I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Immediately afterwards, three lightly dressed soldiers from Choshu pushed through the bushes and came out, only to run into Qing Deng and his men.

Upon seeing Qing Deng and his group, the three men's faces changed drastically, and they questioned in shrill voices:

Who are you?

They were probably patrolmen from the Choshu army.

To conceal their presence, Qing Deng and the others did not wear their signature light blue haori, but instead wore inconspicuous casual clothes.

For this reason, the three patrolmen did not immediately realize the identities of Qing Deng and the others.

However, they instinctively sensed that the newcomers were hostile, and subconsciously reached for the swords at their waists, preparing to warn them.

To be fair, their reaction speed was fast enough.

Unfortunately... they encountered the captains of the first and third divisions of the Shinsengumi!

Despite not having made any prior arrangements, Souji and Saito Hajime simultaneously galloped away on horseback!

As the two men charged forward on horseback, they drew their swords from their waists.

Two swords drew dazzling lights in mid-air.

Saito killed one.

The commander-in-chief then beheaded the other two.

The three patrolmen died on the spot before they could even scream.

Before I could even relax, more and denser rustling sounds came from another direction.

At the same time, a series of conversations could also be heard:

"what happened?"

"There seems to be a strange sound coming from over there!"

"Go! Go and see!"

Judging from their appearance, they should be patrolmen from the Changzhou Army.

Qingdeng didn't even glance at the approaching enemy soldiers, and without turning his head, he asked in return:

How many people came?

The commander replied indifferently:

"Five... no, six people."

Qingdeng's calm tone remained unchanged as he continued to ask:

"Is everything alright?"

Saito Hajime, usually taciturn and rarely showing his expression in public, surprisingly tugged at the corners of his mouth and said softly:

"No need for you to trouble yourself."

Upon hearing the affirmative reply, Qingdeng asked no further questions and continued to observe the enemy formation before him through his binoculars.

Souji and Saito Hajime transferred the reins to their left hands, held their swords in their right hands, and lightly tapped their horses' bellies with their heels as they slowly walked toward the enemy soldiers' location...

Before long, handfuls of blood gushed out from behind Qingdeng like a hot spring.

Blood flowed all over the ground, but not a single drop touched Qingdeng.

Qingdeng stood amidst the blood rain, intently observing the enemy formation, not even raising an eyebrow, completely unmoved.

……

……

That night--

As dusk settled, Aoto returned to camp unharmed—a fact that brought a sigh of relief to Yamanami Keisuke.

As soon as Qing Deng returned to camp, he received a startling message—an envoy from Edo had come to visit!

Ever since learning of the troubles in Nobi and the crisis in Kanto, Aoto has been keeping a close eye on news from Edo, worried about the safety of Tenshōin and her son.

In this era where information transmission relies entirely on human legs and horse hooves, Qingdeng had no choice but to wait patiently.

Finally, the long-awaited Edo messenger arrived. He didn't even have time to change his clothes before summoning him and eagerly inquiring about the current situation in Edo.

If you don't ask, fine, but once you do, your expression is immediately filled with intense shock.

"What?! Iemochi... Lord Taiki and Prince Tenshōin haven't left Edo Castle?!"

So surprised that he stood up uncontrollably, knocking the stool beneath him flying.

The envoy was startled, but he swallowed hard, forced himself to remain calm, and said solemnly:

"Yes, yes! Lord Daiki and Prince Tenshōin have declared to the world that they 'swear to live and die with Edo'! No matter how the courtiers try to persuade them, they refuse to leave!"

……

……

A few days ago——

Edo, Edo Castle —

Just two days after the fall of Nagoya Castle, news of the Choshu army's surprise attack on Noo across the sea reached Edo Castle.

Before long, the lord and his retainers of Edo learned that the Choshu army had abandoned Nagoya Castle, mustered all their troops, and were heading east!

To avoid panic, Edo Castle implemented the strictest information blockade, strictly prohibiting any related information from leaking to the public.

Everyone knows that this is just a temporary measure. In a few days, all the people of Edo will know that the Choshu army will soon be at the gates of Edo Castle.

Before the situation spiraled out of control, Tokugawa Iemochi summoned his retainers to discuss countermeasures.

Edo Castle, Ōhiro-mata—

Tokugawa Iemochi sat solemnly in the main seat, his face ashen.

The retainers, led by the senior councilor Makino Tadakatsu, sat below him.

As soon as the meeting started, the scene was as noisy as a vegetable market.

"What...what are we going to do?!"

"We have no choice but to mobilize! Mobilize 80,000 cavalry immediately!"

"80,000 Hatamoto cavalry? What nonsense are you spouting now? Don't you know how much fighting strength the Hatamoto cavalry have left?"

"In that case, let's run away... Ah, no, let's retreat! Let's retreat to Oshu first, and then we can make further plans!"

"Retreat? The shogunate, a mighty government, abandoning Edo without firing a single shot? What will the feudal lords and the millions of common people think of us? We will be utterly disgraced!"

"We do not have enough fighting power to stop the Changzhou Army!"

……

Looking at the chaotic meeting room, Tokugawa Iemochi coldly said:

"quiet."

His voice was instantly drowned out by the sea of ​​sound.

"Silence!"

The ensuing roar swept through the entire venue like a storm.

Silence fell once more.

Everyone lay prostrate on the ground, silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to utter another word.

After silencing his ministers, Tokugawa Iemochi turned his head and looked at someone sitting in the front row, very close to him:

“Shengjun, I would like to hear your opinion.”

The "Katsu-kun" he was referring to was naturally the Navy President, Katsura Rintaro.

If there is anyone among the assembled officials who is an expert in military affairs... then it is only Katsura Rintaro!

When Tokugawa Iemochi called out Katsura Rintaro's name, most of the people present looked at him with pleading and expectant eyes—among them were many who disliked him and frequently attacked him.

If Edo falls, not a single one of the officials present will fare well.

Even if they managed to escape, they wouldn't be able to take all the valuables from their own homes, which would only benefit the enemy.

Therefore, they had no choice but to treat Katsura Rintaro with the mentality of "clutching at a straw".

From the start of the meeting, Katsura Rintarou crossed his arms and remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

Even after being singled out by Tokugawa Iemochi, he did not speak immediately.

It wasn't until about five seconds later that he let out a heavy sigh:

"My lord, though I am reluctant to admit it, ... since the enemy has the ability to easily capture Nagoya Castle, then with the current fighting strength of Edo, it is impossible to defeat the enemy."

"but--"

Before anyone could show any disappointment or despair, he suddenly changed the subject.

"To say that the only thing we can do right now is to run away with our tails between our legs is not entirely true."

"In fact, we have a solution: concentrate all our manpower and resources to fight a siege battle against the enemy!"

Tokugawa Iemochi raised an eyebrow and repeated:

"A siege battle?"

Siege warfare – as the name suggests, is a battle to defend a city to the death.

Katsura Rintaro nodded:

"That's right, a siege!"

"Admittedly, we cannot defeat the enemy through field battles."

"However, we can lure the enemy into the city and use the vast town as a battlefield!"

"Edo was a giant city that could accommodate a million people."

"The complexity of the streets and alleys and the precision of the building layout are like a maze."

“Street towns with narrow terrain, making it difficult to deploy formations, can minimize the impact on enemy firepower.”