I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Looking at the sky dyed orange-red by the setting sun, and the exhausted soldiers behind him, Qing Deng had no choice but to suspend the offensive and end the day's battle.

He chose a suitable location, set up camp, and used it as a forward position.

Although the possibility of a night attack is low, no one can guarantee that the enemy will not resort to desperate measures and launch a desperate attack under the cover of night to reclaim lost territory.

Now it's time for the old men from the Shinsengumi General Affairs Office to take the stage!

[Note: The General Affairs Department was a department within the Shinsengumi specifically responsible for civil engineering work and the construction of field fortifications. It consisted of 120 junior staff members.]

Seeing that work had come, the messengers from the General Office set off from their headquarters and rushed to the front lines to design and direct the construction of comprehensive defensive fortifications.

After leaving Saito Hajime, Todo Heisuke, and Niimi Nishiki to guard the area, Aoto led Souji and a small group of people away from Nangu Mountain and returned to the main camp at Tenman Mountain.

As the commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi, his concerns extended far beyond the southern battlefield.

Upon returning to his headquarters, he immediately inquired about the situation on the northern battlefield... namely, the left wing of the Shinsengumi.

It is understood that because of the lack of "humanoid Gundams" like Aoto and Souji who can take on a thousand men, the left-wing army's advance speed is not as fast as the right-wing army's.

However, even without the assistance of Niou and Tenken, the swordsmen of the left wing army—Kondo Isami, Nagakura Shinpachi, Serizawa Kamo, and Inoue Genzaburo—still struck fear into the hearts of the enemy!

Apart from Inoue Genzaburo, who remained relatively calm, the other three were all reckless brutes who didn't value their lives once they entered the battlefield!

However, this is precisely the essence of swordsmanship.

Aside from those flashy but useless styles, the core essence of any swordsmanship school that emphasizes practical combat is momentum.

The great swordsman Miyamoto Musashi of the Sengoku period, in the "Water Chapter" of his book "The Book of Five Rings," contains two core tenets:

The first principle is to "transform into a blade"—in actual combat, the body must be prepared to counterattack before the blade strikes. If, in battle, one is overly afraid of the enemy, the body will naturally retreat, not only failing to kill the enemy but also being immediately killed oneself. In combat, the body must be brave and decisive, acting before the blade.

The second method is the "height comparison method"—whenever you get close to the enemy, you must not show any signs of retreat. You must stand up straight, back straight, and neck out, as if you are comparing your height with the enemy, and you must firmly believe that you will win.

In short, once you enter battle, you must be ready to die for your cause!

This is not a matter of spiritualism, but a truth summarized by countless martial artists after countless battles: the brave and fearless are more likely to survive, while those who are afraid of the enemy are more likely to die.

Therefore, when Kondo Isami and his men charged straight into the enemy ranks with ferocious and terrifying expressions, many enemy soldiers were terrified even before the battle began.

Although their advance was not as fast as that of the right-wing army, their results were equally impressive and could be described as "remarkable".

……

……

That night--

Tenmayama, Shinsengumi Headquarters, a certain tent—

A group of generals, led by Qing Deng, waited outside the tent.

Through the orange candlelight inside the tent, several figures could be vaguely seen running around anxiously—Yamaminami Keisuke was receiving treatment inside.

As for these anxious figures rushing around, they were the doctors responsible for treating Yamanami Keisuke's injuries.

Since the Chief of Staff's life was at stake, the head of the medical department, Akizaburo Nanjo, personally took charge.

After handling all the urgent military affairs, Qing Deng rushed to this place as soon as possible to await the results of Yamanami Keisuke's treatment.

On the surface, Qingdeng appeared calm.

He crossed his arms, leaned against the fence behind him, half-closed his eyes, and waited quietly with a blank expression.

In contrast, Shinpachi Nagakura, Sanosuke Harada, and the others were much more anxious; every single one of them was restless and unable to sit still.

Incidentally, because the cavalry (7th and 10th Divisions) are not effective in mountain warfare, Harada Sanosuke has remained at the main camp today as the general reserve force in case of emergency.

For this reason, he was the most energetic person on the scene, as if there was fire burning under his feet. He walked around and circled around, never stopping.

In fact, it's no wonder they were so anxious.

Yamanami Keisuke's popularity is well-known.

Who would dislike a virtuous and talented gentleman with a kind and generous character?

Even those who are at odds with the "Shieikan faction," such as Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki, show rare kindness when facing Yamanami Keisuke.

Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke held Yamanami Keisuke in the highest esteem.

Although they were roughnecks, they were not the kind of barbarians who took pride in their lack of education.

They have always wanted to improve their inner qualities and personal character, but due to their humble origins, they have never had the opportunity to access high-level cultural knowledge.

Fortunately, after meeting the highly learned Yamanami Keisuke, he helped them out.

Yamanami Keisuke spontaneously organized "cultural classes," teaching them cultural knowledge on an irregular basis.

Despite their limited natural talents, Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke... especially the latter, had very limited academic and cultural development, but in any case, they had benefited from his kindness.

Keisuke Yamanami was injured by a shell... How could they not be anxious? How could they not be worried?

Finally... after waiting for an unknown amount of time, Nanjo Akizaburo, the medical leader of the Shinsengumi, covered in blood, lifted the curtain and slowly walked out.

Upon seeing this, Qingdeng and the others rushed to meet them.

Harada Sanosuke asked first:

"Mr. Nanjo, how is Mr. Yamanami?"

Nanjo Akizaburo began succinctly:

"The chief of staff was injured in two places: his left upper arm and his left thigh."

"Two pieces of shrapnel were embedded in his left upper arm."

"His left thigh was injured by the flames."

"Fortunately, his bones and tendons were not injured, and he will not be disabled as long as he rests properly."

"I have removed the two shrapnel fragments and applied medicine to the burns on my legs."

"His bleeding has stopped, and he is now fast asleep."

Upon hearing that Yamanami Keisuke seemed to be alright, Aoto and the others breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing expressions of relief.

Unexpectedly, Nanjo Akizaburo's words were not finished.

"only……"

He suddenly changed the subject.

There was an unexpected twist... Harada Sanosuke panicked immediately:

"Hey! Stop stammering! Just say what you have to say all at once!"

Nagakura Shinpachi said impatiently:

"Sanosuke, shut up! Listen to what Mr. Nanjo has to say!"

Under the tense gazes of the crowd, Nanjo Akizaburo sighed softly:

“Wounds from firearms are very prone to infection.”

"One of the conditions we doctors fear most is when a patient's wound becomes inflamed."

"It's no exaggeration to say that once a wound becomes inflamed and suppurates, it's beyond medical help."

Even if Hua Tuo or Bian Que were reborn, they couldn't save him.

"Most of those who died from severe and unhealed wounds died from infection of the wounds."

"Whether it's the two shrapnel wounds on the chief of staff's left upper arm or the burns on his legs, they are both wounds that are very easy to become infected."

"To be honest... based on my personal experience, the Chief of Staff is going to be in great danger..."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng and the others' expressions changed several times.

Their emotions were like a rollercoaster ride.

Just as I reached the summit, I plummeted straight down with a "whoosh".

However, to their utter surprise, the "roller coaster" had not yet reached its end; it suddenly started climbing uphill and began to move upwards again!

Because Nanjo Akizaburo's words were not yet finished:

"Since things have come to this, I can only try anything as a last resort."

“I have already applied my family’s secret medicine to him.”

"I've done everything I could."

"Whether the Chief of Staff lives or dies is entirely up to fate."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng and the others were all stunned.

Having employed the other party for so long, this was the first time Qingdeng had ever heard that he had a "secret medicine".

He couldn't help but ask further:

"A family secret remedy? What kind of secret remedy? A secret remedy specifically for treating infected wounds?"

Nanjo Akizaburo nodded:

"Yes, you could say that."

"During the Tang Dynasty in Tang China, tailors in Chang'an would apply a paste covered in green mold to fingers cut by scissors to help the wounds heal."

"Based on this story, my grandfather speculated that the paste covered in green mold contained a component that promoted wound healing, so he tried to use it as a raw material to make a powerful wound-healing medicine."

"I won't go into the details of what happened."

"In short, my grandfather devoted himself to the research, spending more than 20 years in total, and finally succeeded in making this secret medicine."

"After repeated trials, this medicine does indeed have unique effects in healing wounds."

"Based on our three generations of careful observation, the likelihood of wound inflammation is reduced by about 10% after applying this medicine."

"This medicine is extremely difficult to produce, so the quantity is very small."

“I only intend to use this medicine in the most urgent moments—and now is the time to use it.”

"The Chief of Staff has taken good care of me, and I cannot fail to repay his kindness."

"However... I'd better lay out the unpleasant things upfront."

"My secret medicine is by no means a panacea."

"As I just said, even if this medicine is used, it will only reduce the possibility of the wound becoming infected by 10%, it does not mean that everything will be fine after applying it."