I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Under the personal supervision of Tokugawa Iemochi, the shogunate displayed remarkable efficiency, a departure from its previous administrative style of "passing the buck".

Edo immediately responded to Hijikata Toshizo's request and swiftly dispatched their ninja unit, the Oniwaban, to send Hachioji to assist them.

Since its establishment, the Oniwaban has been heavily relied upon by the shogunate, which frequently dispatched Oniwaban ninjas to various regions to monitor the various domains.

For this reason, the ninjas of the Oniwaban have always received excellent training.

Compared to other units such as the Ōbangu, Shoinbangu, and Koshige, the Oniwaban is one of the few that has not been completely corrupted and still retains some professional competence.

However, as the saying goes, "If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked too." Since even the shogunate itself has become corrupt to this extent, it is impossible for the Oniwaban to remain unscathed.

Compared to its early days, the intelligence capabilities of the Oniwaban have greatly declined, and its ranks are now filled with spoiled brats who are living off their ancestors' achievements.

Therefore, in addition to the Oniwaban (official guard), Tokugawa Iemochi also dispatched a new Oniwaban directly under his command.

Thus, Sae, Yae, and a large number of elite ninjas from the new Oniwaban were dispatched to investigate the Faki Allied Forces from different directions and perspectives.

Of course, the New Oniwaban is a highly secretive unit, and only a very few people know of its existence.

In other words, Hijikata Toshizo was completely unaware of the assistance provided by the new Oniwaban.

In short, thanks to the tireless efforts of the ninjas of the Oniwaban and Shin-Oniwaban, information of all kinds was continuously sent to Hijikata Toshizo's office.

He learned that the Faki coalition had split into two routes: the western route, with 1500 men, was heading to Sekigahara to intercept the Shinsengumi, while the eastern route, with 2500 men, continued its advance into the Kanto region.

The enemy's forces have been weakened... This is certainly a good thing for Hijikata Toshizo.

However, with 2000 against 2500... his forces were still at a disadvantage.

They had no advantage in troop strength, no advantage in terrain, no advantage in personnel quality... they had no advantages whatsoever.

The soldiers, united as one, are not fools.

An army that can swiftly capture important cities like Nagoya Castle and Sunpu Castle with overwhelming force is certainly not a pushover.

Next, they will intercept this fierce and powerful army on the vast, indefensible plains.

It would be strange if a thousand people united in heart, who had farmed all their lives and had never experienced real combat, were not afraid.

Hijikata Toshizo took in all the changes in the expressions of his generals and soldiers.

After a short while, he cleared his throat.

"Everyone!"

He raised his head and shouted, attracting the attention of everyone present.

"The enemy's army is upon us!"

"It won't be long before we see the hideous faces of the bandits."

"As I said before, General Tachibana won't be able to get here anytime soon, and Edo can't send any reinforcements."

"In other words, we can only rely on our own strength to overcome this current difficulty!"

Shortly after arriving in Hachioji, Hijikata Toshizo received a message from Edo.

In terms of its size and the complexity of its terrain, Edo was an excellent battlefield for urban warfare.

From another perspective, Edo was the least suitable place for urban warfare.

The reason for this is its extremely high density of wooden houses.

A single burning piece of a broken sleeve could turn two-thirds of Edo into ruins, let alone a cannonball.

If a great fire breaks out, then there's no need to fight this battle; the terrifying power of Zhurong alone would be enough to crush the defenders of Edo.

Therefore, if Edo is to be preserved, a major overhaul of Edo is imperative!

Katsura Rintaro, who was in full charge of the "Edo Castle Siege", quickly launched a large-scale "Edo Reconstruction Plan".

First, demolish those densely packed houses, widen the roads, and increase the number of narrow lanes.

[Note: Wide road: a wide road specifically used for fire prevention.]

Samurai and monks, who make up only 20% of Edo's total population, own nearly 80% of Edo's land.

Therefore, the buildings on the samurai land and temple land are sparse and need not be disturbed.

The only major problem was the civilian population, which was the focus of the "Edo Redevelopment Plan".

Such a large town would require a great deal of time and manpower to complete a thorough renovation.

As a result, the Edo garrison, represented by the Jiangwu Army, was busy renovating Edo and setting up the battlefield, and was unable to spare troops to support Hijikata Toshizo.

Not only could no one come to our aid, but the Edo authorities also demanded that a thousand men unite to defend Hachioji at all costs, in order to buy time for the reconstruction of Edo!

If the enemy forces were to besiege the castle before Edo completed its renovations, the ensuing siege would become extremely difficult.

With no reinforcements and an extremely heavy workload... it's a real mess, but there's no way to blame the shogunate.

After all, the shogunate really did its best...

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Chapter 928 The Battle of the Eighth Prince Begins! [4800]

Hijikata Toshizo did not conceal the fact that "Edo was unable to send reinforcements".

Upon learning of this, he immediately informed all members of the "Thousand People United" organization: We must fight this battle alone!

Hijikata Toshizo's sudden words drew the attention of all the soldiers.

These gazes contained respect and awe, but also vigilance and resentment...

In the eyes of the soldiers who were of one mind, Hijikata Toshizo was a leader who had suddenly "parachuted" in.

Although the other party was the extremely famous "Demon Vice-Commander", this could not change the fact that the thousand soldiers who were of one mind were completely unfamiliar with him.

As a result, many people will naturally develop a strong sense of distrust towards him.

Hijikata Toshizo calmly accepted the various gazes, each with its own distinct emotions.

After a brief pause, he continued shouting:

"Some of you may not know this, but I, Hijikata Toshizo, am a farmer from Tama!"

"Tama and Hachioji are like lips and teeth, inseparable neighbors!"

"Therefore, although I am not a member of the Thousand People United, I have deep feelings for the Thousand People United!"

"I never imagined that one day I would be able to fight alongside a thousand people!"

"To be honest, I am truly impressed!"

"I know you are scared."

"Without reinforcements, without any advantageous terrain, facing a superior enemy army on a wide, undefended plain... this was indeed an incredibly arduous battle!"

"But we can't run away!"

We must face it!

"Edo is right behind us!"

"Edo is not yet ready to fight! A large number of civilians have not yet been able to evacuate!"

"If we let the rebel army go east like this, Edo will fall! Countless lives will be lost!"

"Our desperate fight is not only for the moral obligation to save the world and bring peace to people, but also for the integrity of keeping our promises!"

"Two hundred and sixty years ago, your ancestors made a pact with the Dongzhao Daquanxian to guard the Eighth Prince for generations."

[Note: Tosho Daigongen: the divine title of the first shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu]

"It is because of this agreement that you have this fertile land beneath your feet!"

"This agreement was originally intended to deal with the Toyotomi family from 260 years ago."

"Although the Toyotomi family has long since turned to dust in history, this promise has not been forgotten!"

"Now, it's your turn to fulfill this promise!"

"Now, I, Hijikata Toshizo, command you—to fulfill this ancient promise with the blood of thieves! To proclaim your glory with the blood of thieves!"

Although he doesn't usually have the opportunity to show off, there's no doubt that the Demon Vice-Commander, who can charm countless girls with just his words, is also a master of persuasive language.

When he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene changed dramatically.

A generous and intense aura emanated from the soldiers.

They have always been very proud of their identity as the "western gateway to Edo".

Hijikata Toshizo's words completely ignited their pride.

This "arrogance" overcame the panic and fear.

Seeing that he had successfully ignited the fighting spirit of his soldiers, Hijikata Toshizo immediately raised Izumi no Kami Kanesada in his right hand, the tip of the sword pointing diagonally to the sky.

"Eighth Prince, thousands of people are united! Go out into battle!"

The next moment, a deafening roar erupted!

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!"

……

……

The shouts of a thousand people, united in purpose, carried far—even the Faki coalition forces, 8 kilometers away, could hear them clearly.

Shuten-dōji and Katsura Kogoro walked side by side.

As Katsura Kogoro listened to the distant shouts, he said calmly:

"The morale on the other side is very high."

Shuten-dōji responded indifferently:

"It seems that the 'Demon Vice-Commander' is quite capable."