I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Mr. Tachibana can do it!"

The resounding words interrupted the hesitant murmurs.

Harada Sanosuke stared intently at Yamanami Keisuke, his unwavering gaze causing the latter to instinctively look away, unable to meet his eyes.

"Hasn't Mr. Ju already enabled the millions of people in Qinjin Prefecture to live peaceful and stable lives?"

"Although it's still a long way from the 'Yu-Tang era,' at least under Mr. Ju's protection, no fool will dare to cause trouble in Qinjin!"

"Mr. Yamanami, what I'm about to say might sound strange, but I hope you'll listen until the end."

"I think you underestimate Mr. Orange."

"Do you really think that Mr. Tachibana's lifelong ambition is just to be the lord of a castle and a region, and then obediently serve the Tokugawa and guard the frontier for the shogunate?"

Upon hearing this, Yamanami Keisuke seemed to have heard some kind of "demonic sound." His expression changed drastically, and his face turned pale. He subconsciously raised his eyes and looked towards the tent entrance, wary of being overheard.

"Harada-kun, don't spout such nonsense!"

Ignoring his warning, Harada Sanosuke continued speaking to himself:

"No! Now that things have come to this, I must speak frankly!"

"Indeed, Mr. Tachibana usually has a serene and unambitious demeanor."

"But my intuition tells me that Mr. Tachibana harbors a great ambition deep within his heart!"

"I'm not making this up! I have evidence!"

"Why would someone who has no intention of vying for power tirelessly strengthen the Qin Jin Domain and improve the Shinsengumi's fighting strength?"

"If the purpose is to maintain stability in the capital region, then our current military strength is far too excessive!"

"Mr. Ju currently possesses enough power to conquer the world!"

"I guess it's mostly because Mr. Tachibana has a very deep friendship with Mr. Daiki and Mr. Omikami, so he can't bear to challenge the shogunate."

"Therefore, I often can't help but think: if one day, both the Great Tree Master and the Great Imperial Palace are gone, will Mr. Tachibana be able to unleash his 'great ambitions' without any scruples?"

"What kind of world does Mr. Ju want—I'm not very bright, so I have no idea."

"However, I can be sure... no, I can assert that Mr. Tachibana would never intentionally allow the farmers to live a miserable, half-dead existence in order to maintain his own position."

"I want to follow Mr. Ju and conquer the world!"

"I want to witness with my own eyes what kind of world Mr. Orange will create!"

"These are my heartfelt words, Harada Sanosuke."

“Mr. Shannan, if you are interested, please continue to witness with me.”

"If one day, Mr. Tachibana disappoints us... at least we'll have one more person to complain to."

Harada Sanosuke has finished speaking.

He smiled and concluded his impassioned speech with a teasing tone.

"..."

Yamanami Keisuke remained silent for a long time, his eyes gleaming.

After a short while, he slowly opened his mouth—accompanied by a self-deprecating laugh.

"...Harada-kun, you've really impressed me."

"To be honest, I always thought you were a bit slow-witted."

"Now it seems... you might actually be the Shinsengumi's greatest strategist!"

"The so-called 'great wisdom appears as foolishness' probably refers to people like you."

Harada Sanosuke laughed heartily:

"Mr. Shannan, you flatter me!"

"I can't accept the title of 'wise but foolish'."

"I am indeed very stupid. If I were smart, I wouldn't still not be able to recognize all the Chinese characters today!"

"I'm just a lucky guy who acts purely on intuition, never gives up once I've identified a principle, and has gotten to where I am today thanks to sheer luck."

After they finished speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled.

Compared to just now, Yamanami Keisuke seemed like a completely different person.

He seemed to have figured something out, or let go of something; his confused eyes and melancholy expression vanished instantly.

The air inside and outside the tent was filled with tranquility.

However... this tranquility lasted only a moment.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached from afar outside the tent.

The sound arrived before the footsteps:

"Shannan! Shannan!"

It was Hijikata Toshizo's voice.

With a whoosh, Hijikata Toshizo flung open the tent flap and poked half his body inside.

"Yamaminami! Hmm? Sanosuke, what are you doing here? Oh well! I'll let you know all at once!"

Hijikata Toshizo's expression was extremely unpleasant, his handsome features tense up.

For a long time, Hijikata Toshizo, who was both wise and brave and had seen many storms, was known as someone who would remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him and would not blink even if a deer ran past him.

At this moment, he was so out of control... Neither Yamanami Keisuke nor Harada Sanosuke had ever seen this before!

The two immediately realized that something extremely serious must have happened!

In that instant, the two immediately switched identities—Yamaminami Keisuke became the "Commander-in-Chief of the Shinsengumi," and Harada Sanosuke became the "Captain of the 10th Division of the Shinsengumi."

As Yamanami Keisuke instinctively grabbed the sword beside him, he quickly asked:

"Hijikata-kun, what happened?"

Hijikata Toshizo said in a deep voice:

"Come with me quickly! We can talk as we travel!"

Harada Sanosuke pressed further:

"On the move? Where are we headed?"

"Head to the central command post! Tachibana is waiting for us!"

Before he could finish speaking, he snatched it away.

Although Yamanami Keisuke and Harada Sanosuke didn't understand why, they immediately followed.

……

……

Tap tap! Tap tap! Tap tap! Tap tap! Tap tap!

Three swift horses galloped past, their hooves thundering, startling countless birds along the way.

Led by Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami and Harada mounted their fastest horses and hurriedly left the vanguard camp, taking a shortcut straight to the location of the central army.

Fortunately, it's a clear night with a full moon, and the bright moonlight shines down on the earth, saving us the trouble of carrying lanterns.

Halfway there, Hijikata Toshizo briefly explained the situation to the two of them.

After he finished speaking, the two of them froze like statues, then stared wide-eyed in disbelief, their faces dominated by intense shock.

Even the mature and composed Yamanami Keisuke couldn't help but be momentarily lost in thought.

Harada Sanosuke exclaimed in surprise:

"What?! A surprise attack team has launched a cross-sea raid on the Owari Domain?!"

Hijikata Toshizo corrected him without any sadness or joy:

"Not just the Special Forces. According to reports, a large number of Western faces were found among the troops that attacked the Owari Domain."

"Westerners? This...this...the Changzhou people colluding with Westerners? What kind of nonsense is this?!"

No wonder he was so surprised.

In recent years, Changzhou has been practicing a radical policy of expelling foreigners.

Not long ago, they were fighting tooth and nail with the Westerners in the "Battle of Xiaguan," but now they have joined forces again, which would surprise anyone.

About 10 seconds later, Keisuke Yamanami finally recovered.

He gritted his teeth, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, and even the hand holding the reins unconsciously tightened its grip.

"The Owari Domain... this location is not good...!"

As a learned and knowledgeable man, Yamanami Keisuke was well aware of how strategically important the Nobi Plain was.

The proverb "He who controls Meinong controls the world" is no joke!

"Shut up! The horse is running so fast, be careful not to bite your tongue!"

Yamanami and Harada both turned to look at Hijikata Toshizo in front of them.

Hijikata Toshizo continued in a solemn tone:

"Hurry up and get going!"

"Let's discuss this in detail once we reach the central army headquarters and meet with Tachibana!"

Having said that, he fell silent and continued on his way.

Yamanami Keisuke and Harada Sanosuke exchanged a glance, then simultaneously lowered their upper bodies and raised their center of gravity to try to reduce the pressure on the horses and increase their speed as much as possible.

……

……

The three of them raced at breakneck speed for almost half an hour before finally spotting the candlelight of the central army camp.

Upon seeing unidentified individuals approaching, the guards immediately raised their weapons and stepped forward to intercept them.

After seeing the person's face clearly, they quickly stood on both sides and made way for him.