I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Lord Shuten-dōji, an urgent message!"

A kappa, riding a fast horse, panted as he handed over the letter.

"Kappa, thank you for your hard work."

Shuten-dōji reached out and took the letter, quickly reading it at a glance.

A moment later, as if he had seen something interesting, he raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and the corners of his mouth stretched wide to the left and right, almost reaching his ears.

"...Kappa, relay the order to the entire army—cease the advance and rest on the spot!"

Katsura Kogoro happened to be right next to Shuten-dōji at that moment.

Upon hearing Shuten-dōji order a halt to the march, he immediately asked:

"Shuten-dōji, what happened?"

Shuten-dōji suppressed his wide grin, smiled faintly, slowly put down the letter in his hand, and turned to look at the west behind him—at that moment, the excitement in his eyes intensified.

"The Shinsengumi... Niou has arrived!"

……

……

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi, military conference room——

The general, the three chiefs (deputy chief, bureau chief, and chief of staff), the three assistants (assistant to the deputy chief, assistant to the bureau chief, and assistant to the chief of staff), the captains of each squad, the deputy captains of each squad... all the senior officers of the newly selected group are here!

Qing Deng sat imposingly in the main seat, with the others seated in order of rank and status on his left and right sides.

Some of them looked travel-worn, clearly having just arrived in Otsu and being called to a meeting without even having time to change their clothes.

Although their faces were etched with weariness, they all perked up and stared intently at the map before them.

Before them lay a detailed map, depicting the topography from the capital region to Edo, as well as the locations of various strategic points.

"...That concludes the current battle situation."

As he spoke, Keisuke Yamanami put away the thin stick he had used to point out different parts of the map and sat back down in his original position.

Just now, he briefly summarized the current situation.

Upon learning of the fall of Sunpu Castle and the fact that the Choshu army had penetrated deep into the heart of Suruga Province, many of those present were speechless with astonishment.

Harada Sanosuke scratched his head:

"Hey...isn't this really bad? Looking at the map, the Choshu army is almost at Edo!"

Nagakura Shinpachi said in a deep voice:

"There's no other way... we can only hurry on our way."

Todo Heisuke's lips twitched:

"Are you kidding me...? We just completed the 'Second Great Return to China,' and now we're going to launch the 'Great Pursuit of the Tokaido'?"

Inoue Genzaburo shook his head:

"Impossible. The soldiers are exhausted. They've done everything they could to get back to Otsu as quickly as possible! They're too weak to launch any more 'Great Pursuit of the Tokaido' in the short term..."

Harada Sanosuke said urgently:

"Even so, we have no choice but to fight! Master Kondo, Aunt Pen... they're still in Edo! If Edo falls, won't they be in big trouble?!"

The debate continues.

The once quiet military council room gradually became noisy.

"..."

Suddenly, Qingdeng silently reached out his hand and made a few light pressure gestures.

Seeing this, everyone shut their mouths and stopped arguing.

The military council room, which was noisy just a moment ago, became so quiet you could hear a pin drop again.

"Don't be impatient."

Qingdeng slowly said as he withdrew his outstretched hand.

"Before considering the 'pursuit,' we must first consider 'how to defeat the enemy forces that come to intercept us.'"

Upon hearing this, many people immediately cast puzzled glances at Qingdeng.

Heisuke Todo tilted his head:

"'Enemy forces that have come to intercept us'? Mr. Tachibana, haven't the Choshu army already penetrated deep into the heart of Suruga Province? Why would they come to intercept us?"

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

"No, they will definitely split into two groups, one to continue attacking Edo, and the other to turn east and block our westward advance!"

His tone was firm and powerful, making people unconsciously believe him.

Nagakura Shinpachi asked in a halting manner:

"This... Mr. Tachibana, could it be that you've already received relevant information?"

Qingdeng shook his head:

"No, this is just my personal judgment—if I were the commander-in-chief of the Choshu army, I would definitely divide my forces into two groups! If I don't try to hold off the Shinsengumi's advance and buy them time, I would never dare to launch a full-scale attack on Edo!"

……

……

Suruga Province, Choshu Army's main camp—

"...In conclusion, that's the situation. Aoto has led the Shinsengumi back to Otsu."

The kappa standing beside Shuten-dōji calmly recounted the information he had just learned about the "Return of Niō".

In an instant, panic filled the air both inside and outside the camp!

Niou has arrived!

The impact of these words on the generals in the camp was no less than that of "ten thousand heavenly soldiers suddenly descending upon them"!

The generals of the "Changzhou faction," who had been repeatedly defeated by Qing Deng and had never gotten the better of him, all showed a change in expression.

Even Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku couldn't help but frown and clench their fists tightly, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Although the cadres of the Fazhu Party managed to maintain their composure, the expressions on their faces also became quite unpleasant—except for Shuten-dōji, of course, who had been wearing a calm smile on his face since earlier, making it impossible to see what he was thinking.

"This...this is impossible...!"

Ru Nu gasped, her face turning deathly pale.

"From the heart of Choshu to Otsu...they covered such a long distance in just 13 days?! That's impossible!"

The woman spoke the minds of many present—they could hardly believe that the Shinsengumi had returned to the capital in such a short time!

"Woman, don't panic."

Suddenly, Shuten-dōji glanced sideways and cast a reproachful look at Nurami.

“Although you’re new here, you’re still a cadre of our Party of Law Enforcement. How can you be so rash and impetuous?”

"Yes, yes... I'm sorry, please excuse me..."

Ru Nu lowered her head, her face full of remorse.

Faced with Shuten-dōji's rebuke, she dared not refute at all, and silently admitted her mistake like a good child.

The next moment, Shuten-dōji sat up slightly and changed to a bright voice:

"As you have just heard, King Ni has returned."

"Now is wartime, and wasting time is a serious crime, so I'll be frank—I plan to split the army into two groups! One group, under my command, will continue eastward to attack Edo! The other group, under the command of others, will turn westward to set up defenses and block the Shinsengumi's advance!"

In an instant, astonished gazes swept across the camp.

The demon clicked his tongue in disbelief:

"Divide...divide the troops? Lord Shuten-dōji, isn't that wrong? Now that Niō has returned, shouldn't we concentrate our forces and strive to take Edo as soon as possible? Why disperse our already limited troops?"

Shuten-dōji said calmly:

"Right now, Niou is right behind us—under these circumstances, how can we concentrate our efforts on attacking Edo?"

This statement left those who looked puzzled speechless.

Shuten-dōji continued:

"The Shinsengumi traveled from the heart of Choshu back to Otsu in just 13 days—which demonstrates their exceptional marching ability."

"If they can catch up with Otsu at this speed, then they can probably catch up with us at the same speed."

"Don't underestimate Edo Castle!"

"Edo Castle is an impregnable fortress built by the Tokugawa family at great expense!"

"Moreover, there are unknown combat forces in Edo Town, such as Otani Seiichiro and Chiba Sadakichi."

"If we fail to capture Edo after a prolonged siege, and the Shinsengumi seizes the opportunity to pursue us and strike us in the rear... what will we do then?"

Everyone: "..."

No one refuted this.

After a moment, Umibozu said quietly:

"But... if we need to attack Edo and intercept the Shinsengumi, do we have enough troops?"

Shuten-dōji smiled slightly:

"No need to worry! As long as we hold that position, we can hold off the Shinsengumi with very few troops!"

……

……

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi, military conference room——

"In my opinion, the Changzhou army that turned back to block us will definitely be deployed here."

After saying that, Qingdeng bent down and pointed to the map in front of him.