I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

With Sasao-yama, Tenman-yama, and Matsuo-yama, but having lost Nangong-yama... Such an opening is neither "auspicious" nor "inauspicious," but rather "neutral."

After receiving Harada Sanosuke's report, Aoto had just finished dealing with all the political and military affairs at hand and had explained everything that needed to be explained.

Therefore, he immediately led a portion of the soldiers who had completed their rest and reorganization to Sekigahara!

Today, he successfully arrived at this uniquely chosen battlefield.

At this moment, Qing Deng, standing on high ground, effortlessly overlooks the entire Sekigahara Plain.

He had a panoramic view of the opposite Nangong Mountain.

With his exceptional eyesight, he could vaguely make out figures moving through the forests of Nangong Mountain. They must be soldiers of the Changzhou Army setting up defenses and building fortresses.

"..."

After staring intently at Nangong Mountain for a while, he suddenly turned his eyes and looked around.

Sometimes he would glance at Mount Ibuki to the north, and sometimes he would scan Mount Matsuo to the southwest.

He wasn't admiring the scenery; instead, he was memorizing the terrain of Sekigahara and building a "virtual army" in his mind. On that virtual battlefield of Sekigahara, he was constantly changing formations and tactics, waging a magnificent war!

Coincidentally, at the same time, the general and strategist of the opposing army were doing the same thing.

Standing at the highest point of Mount Nangong, Takasugi Shinsaku scanned, observed, and memorized the terrain of Sekigahara.

Suddenly, he turned to a short, unremarkable man beside him and asked:

"Omura-kun, what do you think?"

The ugly guy called "Omura-kun" said calmly:

"I feel so excited right now. It's so exhilarating to be able to fight the famous Shinsengumi on such a great battlefield."

Shinsaku Takasugi grinned:

"Same feeling!"

Although the battle is still in the planning stages, the fight between the commanders has already begun!

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A new month has begun! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

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P.S.: Some readers asked me if this book is nearing its end. It's not ending anytime soon! The story of Nioh is still very long, and it doesn't seem like it's about to end at all.

Chapter 915 The Commander's Cough! Qing Deng is showing off again!

"Hurry up! Here, here, and there! Clear all the weeds in these areas!"

"Are the camps set up?"

"Where's the flag? Put the flag up right now!"

"A few of you, move this big rock!"

"One, two, three! Go! One more time! One, two, three! Go!"

……

After carefully examining the terrain of Sekigahara, Aoto decided to set up his main camp on the summit of Mount Tenman.

This location not only offers excellent visibility and flat terrain, but it is also close to major transportation routes, making it convenient for transmitting military orders to various locations.

More importantly, this location faces Nangong Mountain, making it easy to observe the movements of the Changzhou army.

Before long, the commander's tent, large enough to accommodate dozens of people, was set up, and the curtain embroidered with gentian leaves was also drawn.

Immediately afterwards, with the concerted efforts of several team members, the huge "Sincerity" flag was slowly raised.

Other flags raised at the same time included the three-leaf hollyhock flag, symbolizing the shogunate, and the gentian leaf flag, symbolizing the Hatazu Domain.

Three large flags stand side by side, braving the wind, echoing the three-star flag with one character on the opposite Nangong Mountain.

Two hundred and eighty years ago, in the "First Battle of Sekigahara," the Mori clan belonged to the Western Army, and their Ichimonji Three Stars Banner stood tall in the Western Army camp, while the Tokugawa clan belonged to the Eastern Army, and their Mitsuba Aoi Banner naturally stood tall in the Eastern Army camp.

Now, the positions of the two flags have been reversed.

The three-leaf hollyhock flag appeared in the Western Army, while the three-star flag appeared in the Eastern Army... It has to be said, this is quite an interesting coincidence.

After learning that the command tent had been set up and all the military flags had been raised, Qing Deng summoned Yamanami Keisuke, and the two held a brief meeting inside the command tent.

"Keisuke, where are all the squads located now?"

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Yamanami Keisuke, relying on his exceptional memory, answered in an orderly manner:

"The troops that have arrived at the Sekigahara battlefield so far include most of the First and Third Divisions, a small number of the Eighth and Eleventh Divisions, and the entire Seventh and Tenth Divisions, totaling more than 1500 people."

"Other troops are still on their way."

"The Second Division and the Fourth Division have arrived in Kusatsu."

"The Fifth Division has arrived at Hikone."

"The Sixth Division has arrived in Omi."

……

Yamanami Keisuke methodically reported the specific locations of each unit.

After listening attentively, Qingdeng half-jokingly sighed:

"Having just completed the 'Second Great Return to China,' we haven't even had a chance to rest for a moment before setting off again, rushing to Sekigahara without stopping... It must have been tough on the soldiers."

Yamanami Keisuke smiled:

"That's true."

"However, thanks to your magnanimous act of 'distributing wealth equally,' the morale of the soldiers is currently very high."

"The fatigue that had accumulated in their bodies seemed to disappear the moment they received the money."

He paused here, then adopted a helpless tone:

"King Tachibana, we've really gone broke this time... Our once overflowing treasury has been completely emptied..."

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

"Money can be earned back. But if we lose this battle, we'll have nothing left."

Back then, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi rushed back to Himeji Castle (his main castle at the time) to quickly defeat Akechi Mitsuhide, he immediately ordered the opening of Himeji Castle's treasury and distributed all the gold and silver accumulated in the castle equally among his soldiers.

The soldiers, having made a fortune, immediately felt their fatigue vanish and their fighting spirit soared, becoming one of the key factors in their subsequent victory over Akechi Mitsuhide.

Without a doubt, this move was full of boldness.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was well aware that his upcoming battle with Akechi Mitsuhide would be a life-or-death struggle that would determine his fate.

If we win, then everything will be fine.

If we lose, there's no point in keeping these gold and silver items.

Such a magnificent feat is something not everyone can accomplish.

There are countless people who, even when facing death, still cling to their money.

So, following the example of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Aoto opened the treasury in Ōtsu on the eve of his departure for Sekigahara and distributed all the gold and silver stored there equally to the Shinsengumi soldiers!

In doing so, he fulfilled his promise to Hijikata Toshizo to "treat the soldiers well."

In fact, after receiving the order to "prepare to go to Sekigahara", many soldiers in the Shinsengumi threw a tantrum.

We went through so much hardship to finally get back to Otsu from Choshu, and before we could even catch our breath, we're being sent to Sekigahara! Even cattle and horses wouldn't be treated this badly!

These grievances are showing a tendency to spread widely.

However, after receiving a huge sum of money equivalent to several years' worth of military pay, all these complaints vanished.

Instead, there were words of praise such as "King Ren is wise," "King Ren is magnanimous," and "Fighting alongside King Ren is truly exhilarating!"

Admittedly, emptying the treasury in one go is indeed heartbreaking.

However, just like Toyotomi Hideyoshi back then, the upcoming battles will also determine Aoto's fate!

Even setting aside all the abstract matters, just to provide support to Hijikata Toshizo and Elodie, who are currently stationed in Hachioji, as well as Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin in Edo Castle, it is worthwhile for Seidō to spare no effort to defeat the enemy forces in front of him!

After stating the current locations of each unit, Yamanami Keisuke turned to Aoto and asked:

"Ju-kun, how is Nangong Mountain? Have you noticed anything unusual?"

He was referring to Qing Deng standing alone atop Tianman Mountain, gazing at Nangong Mountain across the way, conducting "long-range reconnaissance" of the enemy lines.

Qing Deng said calmly:

"It is clear that the soldiers of Changzhou Army are digging trenches and building fortifications. It seems that they intend to turn Nangong Mountain into an impregnable fortress."

Upon hearing this, Yamanami Keisuke's face immediately darkened:

"Tsk... This is bad. The enemy has chosen the very tactic we least wanted to see...!"

Qingdeng shrugged.

"Don't panic."

"This was exactly what we expected, wasn't it?"

“Unless they’ve lost their minds, they’ll definitely adopt a ‘turtle strategy’ and hold us back, and they’ll never engage us in a head-on confrontation on the plains.”

Yamanami Keisuke nodded and sighed deeply:

"Hmm...you're right."

Instead of setting up defenses at the foot of the mountain, they climbed up to defend to the death—this kind of tactic would surely seem very familiar to Ma Su, who would scratch his head with a mix of emotions... Ah, no, he didn't have a head; his head had long been chopped off by Zhuge Liang.

This tactic of abandoning the foot of the mountain and concentrating all forces on the mountain is extremely risky.

For a detailed look at the specific risks, one can refer to the Battle of Jieting during the Three Kingdoms period, which was commanded by Comrade Ma Su.

If there were enough time, Qingdeng, with its superior troop strength, could have directly surrounded Nangong Mountain and worn down the enemy through the tedious but always effective "war of supplies".

However... what Qingdeng lacks most right now is time!

The Choshu army on the eastern route is advancing triumphantly, and both Hachioji and Edo are waiting for the Shinsengumi to come to their rescue.