I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Risaburo Nomura (the vice-captain of the 11th Division) shouted, methodically directing the members of the 11th Division.

One cannon after another was pushed out and transported to its firing position.

The dark muzzle of the cannon pointed diagonally to the sky, towards the Changzhou position opposite.

While the Eleventh Division was making intensive preparations for the artillery barrage, Abe Juro (the captain of the Eleventh Division) was at the main camp, awaiting Aoto's orders.

Qingdeng sat imposingly on a stool, gazing expressionlessly at the enemy troops opposite him.

The generals sat on his left and right sides below him in order of their rank and status.

To be honest, even today, Qingdeng still doesn't understand what Changzhou is up to, let alone where the elite troops that were Changzhou's hope have gone.

However, it is always the right thing to do to defeat the Changzhou army on the other side and occupy Yizhoukou.

Since the artillery unit was established, Qingdeng has gradually developed a path dependency in its tactical use—no matter what, just fire a few shots first!

Soon after receiving the message that "the Eleventh Division is ready," he gave orders to Abe Juro without any joy or sorrow:

"Fire! Break through Yizhou Pass within half a day!"

Abe Juro responded loudly:

"Yes!"

Then, he lifted the hem of his trousers and quickly returned to the artillery position.

As is customary, let's start with a benchmark shot.

Abe Juro pulled open the telescope, glanced at the location of the Choshu camp, and quickly issued the order:

"Raise 5 degrees! Turn 13 degrees to the right! Launch!"

boom!

The artillery team responsible for firing the reference shells completed the firing with fluid and graceful movements.

The cannonballs flew out and traced clean parabolas in mid-air before crashing heavily near the Changzhou camp.

With a loud boom, the explosion reverberated in all directions.

The shell and the explosion startled countless birds into flight! The silence of the scene was shattered!

Abe Juro glanced at the trajectory of the shells and immediately issued new, more precise instructions:

"Raise 4 degrees, turn 10 degrees to the right! Prepare for volley fire!"

This time, it's no longer a baseline shot, but a formal attack!

Rolling around and around...!

The sounds of turning the handle and adjusting the muzzle filled the air.

Once all the cannons were pointed at the same target, Abe Juro shouted at the loudest volume he could muster:

"put!!"

In an instant, each cannon spewed out dazzling tongues of fire!

One cannonball after another rose high into the air, then rained down on the Changzhou camp.

The air was filled with unseen roars and howls.

A moment later, the flames from the exploding shells illuminated the sky.

Flames leaped upwards like fountains, engulfing the Changzhou camp in flames.

Cleaning the cannon barrel, loading new shells, firing—the Eleventh Division's actions and procedures were truly orderly and well-trained.

Countless shells streaked across the sky one after another, creating a continuous barrage of firework.

Even Matsudaira Katamori and others, who had already witnessed the prowess of the Shinsengumi artillery, felt a chill run down their spines and their faces paled.

If even they were like this, then it goes without saying that Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, Matsudaira Shigeaki, and others were encountering the Shinsengumi for the first time and seeing such a sight for the first time.

Every single one of them was utterly astonished; a very few even had their jaws nearly drop to the ground.

Unwittingly, Aoto once again demonstrated the strength of the Shinsengumi and his absolute dominance in the Gyeonggi region!

After a brief moment of shock, Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, the lord of the Owari Domain, gradually came to his senses.

Then, he was seen fawning over Qingdeng with a plastered smile:

"General Tachibana, your Shinsengumi... is truly remarkable..."

He hesitated for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out the word "amazing".

There was no way around it; this unprecedented scene had a tremendous impact on him.

He exhausted all his knowledge but could not come up with a more suitable and accurate word.

Faced with Tokugawa Yoshikatsu's flattery, Aoto smiled slightly and casually returned the compliment.

Qingdeng thought he would face a counterattack from the Choshu artillery.

But to everyone's surprise... after waiting for quite a while, no shells from Changzhou arrived.

Regarding this situation, Heisuke Todo voiced the questions that had been on everyone's mind:

"Changzhou...doesn't it have cannons?"

Although Choshu consistently practiced the political philosophy of "respecting and repelling barbarians," their army was equipped with a certain number of guns and cannons.

Although the guns and cannons they used were antiques, it is certain that the Choshu Army was not a purely feudal army.

There are records of Choshu soldiers using firearms and cannons in both the Shimonoseki War and the Kyoto Summer Siege.

Why didn't the Changzhou army retaliate with cannons? Surely not all of their cannons had been worn out in the previous battles—this question lingered in everyone's minds.

"..."

Qing Deng remained silent, his brows furrowed as he stared intently at the Changzhou army, which was being blasted into a hail of cannonballs.

After the Eleventh Division had launched more than a dozen rounds of artillery fire, Qing Deng slowly issued new orders:

"Eighth Division, proceed!"

*******

*******

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Chapter 901 A Sudden Turn of Events! A Surprise Attack Across the Sea on the Owari Domain! [5500]

Upon hearing the name of the 8th Division called by Aoto, Toudou Heisuke immediately perked up, stood up, stepped forward, loudly replied "Yes," and quickly left the main camp.

In fact, after the Eleventh Division's relentless bombardment, the remaining battle time was nothing more than boring "garbage time".

Although more than 80% of the shells missed their mark, the remaining shells were enough to destroy the Changzhou camp.

How could a camp built of wood possibly withstand the intense bombardment of cannons?

The once vast camp had been reduced to smoke-filled ruins.

The watchtower was destroyed.

The tents were blown away.

The barricades were smashed.

This camp, which was intended to "block the Shogunate army," was destroyed in an instant.

Even from a great distance, one could smell the pungent burning odor and hear the cries of the soldiers of Changzhou.

Of course, this is just the beginning.

For the Choshu army, an even bigger nightmare was yet to come.

At the forefront of the Mu army's position, the soldiers of the Eighth Division, arranged in a matrix, were fully prepared for battle.

As soon as the Eleventh Division's bombardment ceased, Toudou Heisuke, positioned behind the matrix, immediately drew his sword and shouted:

"go ahead!"

Upon receiving this order, the Eighth Division immediately went from stillness to movement! With perfectly synchronized steps, they slowly marched towards the ruins of the Choshu Camp!

Seeing that the Shogunate army had launched a ground offensive, the Choshu army immediately responded.

However... after last night's night attack and the recent devastating bombing, the morale of the Choshu army has plummeted to rock bottom.

Now that even their most relied-upon camp has been destroyed, how can they possibly resist the Mu army?

"Follow me!"

"Hold Yizhou Pass at all costs! We must not let the Mongol army get through!"

"Go ahead and do it your way! I'm not playing along!"

"Yoshitaro! What are you staring at?! You don't really want to die here, do you?! Hana is still waiting for you back home!"

Faced with the Eighth Division's direct attack, the Choshu army divided themselves into two distinct groups.

Some of them bravely went into battle.

The other group fled in panic.

The dense barrage of shells not only destroyed the camp, but also brought unspeakable fear.

From the moment they arrived, the fear of "not knowing when a shell would fall on their heads" had been constantly weighing on the minds of the soldiers in Changzhou, putting them under immense psychological pressure.

The whistling of the shells and the terrifying sound of their explosions intensified their fear.

At this moment, the vast majority of the Changzhou army were completely stunned by the explosion and lost their basic order.

They didn't bother to stop the deserters and rushed forward to confront the Eighth Division in a chaotic manner.

Several trenches, clearly recently dug, stretched across the perimeter of the camp.

Because the camp had been destroyed, the Changzhou troops had no choice but to abandon it and move to the trenches in front of the camp, relying on these remaining fortifications to carry out their defense.

Perhaps to compensate for the lack of ranged attack methods, many soldiers carried simple slings.

Don't underestimate the sling.