I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The cannon tilted due to its imbalance. Qing Deng quickly reached out his left hand to steady the cannon, turned it around, and aimed the muzzle at the other two small cannons next to it. The three cannons were arranged in a line, and the cannon aimed at Yamanami Keisuke was located at the far right.

At the very instant he turned the cannon around—

boom!

The shell flew out and hit the barrel of the first cannon.

Although the steel-cast cannon barrel is not afraid of explosions, it cannot withstand this huge impact.

The cylindrical cannon then flew horizontally, crashing into the cannon on the left, and then both of them flew out together.

Just like that, like dominoes, a single shell took out two small cannons, rendering the artillery position on the cliff useless in one fell swoop.

Qingdeng's move was indeed brilliant.

However... this also comes at a price.

He used his arm as a substitute for the gun mount... and the powerful reaction force hit him like a truck!

At the same moment the shell was fired, he was jolted backward, only managing to regain his balance after retreating three or four steps.

Qingdeng felt a tingling sensation in his left arm, as if a current of energy was surging through his body, and he almost vomited up his lunch.

Thanks to his talents such as "Steel Bones +4" and "Majestic Muscles +6", his body is incredibly resilient, almost inhuman.

If it were anyone else, they would at least end up with a broken arm.

At this moment, the commander and others arrived.

"Follow me! Scatter them!"

With a shout, the commander charged into the enemy ranks and moved toward Qing Deng's location.

A chaotic and terrifying battle ensued!

Seeing Aoto suddenly appear at the most crucial moment, Yamanami Keisuke twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile filled with mixed emotions.

At this crucial moment, he did not waste his precious time on personal matters.

He quickly composed himself, and then, with his last ounce of strength, shouted backward:

"All-out attack! Break through the rock wall!"

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the bushes behind him—a wave of pale green water surged up!

After lunch and a rest of more than half an hour, most of the team members had recovered their energy.

They lay in ambush in the bushes, silently waiting for Yamanami Keisuke's command.

Upon hearing Yamanami Keisuke's shout, they immediately roused themselves, scrambling out of the bushes and carrying several hastily made ladders, rushing towards the "rock wall" in a large group.

The elite troops on the cliff top numbered over a hundred, equal to the number of Qingdeng's side.

Because their attention was focused on Yamanami Keisuke and the others below the "rock wall," they were completely unaware of the danger behind them, allowing Aoto's group to successfully get close.

Thus, their muskets were hardly of any use.

Without numerical superiority or distance advantage... the outcome of this battle is already predetermined!

However, the other party did not immediately collapse.

They fought back for a moment—just a moment.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph ahhhhh!"

"Wa ...

The three enemy soldiers in front of Qingdeng let out three completely different strange cries.

The three of them threw away their unloaded muskets, drew their swords from their waists, and strode towards Qingdeng.

Qing Deng raised the Bizen Nagafune in his palm and held it high above his head.

With a clang, a horizontally positioned sword collided heavily with three vertically slashing swords.

The three opponents leaned forward, sticking their heads out so their faces were almost pressed against the back of the blade. Their foul breath nearly hit Qing Deng's face as they put all their weight on the blade, trying to overpower him.

Qingdeng had not yet recovered from the shock of the shelling; his left arm was still numb and he couldn't exert any strength.

In other words, he is now relying entirely on his right hand to withstand the heavy pressure from the other side.

Even so, it was more than enough to deal with the three people in front of them.

Even with only one hand, the Bizen Osafune in his palm remained unshakable.

No matter how hard the opponent tried, they couldn't budge the blade of the Bizen Osafune even an inch.

In the blink of an eye, Qing Deng gathered his strength at his waist, and in the next instant, the power surged upwards from his waist and abdomen—with a clang—directly deflecting the knives of the three men opposite him.

In the next instant, he quickly adjusted the blade, aimed at the waist of the three people opposite him, and swept the blade horizontally from left to right—a sweeping slash like "autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves."

After the flash of the blade, the three men were left with only a few bits of flesh connecting their upper and lower bodies.

Qing Deng's strikes were extremely precise.

Because of his rich combat experience and countless kills, he has now reached the point where he sees no one in his entirety... ah, no, "no one in his entirety."

[Note: "Seeing no whole ox" describes an extremely high level of insight and mastery in understanding matters and handling affairs.]

Regardless of whether the person in front of him is old or young, tall or short, naked or fully clothed, Qing Deng can roughly determine the specific location of his bones with just one glance.

In this way, when slashing, you can avoid bones and only cut flesh and internal organs, greatly reducing the wear and tear on the blade.

For example, Qing Deng's sweeping attack, though powerful, did not strike their spines; it merely cut open their bellies and ruptured their internal organs.

That's enough.

His stomach was cut open, and his internal organs were badly injured, yet he could still continue fighting—Qing Deng had never seen such an extraordinary person before.

After cutting down the three men, Qing Deng ignored their cries of pain and turned to find his next opponent—all he could see was the Shinsengumi chasing down the Kiheitai.

Fighting hand-to-hand with the best hundred or so members of the Shinsengumi's first and third divisions... it's no surprise that he ended up like this.

At this moment, the commander moved to Qing Deng's side and said urgently:

"Qingdeng, Mr. Shannan, he..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qingdeng rudely interrupted her:

"Xiao Si, don't get distracted! The battle isn't over yet!"

This troublesome "rock wall" has finally collapsed... It's time to press on and expand our gains!

By this time, the team members below the "rock wall" had gradually climbed up.

Some impatient people didn't look for a long ladder and climbed up directly with their hands, forcing their way up.

If we don't pursue them now, when will we?

"Don't stop! Pursue and annihilate the remaining enemy!"

Qingdeng shouted loudly and took the lead.

As he gave chase, he subtly turned his head and glanced at the area below the "rock wall" out of the corner of his eye—several team members hurriedly carried the unconscious Yamanami Keisuke onto a stretcher and sent him to the rear.

After confirming that Yamanami Keisuke had left the battlefield, he withdrew his gaze, focused his energy, and concentrated all his attention on the battle before him.

……

……

Nangong Mountain, summit, main camp of the surprise attack force—

"What?! The 'high wall' has been breached?!"

Ōmura Masujirō stood up abruptly, staring at the messenger in disbelief.

The messenger shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse:

"Yes, yes! Tachibana Seido launched a surprise attack on 'High Wall' from the rear! 'High Wall' has fallen!"

Ōmura Masujirō's face changed color, turning pale and then red.

He had just boasted that "this 'high wall' could hold for at least two days," but in the blink of an eye, in less than two hours, this "high wall" that he had such great confidence in had fallen!

He remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, straightened his face, and forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart:

“…Mr. Takasugi, you’re right. I really underestimated Tachibana Aoto and the Shinsengumi…!”

Takasugi Shinsaku didn't say anything—his face was sullen, and his mood was visibly bad.

Now is not the time to mock Masujiro Ōmura.

To be honest, although he knew in his heart that Masujiro Ōmura's idea was too optimistic, he was happy to be proven wrong.

After all, for him, the fall of the "high wall" was undoubtedly the worst news imaginable!

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: Leopard originally wanted Yamanami Keisuke to die in battle, but after hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to give up - Leopard really wants to write a gentle novel!

Chapter 926 Okita Souji Suffering from a Terminal Illness [5800]

Amidst the flying bullets, roars, and clanging swords, the battle between the two armies continued into the night.

As night fell and black veils covered the sky, the deafening shouts of battle gradually subsided.

Anyone who has experienced it knows how terrifying the mountains can be at night; it is literally "so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face."

During the day, the mountain forest is peaceful and serene, but at night it transforms into a deep and eerie atmosphere.

A thick, inky darkness permeated the area, from which eerie chirping of insects and calls of birds could be heard from time to time.

An unknown monster seemed to lurk in this abyss-like darkness.

In such an environment, night fighting is simply impossible.

After breaking through the "rock wall", Qingdeng took the lead and charged forward, advancing all the way to the halfway point of the mountain in one go - by then, it was already close to evening.