I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

It must be said that the recovery abilities brought by talents such as "Sleep God" and "Strong Essence +4" are truly remarkable.

According to Qingdeng's own estimation, he had only slept for half an hour at most.

It's terrifying that he could recover to this extent after only sleeping for such a short time.

In short, given his current battered and bruised body, forcing him to go to the front lines would only cause trouble for others.

Therefore, Qingdeng immediately said:

"Sui San, I'm temporarily handing over command of the front lines. I'll be waiting for your good news at the main camp. Don't keep me waiting in vain!"

Hijikata no Toshizoku:

When have I ever let you down?

……

……

The battle today continued until evening.

After taking over frontline command from Aoto, Hijikata Toshizo personally braved arrows and stones to launch a fierce and relentless attack on the Choshu army's "Arashiyama defense line".

He divided his troops into three squads and launched attacks in batches, giving the Choshu army no chance to catch their breath.

As afternoon approached, the Choshu army, whose defenses were already crumbling, began to withdraw from Arashiyama, heading west towards the western part of Arashiyama... that is, towards the western provinces.

Hijikata Toshizo immediately led his cavalry, along with all the soldiers who could ride horses—such as Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime—to launch a final attack on the Choshu army.

This pursuit was truly like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves!

Hijikata Toshizo and his men pursued for over a hundred kilometers, fighting all the way to the Harima region west of Kyoto before stopping due to exhaustion of their horses and men, replicating the grand scene of the Allied Forces of Satsuma driving Choshu forces out of Kyoto last year.

Thus, this massive battle, involving tens of thousands of troops on both sides, finally came to an end.

Because this battle took place in late summer, and the main battlefield was located in the western suburbs of Kyoto, it was named the "Kyoto Summer Campaign" by contemporaries.

From any perspective, the army that attacked the commander achieved an undeniable and complete victory.

Despite suffering remarkably few casualties, they inflicted heavy losses on the Choshu army and held them firmly at bay outside the capital, thus sparing the ancient city from the ravages of war.

Among them, the Shinsengumi... or rather, the Hatazu Domain, was the biggest winner.

Through this battle, Aoto successfully tested the training results of the Shinsengumi and flexed his muscles, making the domains in the Gyeonggi region tremble with fear and establishing the Hatajin Domain as the absolute leader in the Gyeonggi region.

On the other hand, Choshu... Hijikata Toshizo said that they even lost their loincloths, which is no exaggeration.

Not only were there heavy casualties, but more importantly, their prestige was completely destroyed.

In many situations, reputation is more important than population or money.

As one of the most powerful and oldest domains in all of Japan, the Choshu Domain has always had a significant influence in western Japan.

There is a saying that "God cannot shed blood."

They mobilized tens of thousands of troops and launched a grand eastern expedition, only to suffer a crushing defeat in just two days... It's no exaggeration to say that Changzhou has now become a laughingstock of the world.

The Mori clan, who once dominated the western lands, is this all?

Now, almost everyone in the world thinks the same thing: Changzhou is finished! The Respect for the Emperor and Expulsion of the Barbarians Movement is over!

……

……

A few days later—

Aki region, somewhere near the Seto Inland Sea—

The dim sunlight struggled to penetrate the layers of mist, weakly casting its rays upon the earth, barely illuminating a slow-moving, dark brown patch on the dirt road.

This dark brown color belongs to the Changzhou army returning home.

At first glance, they really looked like they had been splashed with dark brown paint.

Most of the soldiers in the train were covered in grime and their clothes were stained with blood; they all looked like beggars.

Of course, compared to their appearance, their mental state is even more gloomy.

Most people had their heads drooping and backs bent, and walked as if they were floating.

No one spoke; despite the large number of people present, the silence was terrifying.

Aside from grief and numbness, there was no other expression; it was utterly lifeless…

They set out with a mighty army of 12,000, but less than half of them returned... Faced with such a tragic situation, even the most optimistic person would find it hard to cheer up.

Katsura Kogoro walked on foot in the very center of the military train, alongside the ordinary soldiers.

He originally owned a horse, but he temporarily lent it to the wounded.

"Mr. Gui..."

Suddenly, Katsura Kogoro heard a hoarse voice behind him.

Turning his head, he saw a young samurai holding a radish covered in fresh soil, walking quickly to Katsura Kogoro.

"These are radishes I just dug up. They're a bit small, but they'll still fill your stomach. Please take them and eat them."

As he spoke, he handed the radish in his hand to Katsura Kogoro's arms.

Looking at the tiny radish, which was only as thick as his finger, Katsura Kogoro couldn't help but swallow hard.

In order to maximize their marching speed and shake off the pursuit of the Choshu army, under the personal instruction of Katsura Kogoro, they threw away all the baggage they could.

In this way, although the ranks were streamlined, the army's supplies were severely depleted, and the anxiety of running out of food lingered in the minds of the soldiers.

Even Katsura Kogoro hasn't eaten anything decent for two days in a row.

Although he desperately wanted to stuff the little radish into his mouth immediately, he restrained himself and said seriously:

"Thank you for your kindness, but you worked so hard to dig this out, how could I possibly steal it? You can take it and eat it yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other person immediately put on a stern face:

"How can this be! I am just an unknown nobody, my life is of no importance! Mr. Gui, you are the hope for the revival of Changzhou. I can die, but you must not be harmed in any way!"

Katsura Kogoro was about to continue declining, but just then, an anxious voice suddenly rang out from beside him:

"Mr. Gui, the soldiers are all exhausted. Let them rest for a while!"

The speaker was a general who was very close to Katsura Kogoro.

Faced with this person's earnest request, Katsura Kogoro pondered for a moment and then shook his head:

"No, we can't rest yet. We can't afford to delay any longer; we must get back to Changzhou as soon as possible."

The man wanted to say something more, but upon seeing Katsura Kogoro's expression, he swallowed back the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.

Time was of the essence—even without Katsura Kogoro explaining it in detail, they understood this.

Nowadays, to put it bluntly, Changzhou is a drowning dog—a drowning dog that has lost its former glory, and everyone would want to bully it.

Without a doubt, there are now quite a few feudal domains that would be happy to cause trouble for Choshu in order to curry favor with the shogunate and gain some credit.

Therefore, Katsura Kogoro had no choice but to order the entire army to advance discreetly, avoiding the cities of those feudal states as much as possible, while being prepared for any eventuality.

In conclusion, there is no time to lose; we must return to Changzhou as soon as possible to ensure the safety of the entire army.

"No need to say anything more."

Katsura Kogoro continued in a forceful tone:

"Pass on my order: keep going! If you're exhausted, then muster your willpower..."

"Mr. Gui! Mr. Gui!"

Suddenly, the messenger's shout interrupted Katsura Kogoro's words.

A messenger galloped towards Katsura Kogoro on horseback.

Seeing that it was a messenger, Katsura Kogoro asked first:

"what happened?"

The messenger, unable to contain his excitement, shouted:

"Yes, it's Mr. Takasugi! Mr. Takasugi has come to meet us!"

"what?"

Katsura Kogoro's pupils contracted slightly, and he hurriedly asked:

"Takasugi is here? Where is he?"

"They're right ahead! He's personally leading a surprise force to meet us!"

"Special Forces...can I borrow your horse?"

"Yes, Mr. Gui! Please mount your horse!"

Katsura Kogoro leaped onto his horse and rode straight towards the front of the army.

Before long, he arrived at the front of the military train—a familiar face came into view.

"Gui, it's been a long time."

Takasugi Shinsaku smiled.

*******

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PS: In historical fact, the Choshu army entered Kyoto and engaged in a fierce battle with the allied forces at the Kami-no-mon Gate (one of the palace gates), hence the name "Kinmon Incident".

Since the Choshu army in this book never set foot in Kyoto, the battle can only be referred to as the "Kyoto Summer Campaign".

Chapter 863 The Heavenly Spear of Slaughter! [5100]

"What's wrong? Why did we stop? Didn't you say time was of the essence?"

"Something's wrong! An unknown force has appeared ahead!"

"What did you say? Enemy troops?!"