I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"It's the vice-commander, the chief of staff, and the captain of the 10th Division!"

"Let them through! Let them through now!"

No one is allowed to ride at high speed within the camp—this is one of the basic military rules of the Shinsengumi.

Therefore, after passing the guards' inspection, Hijikata Toshizo and the others tightened their reins and stopped their horses.

Before the horses had even come to a complete stop, they eagerly leaped off.

"Whoa...! Whoa...!"

With painful groans, the three horses they were riding collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth, as soon as they came to a stop.

In their haste to reach the central army camp, they nearly broke their whips and exhausted every last bit of their horses.

As we all know, horseback riding is a physically demanding activity.

After half an hour of continuous high-speed driving, they felt numbness in their lower back and pain in their inner thighs.

However, the situation was urgent.

A sense of responsibility spurred them on, and they rushed to the main camp without stopping.

Before long, a huge flag bearing the character "诚" (sincerity) came into their view.

Below the banner bearing the character "诚" (sincerity) was the main camp tent.

The "Royal Guard," composed of elite swordsmen from the First Division, firmly guarded this place.

Before they even entered the main tent, Hijikata Toshizo and the others could already hear the commotion.

"We must return! We must return as soon as possible!"

This is the voice of Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, the lord of the Owari Domain.

"Return to base? Are we just going to give up halfway like this?!"

This is the voice of Matsudaira Yōho, Lord of the Aizu Domain.

Upon hearing this sound, the three of them hurried a few steps and lifted the curtain of the large tent—instantly, the heat of the crowd and the strong smell of gunpowder rushed towards them.

Qing Deng sat in the head seat with a blank expression.

The other generals sat in order of rank and status on either side of him.

Before Hijikata Toshizo and his men arrived, the generals inside the tent were already arguing fiercely.

It wasn't until they lifted the curtain and entered the tent that things finally calmed down a bit.

Hijikata Toshizo bowed slightly:

"Sorry we're late."

Qing Deng raised his chin:

"You've arrived much earlier than I expected. Please take your seats."

The three responded in unison, entered the tent, and found their respective seats.

At this point, all the senior officers of the Expeditionary Army Corps had arrived.

Looking up, apart from a very few people like Qing Deng and Hijikata Toshizo, the expressions of the rest were extremely unpleasant.

Upon closer reflection, this is not surprising at all.

Until tonight, they were all smiling, convinced that Changzhou was finished and that the legion would sweep away Changzhou and Zhou in one fell swoop with unstoppable momentum.

Who would have thought... Changzhou had such a trump card hidden in its hands!

The Choshu army launched a surprise attack across the sea on the Owari Domain, and Nagoya Castle fell... When this news arrived, it was truly like a bombshell had been dropped on the scene!

Firstly, the vast majority of people had never thought of such a tactic.

To sail across the ocean and attack the enemy's rear... such tactics were unheard of!

Secondly, the fall of the Owari Domain will inevitably have a very serious impact on the current campaign against Owari.

It's no exaggeration to say that Choshu's conquest of the Owari Domain was tantamount to cutting Japan in two!

With the Owari Domain as its base, the Choshu army could launch attacks from all sides.

Heading west, they could directly attack the stronghold of the Qin Jin Domain in Qing Deng, and then seize the capital.

Heading east... we can attack Kanto! And occupy Edo!

The sudden and dramatic change caught many people off guard.

What should I do next?

Should we continue the attack on Changzhou?

Or should we turn back and rush to the aid of Owari?

"General Tachibana!"

Suddenly, a loud shout drew everyone's attention.

Everyone raised their eyes and looked in the direction of the voice—the speaker was none other than Tokugawa Yoshikatsu.

Tokugawa Yoshikatsu looked at Aoto with eyes that were half annoyed and half pleading:

"General Tachibana! Please order a retreat immediately! Recapture Owari before the Choshu army can establish a firm foothold!"

The fall of the Owari Domain... The person most anxious about this was undoubtedly Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, the lord of the Owari Domain.

He had always opposed the "Chōshū Expedition" and was unwilling to get involved in the war. He was forced by the shogunate to reluctantly lead his troops into battle.

Forced to do work he didn't want to do, and before he could finish, he suddenly learned that his home had been captured and his family members were all dead or alive... Even if one were to exhaust all the words in the world, it would be difficult to accurately describe his state of mind at that moment.

Therefore, his anxiety and fear, as well as his current loss of composure, are indeed understandable.

His stance was clear: Return immediately! Defeat the Choshu army! Liberate Owari!

Of course, while some advocate for returning to base, others oppose it.

As expected, no sooner had Tokugawa Yoshikatsu finished speaking than dissenting voices arose:

"Return to base?! We've already fought our way this far! You want us to turn back?!"

Directly opposite Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, Matsudaira Katamori, the lord of the Aizu Domain, frowned and glared at him.

"If we turn back now, all our previous efforts will be in vain!"

Tokugawa Yoshikatsu immediately launched a sharp rebuttal:

"Matsudaira Higo-no-kami, stop spouting nonsense! It's not like your Aizu Domain was captured, so of course you're not worried!"

*******

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It's almost the end of the month again! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg) Requesting monthly passes! Requesting recommendation votes! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

P.S.: For some reason, my stomach feels really uncomfortable today... Please forgive me for the shorter word count today due to my illness! (Sad face.jpg)

Chapter 905 The Second "Great Chinese Return"! [4800]

Due to his emotional state, Tokugawa Yoshikatsu's voice was hoarse and almost cracked.

He emphasized the words "Matsudaira Higo no Kami" when he spoke of them.

Its intention is obvious.

The Owari Domain is one of the "Three Houses of the Kingdom," and the lord of the domain has hereditary the position of Gon-Dainagon (Junior Second Rank).

In terms of daimyo rank, he was one of the "Three Great Families"; in terms of official position in the imperial court, he was a power-appointed dainagon.

In contrast, Matsudaira Katamori... Although the Aizu Domain was also a close relative domain, it could not be compared with the Owari Domain at all. The difference between the two was like that between an "adopted son" and a "biological son".

As for the hereditary position of Higo no Kami (Junior Fifth Rank, Upper) held by the Aizu family, it is even more incomparable to the position of Gon-Dainagon.

Therefore, Tokugawa Yoshikatsu's meaning was very simple: You, my subordinate, should stop arguing with your superior!

Under normal circumstances, Matsudaira Katamori, who dislikes causing trouble, would most likely have stopped talking and let it go.

However... the current emergency has caused him to lose his usual composure.

Boom!

He stood up abruptly.

Because he stood up too forcefully, the stool he was standing on was thrown off and landed heavily with a loud thud.

"Tokugawa Dainagon, I am by no means a cold-blooded person, nor am I being generous with other people's money!"

"I am just as anxious as you are about the attack on the Owari Domain."

"But if we turn back now, all our recent gains... no, all our preparations over the past year will be for naught!"

"Since the special forces are far away in Owari, it means that the current Choshu Domain is a truly 'empty country'."

"Therefore, now is the best time to seize Hagi Castle and annihilate Choshu!"

"We have prepared and looked forward to attacking Changzhou for a long time. Are we just going to give up like this?"

"If we don't seize this opportunity to wipe out the Chang and Zhou kingdoms in one fell swoop, we'll be rid of this major threat, and there will be endless troubles in the future!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately received a huge number of echoes.

"That's right, that's right!"

"I hate Changzhou to the core!"

"General Tachibana! We should continue the attack! Destroy Choshu!"

At first glance, the momentum of the "pro-war faction" is quite astonishing.

However... the voices of the "pro-withdrawal faction" are equally strong.

Matsudaira Katamori had barely finished speaking when Tokugawa Yoshikatsu coldly snorted:

"Ah! Matsudaira Higo-no-kami's words are truly stirring and passionate!"

They're practically ready to label me a 'coward' and a 'traitor who missed a crucial opportunity'!

“I do not deny that my advocacy for ‘immediate return’ stemmed from my own selfish motives.”