Since both sides have the same idea, how could they not reach an agreement immediately?

Thus, the two sides quickly finalized the detailed deployment and operational details.

The regular soldiers were drawn from the Satsuma Army, which possessed organized firearms units.

The Shinsengumi, with their formidable close-combat abilities, will be the surprise troops tasked with delivering the decisive blow.

With the plan finalized, Hijikata Toshizo immediately led Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, Serizawa Kamo, Niimi Nishiki, and their second, third, fourth, and fifth squads to secretly cross Tennozan and lie in ambush on the mountain.

Saigo Kichinosuke and Ijichi Ryuemon led 2000 Satsuma troops and arrayed themselves opposite the Choshu army.

As dawn broke, the battle commenced!

The Choshu army, confident in its superior strength, launched an offensive—which suited the intentions of Hijikata Toshizo, Saigo Kichinosuke, and others!

The sounds of cannons, gunfire, roars, and screams echoed throughout Yamazaki.

Not long after the battle began, under the meticulous micromanagement of Saigo Kinosuke and Ijichi Ryuemon, the Satsuma army feigned defeat and retreated step by step.

Seeing this, the Changzhou army indeed fell for the trap and hurriedly launched a pursuit.

If we don't pursue it, all will be well; but if we do, problems will immediately arise.

The once orderly military formation suddenly became chaotic due to the pursuit, and the entire army was transformed into a long, serpentine line scattered across the corridor-like battlefield.

Hijikata Toshizo, who was hiding on Mount Tenno, was unable to obtain detailed information about the main battlefield in a timely manner.

There were neither effective means of communication nor convenient methods of observation.

Even when the ninjas of the Ninth Division reported information to him, the information he received was subject to a significant delay.

However, Hijikata Toshizo truly lived up to his reputation as the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi and a prodigy whom Aoto relied on immensely.

Based solely on what he heard, the limited intelligence he had, and his own experience and intuition, he made a precise decision: Now! All troops attack!

In an instant, the silent Tianwang Mountain was enveloped by roars and shouts!

Hijikata Toshizo personally led the charge, charging into battle at the forefront.

Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, and Serizawa Kamo were like fierce tigers, vying for the lead.

1500 elite soldiers, the cream of the Shinsengumi, roared down the mountain! Like a sharp blade, they struck the "long serpent's" soft side!

When Hijikata Toshizo and his men charged straight down the mountain, their momentum was so overwhelming that it was as if divine soldiers had descended from the heavens.

As expected, the Choshu army, caught off guard, was thrown into chaos!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Enemy soldiers have appeared behind us!"

"A light blue haori! It's the Shinsengumi!"

"Who is leading the team?"

"I don't know! But I saw the Second Division Captain Shinpachi Nagakura and the Third Division Captain Hajime Saito!"

"Damn it! Let's get back to the main force! We're going to fight our way back!"

"Hey! Don't act recklessly!"

After Hijikata Toshizo and his men breached the flank of the Choshu army, they relentlessly charged deeper into the enemy lines. Their ferocity was the best description of the phrase "rushing forward like a pig charging into the ground."

Once they seize an opportunity, they will launch a lightning-fast offensive, relentlessly pursuing the enemy like mad dogs until they collapse—in this respect, Aoto and Hijikata Toshizo are of the same mind.

Under their fierce attack, the Changzhou army was forcibly cut in two! They became two large, mutually dependent lumps!

Kichinosuke Saigo reacted exceptionally quickly.

Seeing that Hijikata Toshizo and his men's surprise attack had succeeded, he immediately ordered all Satsuma soldiers to switch from defense to offense and launch a full-scale counterattack.

Besieged on two sides and divided... the Choshu army lost its numerical advantage and was no longer as heroic as it had been when it "pursued Satsuma".

At this point, the tide of battle turned!

Those ronin and peasant soldiers who were forcibly conscripted were indeed incapable of shouldering great responsibilities.

Aside from "boosting morale," it serves no other purpose.

Seeing the situation deteriorate rapidly, chaos ensued.

There were people shouting and running around... doing all sorts of things.

With formidable enemies outside and incompetent allies inside... how can they not be defeated?

In just over half an hour, the Changzhou army began to show signs of collapse.

It's another classic case of soldiers being unable to find generals, and generals being unable to find soldiers.

The enemy's order has collapsed, presenting a golden opportunity to expand our gains.

Unfortunately... after a series of fierce battles with no chance to catch their breath, coupled with limited manpower, both the Satsuma and Ottoman armies were running out of steam.

Whether the Satsuma army was truly weakened or intentionally preserving its strength, Hijikata Toshizo had no idea.

Anyway, they really couldn't fight anymore.

The failure to pursue and annihilate them in time allowed the Choshu army to catch its breath and avoid complete collapse.

The person in charge of commanding the Choshu army on the Yamazaki side was none other than the leader of the radical faction—Kusaka Genzui.

Hisaka Genzui may have been an outstanding swordsman and orator, but he was by no means a good commander.

Looking closely at the entire battle today, he did not demonstrate any outstanding command skills.

When the Satsuma army feigned defeat, he foolishly chased after them.

When the Turkish army launched a surprise attack, he was unable to return to stop them.

He failed to effectively quell the unrest that occurred within the troops.

He only managed to play a somewhat useful role when it came to gathering up the remaining troops.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Satsuma and Hijikata armies were unable to launch another attack, Kusaka Genzui quickly mobilized his forces and stopped their rout.

After gathering about a thousand remaining soldiers, they retreated to Tianwang Mountain, using it as a stronghold to launch a series of resistance efforts.

The Tukasa and Satsuma armies were naturally not going to let each other off so easily.

They led their troops to the foot of Tianwang Mountain, where they recuperated and built simple fortifications to block off various mountain passes.

Just as they were preparing to attack the mountain, they suddenly heard that Aoto had defeated the Choshu army on the Fushimi side and was driving the remnants north. They immediately sent Nakajima Noboru to find Aoto and ask for reinforcements.

As long as Qingdeng's reinforcements arrive, taking Tianwang Mountain will be a sure thing!

After listening to Nakajima Noboru's detailed explanation, Aoto couldn't help but show a look of pleasure, thinking to himself, "Well done!"

Originally, according to his plan, this campaign was to be carried out in three steps, to be completed over three days.

On the first day, they quelled the remnants of Fushimi. After driving the remaining troops to Yamazaki, Aoto joined forces with the Hijikata-Satsuma allied forces, who were in charge of the battlefield.

On the second day, they joined forces to defeat Yamazaki's enemy army.

Unexpectedly, Hijikata Toshizo and his companions displayed remarkable initiative, defeating Yamazaki's enemy on the very first day using only their own strength!

When Aoto thought about Hijikata Toshizo's involvement in this battle, he suddenly felt no surprise.

Qing Deng was well aware of Hijikata Toshizo's great abilities.

He was probably the most militarily gifted member of the Shinsengumi.

In terms of military talent alone, Qing Deng admitted that he was inferior to his opponent.

Qing Deng never considered himself a military genius.