I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Katsura-kun, Takasugi-kun, what about you? How much longer will it take for your special forces to complete?"

Takasugi Shinsaku turned his head and glanced at his companions who were still continuously disembarking from the warship:

"It will take about 20 minutes."

"20 minutes...20 minutes...this is so nerve-wracking."

The eight-headed serpent curled its lips into a smile, its facial expression becoming intriguing, its eyes shining brightly, showing no trace of the weak and sickly appearance it had just displayed.

"I really want to advance as soon as possible."

"We have endured countless years of hardship for this day."

"On the contrary, I felt extremely anxious during the last 20 minutes."

At this moment, Shuten-dōji suddenly stepped forward and said to Yamata no Orochi:

"Lord Orochi, since we still have some time, please say a few words to boost morale."

"Oh? To boost morale? Me?"

Shuten-dōji nodded solemnly:

"Yes. Your words are powerful, and at times like these, it's even more important to say something inspiring!"

Upon hearing this, the Yamata no Orochi burst into laughter.

Then, with his hands behind his back, he slowly turned around and faced the crowd.

Seeing that Orochi was about to give a short speech, Shuten-dōji, Umibōzu, and the other executives all perked up and stared intently at him, their eyes filled with a hint of fanaticism.

Only Ōtakemaru was an exception.

Perhaps due to his congenital deafness and muteness, he was not good at expressing his emotions, and Katsura Kogoro never saw him show any expression other than "expressionless".

"...Ladies and gentlemen, as I just said, we have endured countless years for this day."

The calm voice of the Yamata no Orochi clearly reached everyone's ears.

As he spoke calmly, he slowly turned his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone present—including Katsura and Takasugi.

"To be frank, our legion was completely cobbled together."

"Not only are the sources of soldiers complex, but the number of soldiers is also small."

"The 2000 men of the Changzhou Special Forces, and the 2000 mercenaries of the 'Slavic Legion,' which we painstakingly assembled with Mr. Orleans's wholehearted assistance, make a total of 4000 men."

"'With this little force, you think you can overthrow the Shogunate?'—This was the first thing Takasugi blurted out after hearing the full details of the 'Amanuma Spear' plan."

"His question was so sharp that I couldn't refute it."

"Even someone as optimistic as me can't bring myself to say, '4000 men are more than enough to overthrow the Shogunate.'"

"However, despite how incredibly crazy and dangerous it is, this is the limit of what we can do right now."

"From that dilapidated society that was almost disbanded back then, with only me and Tamamo-no-Mae remaining, to where we are today... the hardships we went through make me so sad that I almost cry just thinking about them."

"Admittedly, we are a cobbled-together legion, but so what?"

"We share the same goal."

"We all hate the Edo Shogunate."

"We all want to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"That is enough!"

"We are gathered here because of our common interests, and we are willing to put aside all barriers for the cause of 'overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate'—with this alone, we already possess great power!"

At this point, Orochi suddenly raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers towards the void, as if trying to grasp something.

"Gentlemen, do not hesitate, go all out to leave behind a world-shaking infamy!"

"Go and wake those who are still fast asleep and unwilling to wake up!"

“Tell them: ‘The Tokugawa era is over! The days when you could lie on your ancestors’ achievements and live a life of leisure are gone forever!’”

"From this day forward, a new era will be created by you and me!"

……

……

Choshu Domain, Suo Province, a certain place—

After taking Zhou Nan without bloodshed, Qing Deng, as usual, left some troops to guard the area, and then led the remaining troops to march northwest, preparing to attack the mountain pass and open the gates of Changmen Kingdom.

As Qingdeng had predicted, all the villages along the march route became "ghost villages," with not a single villager in sight.

To escape the war, the villagers fled or hid, taking with them all their food and valuables.

Qingdeng never intended to plunder the people, so he felt no regret for these "abandoned villages" where there was no "profit" to be made; on the contrary, he felt somewhat fortunate.

It's good that all the people have fled, so as to avoid being accidentally injured.

However... some domain generals actually suggested to him: Set the village on fire! Burn everything in the village that can be burned, so that the people of Choshu will never forget the fate of the corrupt shogunate!

Clearly, these people came to offer their advice in order to curry favor with Qingdeng and become familiar with him.

Unfortunately, they clearly didn't understand Qingdeng, and their attempt to flatter him backfired.

Qingdeng would never agree to such a bestial act that was utterly pointless and purely for the purpose of venting his anger.

He not only rejected these suggestions, but also publicly berated those who made them.

Faced with the stern rebuke from the King of Kings, these guys were so frightened that their faces changed color, their bodies went limp, and they almost collapsed to the ground, begging for mercy repeatedly.

Time passed...

In the blink of an eye, seven days have passed since the legion broke through Yizhou Pass.

After a seven-day march, the army had penetrated deep into the heart of the Choshu Domain.

Today, yet another "abandoned village" lies in the way of the legion's march.

The village is quite large, with three or four hundred houses scattered throughout its area.

Perhaps because all the villagers had long since fled, a desolate atmosphere permeated the air in the village.

Because it was situated right on the legion's route, the various units had to pass through it.

Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat...

The sound of galloping hooves broke the tranquility of the village.

Squads of cavalry cautiously crossed the village entrance and entered the village—this was the vanguard led by Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, Harada Sanosuke, and others.

The primary responsibility of the vanguard was to clear the way for the main force, find supplies, study the terrain, and scout out enemy positions and track enemy movements.

The village was large and located in a strategically important area, making it highly likely that the Choshu army would set up an ambush there.

Just to be on the safe side, after a brief discussion, Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke decided to thoroughly inspect the village.

Generally speaking, these meticulous tasks are mostly handled by the meticulous Yamanami Keisuke.

Therefore, upon entering the village, Yamanami Keisuke skillfully ordered his subordinates to disperse and thoroughly investigate the village.

This is a very time-consuming task.

About half an hour later, a soldier rode up to Yamanami Keisuke and reported loudly:

"Commander! This village is safe! There are no ambushes!"

Yamanami Keisuke nodded:

"Okay, I understand. Leave 100 men to guard this village! The rest of you continue marching!"

"Yes!"

As soon as the order was given, shouts of men and neighing of horses echoed throughout the village.

The soldiers, who had resumed their march, were like streams flowing out of the village.

Yamanami Keisuke mounted his horse and, surrounded by guards, leisurely rode through the village.

Just then, his gaze seemed to be drawn to something, and he looked around uncontrollably.

Although the village is large, it is truly dilapidated.

There wasn't a single decent house; they were all dilapidated huts built of wood and thatch.

There wasn't a single good road; they were all bumpy, muddy roads that would turn into puddles as soon as it rained.

It's easy to imagine that the villagers in this village must have been living in poverty, enduring a hard life of being half full and half hungry every day.

"..."

Looking at the dilapidated houses and the muddy, broken roads beneath his feet, Yamanami Keisuke pursed his lips, his expression becoming complex and indescribable.

……

……

That night--

Yamanami Keisuke and his companions were quite lucky tonight, managing to find a suitable place to camp before nightfall.

After a simple dinner, Yamanami Keisuke quietly returned to his tent.

He had barely lifted the tent flap when he let out a long sigh, as if shedding his disguise, revealing a deep weariness on his face.

"This is really difficult..."

He muttered to himself as he floated to the table, casually sat down cross-legged, and stared blankly at the candle on the table. The orange light filled his eyes as he seemed lost in thought.

Just as he was lost in thought—

"Mr. Shannan! Mr. Shannan! Look! Look!"

Harada Sanosuke's voice suddenly came from outside the tent.

Before Yamanami Keisuke could respond, Harada Sanosuke flung open the tent flap and barged in.

He did not come empty-handed; he carried a gift in his hand—a large, fat frog in his palm.

"Mr. Shannan, look! What a huge frog!"

"I've never seen such a fat frog before!"