I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He exchanged a knowing glance with Qingdeng before resuming a serious tone and asking:

"Ju, what are your plans for the next step?"

"It is not difficult to annihilate the rebel army."

"The difficulty lies in how to capture or kill Kusaka Genzui while simultaneously annihilating the rebel army."

"Personally, I think the latter is just as important as the former."

No sooner had Hijikata Toshizo finished speaking than Aoto immediately said:

"Sui San, you're overthinking it."

He patted Hijikata Toshizo on the shoulder and continued with a smile:

"The more you crave perfection, the more likely you are to end up with nothing."

"Since there are no suitable means to capture the thief at the moment, let's do our best and leave the rest to fate."

"If we could take Kusaka Genzui's head, that would be the best."

"Conversely, it doesn't matter either."

Qing Deng waved his hand, his tone firm and his aura astonishing:

"All I want right now is Tianwang Mountain! I don't care about anything else!"

At this point, he suddenly stood up and looked down at the map on the table in front of him.

"Our current troop strength is nearly four times that of the enemy."

"In that case, there's no need for any battle plan!"

Qingdeng casually grabbed a handful of military flags and scattered them across the map, covering the entire "Tianwang Mountain".

"No need for feints or secondary attacks! It's all main attack! Kill the enemy on sight, give them a good beating! Fight until Tianwang Mountain is covered with our flags!"

……

……

The sun passed its highest point in the sky and gradually began to set in the west.

After a brief rest, the army at the foot of the mountain was ready to set off.

If you look down from above, you can see a spectacular sight of swords and spears everywhere!

Although the remnants of the Choshu army, stationed atop Tennoyama, could not fully appreciate the formidable strength of the Shinsen Satsuma coalition, they still witnessed their disciplined military bearing and their soaring morale.

Anyone who saw it knew: the newly formed Satsuma coalition was about to launch a general offensive!

In comparison, the mountaintop and the foot of the mountain form two completely different worlds.

A tangible cloud of sorrow seemed to shroud the summit of Tianwang Mountain.

The remnants of the Changzhou army all wore expressions of misery, bitterness, panic, and indignation.

It was eerily quiet... No one made a sound.

With a major battle imminent, there wasn't even a single person to speak up and boost morale.

Their weakened fighting spirit is evident.

Suddenly—with a clang—, Qingdeng drew his Vairocana sword, strode forward, and moved to the very front of the formation.

When his figure came into view of the soldiers, it immediately caused a great sensation.

"Lord Niou!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!"

"Our lord must fight alongside us!"

Cheers rose and fell, dominating the entire Tianwang Mountain.

Without doing anything, he simply showed up and the morale of the army soared—Qingdeng now undoubtedly possesses the ability and prestige to control people's hearts!

Qingdeng raised his head and looked up and down at Tianwang Mountain in front of him.

Tianwang Mountain is not very high, only 270 meters above sea level.

The mountains are covered with lush, undeveloped, dense forests.

Needless to say, cavalry would be of no use.

Due to the terrain limitations, the musketeers found it difficult to form ranks, which greatly reduced their combat effectiveness.

Therefore, it's time for the melee infantry to take their turn!

It's already afternoon, and in two more hours it will be dark.

If it gets dark, the battle will be much harder to fight.

No matter what, we must finish the battle before dark!

In order to achieve a quick victory, Qingdeng decided to continue to demonstrate his fierce style of "leading by example and taking the lead"!

This was exactly what Qingdeng wanted!

The enemy forces at the Fushimi battlefield collapsed far too quickly.

Qing Deng felt like he hadn't even exerted himself yet, and had only just warmed up when he beheaded Kijima Matabei and wiped out his army.

Although Aoto said "there's no need to force yourself," Hijikata Toshizo, Nagakura Shinpachi, and others insisted that "we've already rested" and were determined to join the battle.

"I don't like mountain climbing..."

Souji walked to Qing Deng's side and said this with a wry smile.

Qingdeng curled the corners of his mouth and said half-jokingly:

"If you find it tiring, you can stay in the back. I don't mind."

"After all, the injuries you sustained in the battle of Ikedaya have only just healed."

"Even if you stay in the back to rest, no one will say anything to you."

Upon hearing this, the commander immediately shook his head:

"That won't do. You and Mr. Hijikata are both fighting on the front lines. If I stay in the rear and enjoy myself, I'll never be able to eat or sleep properly in the future."

Qingdeng chuckled to himself:

"In that case, you'd better stay close."

Having said that, he raised the Vairocana in his hand above his head.

At the same time, he hissed and took a deep breath—

"Follow me!"

With a loud shout, he slashed down the Vairocana sword in his hand, and then took the lead and rushed out!

His shout was like magic.

In an instant, the foot of Tianwang Mountain was engulfed by immense heat.

The soldiers of Souji, Hijikata Toshizo, the Shinsengumi, and the Satsuma Domain, howling, roaring, and charging, surged towards the summit of Tennozan from all directions like a raging tide!

"They're coming up!"

"Do not be afraid! Everyone must die. Even in death, we should die bravely and heroically, worthy of the name of Choshu warriors!"

"Kill them! Fight these Shogunate lackeys to the death!"

Accompanied by cries of grief and indignation, the soldiers of Changzhou immediately launched a tenacious resistance that would not falter.

In the blink of an eye, a flash of white light appeared—a blade slashed down from Qing Deng's left.

Qing Deng slightly twisted his body, adjusted his posture, and raised his left palm with lightning speed, grabbing the enemy's right wrist and preventing the blade from falling.

In the next instant, his right arm snapped open, and Vairocana left a purple afterimage in mid-air, striking the opponent squarely in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

Suddenly, a mountain wind arose.

Along with the mountain wind came a short gun that pierced out of the inconspicuous grass.

Qing Deng let the wind tousle his hair, squinted his eyes—shifted his position, raised his sword, and made a move—the four actions were completed in one smooth motion, indistinguishable in sequence.

Half a short gun and a warm corpse lay on the ground.

Before Qingdeng could catch his breath, a loud shout rang out, and a swordsman leaped out from the strong wind and bushes, using the momentum of his attack to rush towards Qingdeng.

In an instant, the two were locked in combat.

This man is quite capable; he managed to fight Qingdeng for several rounds despite being Qingdeng's enemy.

He struck a practiced pose and unleashed bizarre moves.

It appears to be an upward strike, but it's actually a feint.

It seemed like a forceful splitting of Mount Hua, but the blade unexpectedly changed direction.

Although his swordsmanship was unique and tricky, Qingdeng could see through his routine after only a few glances.

Qing Deng remained calm and composed, parrying and deflecting each of the opponent's attacks. After skillfully dodging the first few sword strikes, he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and slashed Vairocana upwards.

The moment the purple blade light enveloped the opponent, only a few bits of flesh remained connecting the opponent's head and body. The opponent collapsed to the ground before even uttering a groan.

Compared to the sweeping and powerful mounted combat, ... the agile and free foot combat is definitely more exciting for Qing Deng!

Qingdeng rushed straight up to the mountaintop, speeding effortlessly across the rugged terrain as if walking on flat ground.

The lush, dense forests provided shelter for the soldiers of the Choshu Army.

Viet Cong are everywhere... no, there are Changju soldiers lurking everywhere, waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Just like now—whoosh—another gust of wind swept towards Qingdeng.

The person who started this new trend was a short, stocky man who was crouching on a tree trunk, using leaves to cover his body.

Because of its short stature and thick leaves, at first glance, it's impossible to tell that a person is hiding there.

The man watched with excitement as Qingdeng drew ever closer, convinced he would succeed in his sneak attack, take Qingdeng's head, and become a legend.

He probably never expected that his painstaking efforts to conceal himself would be completely useless.

Qingdeng spotted him early on.