I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Keisuke Yamanami gently shook his head:

"Unfortunately, no. The members of the Ninth Division have given their all, but..."

At this point, Yamanami Keisuke wisely shut his mouth and stopped talking.

As he said, the members of the Ninth Division, who are currently lurking throughout Choshu, have indeed done their best.

Unfortunately... as of today, they still haven't figured out the exact movements of the surprise attack team.

Not to mention the elite troops, they also had no idea about the detailed operations of other troops in Changzhou—such as the various "righteous armies" spontaneously formed by civilians.

They can't be blamed for this.

With so few clues, searching for the army in the vast, densely forested mountains... to put it bluntly, it's asking the impossible. Whether they succeed or not depends entirely on luck.

Suddenly, Qing Deng, who had been silent since the meeting began, finally spoke:

"...Since we don't know where the surprise force is, let's just barge into the enemy's position and take a look."

"If we encounter fierce resistance, then the surprise force is right in front of us."

"If coming and going are natural, then the surprise force is somewhere else."

Having said that, he stood up slowly, supporting himself on the Bizen Naofune at his waist.

"Sanosuke, gather the cavalry!"

……

……

That day, late at night—

The thick clouds in the sky did not thin out in the slightest over time.

A cold wind howled, making people instinctively tuck their coats in and shiver.

The dark, heavy clouds, coupled with the biting cold, made it seem as if snow could fall at any moment.

"Moo...Moo...Moo..."

The radish was drooping on one side, idly digging at the soil with its hooves.

Not far away, Qingdeng tucked his hands into his sleeves, using his body heat to warm them and prevent them from freezing, ensuring he could be ready for battle at any moment.

Suddenly, Harada Sanosuke emerged from the side, took two quick steps, and came to Aoto's side.

"Mr. Ju, all team members are ready and can depart at any time."

Behind Qingdeng, there were 80 cavalrymen, holding their horses and swords, ready to go.

Whether human or horse, they all kept their mouths tightly shut, exhaling translucent mist from their mouths and noses, emanating a chilling and awe-inspiring aura.

These 80 cavalrymen were all brave and fierce warriors handpicked by Harada Sanosuke from the 10th Division.

Not only are they exceptionally skilled and proficient in horsemanship, but none of them suffer from night blindness.

In feudal times, night blindness was a common occurrence due to malnutrition.

"Mr. Ju, are you... really planning a night raid on the enemy camp?"

Harada Sanosuke asked tentatively.

Qing Deng smiled and asked in a half-joking tone:

"What? Are you scared?"

Before he could finish speaking, Harada Sanosuke impatiently retorted:

"I'm not afraid!"

"who am I?"

"I am 'Immortal Harada'! A man who won't die even if his belly is cut open!"

"I was just too excited, so I wanted to confirm something with you!"

Harada Sanosuke's tone was full of strong confidence—judging from his expression, he was not exaggerating.

He was indeed eager to participate in the upcoming night raid and showed no fear whatsoever.

After chuckling a few times, Qing Deng slowly said:

"I've even assembled the troops; this isn't a fake."

At this point, he adopted a serious tone.

"If you want to find out the enemy's strength and weakness, there is no more direct and accurate method than to personally venture into the enemy camp."

At that moment, Qingdeng suddenly felt his vision dimming—something was blocking the corner of his right eye.

I reached out and wiped it away, then looked again—it turned out to be a small snowflake.

"It's snowing..."

He looked up at the night sky, where countless snowflakes drifted down, like thousands of grains of salt.

Harada Sanosuke shrank his neck and said:

"No wonder it's so cold tonight... Mr. Ju, the weather is changing. Should we cancel the plan? Based on my personal experience, this snow won't stop anytime soon, and it'll only get heavier."

Qingdeng grinned and answered without hesitation:

"Stop? Why stop?"

"This snow came just in time! Heaven is helping us!"

"The thick snow can cover our footsteps, making it the perfect time to launch a night raid."

"Besides, the enemy probably never expected that we would launch an offensive in the face of the biting wind and snow!"

"In ancient times, there was the story of 'attacking Caizhou on a snowy night,' and now there is the story of 'attacking Ankou on a snowy night'! Join me in creating new history!"

Having said that, he nimbly flipped himself onto the ox, lightly tapping his heel against its belly.

"Let's go!"

"Moo!"

A man and an ox braved the wind and snow, heading straight for the enemy camp lit up with torches.

Harada Sanosuke and the other riders spurred their horses and followed closely behind.

In an instant, they blended into the night...

*******

*******

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Half the month is already over! Readers who have monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

I was busy with personal matters today and completely overwhelmed, so the word count is a bit low. I'll try to get back to 6,000 words tomorrow! (Leopard Hi.jpg)

Chapter 899 A Raid on the Enemy Camp! Disrupting the Changzhou Army! [4500]

Since becoming the commander-in-chief of the army, Qingdeng has come to understand more and more why "Heavenly Khan" Li Shimin was so fond of taking risks alone.

Holding a precious bow and a long spear, and leading a small number of cavalry, he dared to ride right up to the enemy army and swagger around outside the enemy camp... Although it was very bold, it really made people sweat.

At first glance, it seems that Li Shimin was risking his life to show off, but in fact, that was not the case at all.

It's obvious that such a super-powerful person who pioneered an era would never risk his life just to show off.

The reason for frequently employing such tactics is twofold: firstly, their high skill and daring make them fearless in the face of danger; and secondly, it is to obtain intelligence more quickly and efficiently.

Even in today's technologically advanced world, obtaining accurate intelligence about the enemy on a rapidly changing battlefield is extremely difficult.

Due to the backward and poor transportation conditions, information is often delayed.

By the time the intelligence gathered by the scouts is finally delivered to Qingdeng's desk, it may already be outdated.

Whether this intelligence is accurate is another question.

A loving father in the 20th century once said: It is not difficult to obtain intelligence; the difficulty lies in finding the correct one from a pile of intelligence.

Therefore, rather than staying in the camp and waiting anxiously for intelligence that may or may not arrive, it is better to set off in person!

By going to the front lines and observing the enemy camp with your own eyes, or by directly engaging the enemy troops, you can immediately understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Aside from being too dangerous and easy to mess up, it is actually a highly efficient tactic that achieves twice the result with half the effort!

……

……

The wind blew harder and harder, and the snow fell heavier and heavier.

One moment it was light snow, the next it was heavy snow.

In an instant, the earth was draped in a thick white coat, stretching into the distance with no end in sight.

This is Changzhou's first snowfall of the year.

It didn't fall earlier or later, but it just happened to fall at this very moment when the Great Expeditionary Army was at the city gates.

Thinking about it this way, the sudden heavy snow seems like a cruel joke from God, perfectly reflecting the current state of mind of the soldiers in Changzhou.

A somber atmosphere permeated the camp, both inside and out.

From the officers clad in battle robes to the lowly soldiers wearing only battle hats, everyone wore a stern face, their expressions ashen.

To keep the torches burning, they had to cover them with a lampshade.

No matter how heavy the snow or how bad the weather, patrols and sentry posts will not stop.

On the watchtower at the southeast end of the camp, three soldiers—shivering, their eyelashes covered in frost and their faces pale with cold—diligently stood guard at their posts.

Even without anyone suggesting it, they spontaneously huddled together, back to back, sharing each other's body heat.

The darkness and the heavy snowfall made visibility extremely poor.

Even with the strongest eyesight, one cannot see the scenery more than 10 meters away.

Since they can't see it anyway, it makes one wonder if there's any point in keeping watch at a time like this.