I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"An ordinary pistol is far superior to swords and knives."

"Our military strategy was also eliminated along with it."

"There was a time when I devoted myself to studying military strategy."

"He successively mastered the military science of the Koshu-ryu Sankaden school, the naval science of the Nojima-ryu school, and the artillery techniques of the Gaike-ryu school..."

"Unexpectedly, in the end, all these military strategies passed down from our ancestors have become outdated and useless."

"All my previous efforts and sacrifices have become a joke."

After saying that, he slowly drew the sword from his waist, the snow-white blade reflecting his faintly lonely expression.

"It's pitiful that we have dedicated our entire lives to the sword, defeated countless formidable enemies, only to lose to the tides of the times in the end."

“Seiichiro, now that things have come to this, I’ll be honest with you.”

"Ever since I accepted your invitation to take the position of 'Head of the Military Academy', I have been very depressed."

"My martial arts skills and military strategies are all worthless if I don't teach them."

"The only thing I can do is to use my personal qualifications to enhance the prestige of the Military Academy and help you maintain order."

As Kubota Kiyone poured out her heart, Otani Seiichiro smiled calmly:

"Qingyin, haven't I been the same way?"

"The modern era no longer needs a 'sword saint' who only knows how to wield swords."

"So, when I learned that we would be fighting a siege against the enemy in Edo, I felt a little relieved—at least we old bones could swing our swords one last time before we die!"

"Haha, this might be the blessing of the gods and Buddhas."

"Let's just consider this battle as the last battle of swords... and of us old folks abandoned by the times!"

Looking at Otani Seiichiro, who was making bold statements with an optimistic and unrestrained expression, Kubota Kiyone blinked a few times, her eyes flashing with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

In no time, that look turned into a "I really can't do anything with you" expression.

"Seiichiro, your optimistic attitude is something I should learn from."

After saying that, he stood up slowly, stretched, and patted the dust off his bottom.

"Since you've put it this way, I have no choice but to risk my life to accompany you!"

……

……

Let's go back to the present—

Sekigahara, Mt. Tenma, Main Camp—

"..."

After listening to the envoy's report and gaining a general understanding of the current situation in Edo, Qing Deng raised his hand to rub his brow, smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed the character "川" (river).

"...Thank you for your hard work. You should go and rest now. Prepare a clean tent for him, as well as hot water and food!"

Qingdeng spoke the latter part of his words to the guards outside the tent.

The messenger responded with a word of agreement and then slowly withdrew.

Once he was alone in the tent, Qing Deng lowered his head, looked at the map of Japan on the table, focused on the location of Edo, and sorted out the various pieces of information he currently knew.

Tokugawa Iemochi ordered the siege of Edo and swore an oath to "live and die with Edo"; Tenshōin made the same decision, staying in Edo and refusing to leave.

Well... Qingdeng wasn't surprised by their series of decisions—this was exactly what the mother and son would do!

Despite Tokugawa Iemochi's usual gentle and refined demeanor, and his seemingly weak and uncouth nature that prevented him from even killing a chicken, he was still a remarkable man.

In reality, he is a very strong-willed person.

How could someone who could take advantage of his illness and seize the opportunity of Changzhou's weakness to immediately order the "Changzhou Conquest" be a weak person?

As for Tenshōin, she was an extraordinary woman who never shied away from difficulties and was decisive and bold.

Thinking of the mother and son who were trapped in Edo and on the verge of death... Qing Deng looked up and took a deep breath, barely managing to calm his chaotic mind.

The next moment, he suddenly turned his head and shouted towards the outside of the tent:

"Summon the Chief of Staff here immediately!"

Immediately, the sound of a guard responding came from outside the tent.

Before long, Yamanami Keisuke jogged over and lifted the tent flap, appearing before Aoto.

Qingdeng skipped the pleasantries and said quickly:

"Kingsuke, I want to play a war game. Will you keep me company?"

Yamanami Keisuke nodded vigorously without hesitation:

"With pleasure!"

Just as the two were placing war pieces on the map, preparing for a fierce attack and defense—

"My lord! An army of unknown origin is approaching from the west!"

Upon hearing this, both Aoto and Yamanami Keisuke were stunned.

Since they came from the west, they shouldn't be enemy troops.

Besides, if it were enemy troops, they would never swagger into the Shinsengumi's restricted area.

Yamanami Keisuke immediately retorted:

"Did you see any flags?"

The attendant outside the tent replied:

"Yes! They unfurled a huge flag! Embroidered on the flag was a huge gourd!"

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow, his eyes flashing with joy.

"'Gourd'? Quickly, tell them... no, I'd better go there myself!"

Before he finished speaking, he strode out of the tent.

Led by his guards, Qingdeng moved outside the camp and soon spotted the gourd flag.

Then he found familiar faces.

"Mr. Kiryu!"

Looking at Mr. Kiryu standing directly beneath the gourd flag, Aoto revealed a genuine smile of joy—the happiest moment he had seen in recent days.

Mr. Kiryu greeted him with a smile and walked slowly towards him.

"Tachibana-kun, it's been a long time."

On the eve of launching the "Second Great Return to China", Aoto sent envoys to various places, including not only Edo and the Kinai domains, but also the Karasuya.

The message sent to the Gourd House was essentially a plea for them to be more vigilant, and a request for them to provide as much support as possible should Qin Jin be in trouble.

After that, there was no response from Huluwu.

Because he was busy with war preparations, Qingdeng had no time to attend to this matter.

The previously silent gourd house has now quietly sent people to help... This was truly unexpected for Qingdeng.

"Mr. Kiryu, what's going on here?"

Although he already had the answer in his heart, Qingdeng still asked questions while turning his head to look at the army behind the other party.

There were about a hundred people, and although the group was not large, they brought an astonishing number of weapons!

The ammunition loaded onto the wagons and the gleaming cannons left Qing Deng speechless.

Kiryu tilted his head and chuckled.

"Isn't it obvious? We're here to help!"

"The bandits are rampant, and our allies are in trouble. We should do our utmost to help them!"

"As you can see, we brought 100 musketeers, as well as all the ammunition and weapons we could bring."

"While it may not be a particularly commendable form of assistance, it can at least lend you a helping hand."

Before Kiryu could finish speaking, Aoto immediately interjected:

"Mr. Kiryu, you're too modest!"

"For us, you are like sending charcoal in snowy weather! It is a tremendous help!"

As far as Qingdeng knew, Hulu House maintained a private armed force under the guise of "hiring guards for caravans".

However, the Hulu House was not a warlord group after all; they had no ambition to establish their own independent regime.

Therefore, his private armed forces are not large, numbering only a few hundred, and are scattered in various places.

Despite having such a small troop strength, they still managed to squeeze out 100 men to come to Qingdeng's aid and sent an astonishing amount of weapons and equipment... This sentiment alone has deeply moved Qingdeng!

*******

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Chapter 918 [The Second Battle of Sekigahara], the battle begins! [5200]

In addition to 100 musketeers and ample weaponry, Kiryu also brought four powerful generals from the Gourd House: "Hatchling Dragon" Makimura Taichi, "Thunder Slash" Shimada Kanichi, "Bamboo-Breaking Red Tiger" Togawa Torashige, and "Immortal Blood Spear" Katakura Takanobu.

All of them were faces that Qingdeng had seen before.

Back when Aoto first went to Osaka and met with Kinoshita Rin, he experienced firsthand the skills of the Gourd House heroes.

Therefore, Qingdeng naturally had no doubt about these people's talents.

Qingdeng was moved by the timely reinforcements from the Calabash House, but also secretly relieved—at this critical juncture where every second counts, the more powerful reinforcements the better!

After reuniting with Kiryu, Aoto succinctly revealed crucial intelligence, including that "Choshu and the Fazhu Party have joined forces" and "The Fazhu Party has formed a 'Slavic Legion'"—though he only vaguely described how he obtained this information.

Miss Sumire had specifically instructed beforehand: minimize the presence of the Big Salt Party and don't let outsiders know that this information was provided by the Big Salt Party.