I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Their physical advantages, which are clearly visible to the naked eye, give rise to a sense of superiority.

At the same time, their contempt for the unity of a thousand people became even stronger.

However... once the battle actually began, they belatedly realized their expressions had changed.

The reason is simple: the soldiers, united as one, made up for their physical shortcomings with their superb swordsmanship!

Leaving aside other aspects of their unity, their martial spirit has always been a force to be reckoned with.

Unlike those samurai gentlemen who are keen on showing off and are fond of fancy swordsmanship, the martial arts philosophy of the thousand people is very simple: as long as it is a fighting style!

They are only interested in sword styles that have practical combat capabilities, and they scoff at those flashy but useless styles.

Whenever they have free time, they hire skilled swordsmanship instructors to teach them swordsmanship.

There are countless young people who, with the dream of "becoming a great swordsman," have devoted themselves to honing their swordsmanship.

Therefore, when it comes to close combat skills, a thousand men united are truly not afraid of these Russians!

Moreover, they also have three outstanding swordsmen: Hijikata Toshizo, Shimada Kai, and Elodie.

The first two are not only highly skilled, but also have extensive practical experience.

The white blades flashed and the light of the swords dimmed the cold gleam of the bayonets.

The Slavic Legion's offensive was forcefully halted, and there was even a faint tendency for them to push back!

……

……

The Faki Allied Forces, Main Camp—

Even without a telescope to take a closer look, it is clear that the "Slavic Legion's" offensive is gradually slowing down, and the battle has become stalemate.

Upon seeing this, Katsura Kogoro frowned and muttered to himself:

"The attack is not going well..."

Although guns and cannons have become the absolute mainstream on the battlefield, shooting alone is far from enough to defeat the enemy in open field battles.

Unless the enemy's organization is extremely poor, ordinary shooting alone is not enough to defeat them.

Standing still and firing from a great distance—anyone could do that kind of combat.

They dared to charge with bayonets and engage in face-to-face combat with the enemy—something not every army can do.

They survived the gunfire of Western armies, but ultimately succumbed to the bayonet charges of Western armies... There are countless examples like this.

In short: Although guns and cannons are now the mainstream weapons, "courage" and "close combat ability" are still important indicators for measuring the combat effectiveness of an army.

Clearly, the opposing force of a thousand united is not an opponent that can be defeated by cannon fire and barrage alone.

If they cannot be completely defeated in close combat, then "conquering the Eighth Prince" will remain a pipe dream.

As soon as Katsura Kogoro finished muttering, Shuten-dōji, who was standing next to him, chuckled.

"Gui Jun, please calm down."

"The current situation is not yet at the point where we should be sighing and complaining."

He paused here, then raised his head and said loudly:

"Su Nuo! Master Haibo! Niu Gui!"

Instantly, Sukuna, Umibozu, and Ushioni, who had been waiting quietly to the side, stepped forward.

"The battle has become intense; you should go and help."

"Yes!" *3

……

……

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Upon discovering that a Russian soldier was pointing a musket at him from a short distance away, Toshizo Hijikata immediately dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding the bullet.

Just as he was about to confront the man, two Russian soldiers suddenly rushed over, halting his progress.

For Toshizo Hijikata, the most troublesome and dangerous situation at present is not the bayonets with the advantage of length in the hands of the Russian soldiers, but the sniper shots that are impossible to guard against.

These Russian soldiers were highly skilled in military matters, so they loaded their muskets very quickly, silently loading bullets and then firing a shot unexpectedly.

These sniper shots caused immense harm to the united front of thousands.

Hijikata Toshizo himself witnessed more than a dozen people die with resentment after being shot by snipers.

In contrast, when a thousand people are of one mind, they lack the ability to launch a sneak attack.

Their lackluster training level made it impossible for them to load ammunition safely in such an extremely chaotic environment.

Many of them even threw the muskets away somewhere because they found them in the way and hindered their ability to wield their knives.

Just as Hijikata Toshizo was racking his brains for a way to break the deadlock—

call!

He suddenly heard a strong gust of wind behind him!

In an instant, as if by reflex, he pivoted on his left foot, spinning backward like a top, and the blade, which had been bent over, slashed backward in the same direction—

clang!!

The terrifying clang of metal against metal echoed in all directions!

Hijikata Toshizo's Izumi no Kami Kanesada steadily parried the two katanas.

"Izumi no Kami Kanesada... not a bad sword."

Sukuna glanced at Izumi no Kami Kanesada in Hijikata Toshizo's hand, then asked in a cold tone:

"You must be Hijikata Toshizo?"

Hijikata Toshizo snorted coldly:

"Who are you?"

"The one who will take your head."

The instant he finished speaking, Su Nuo unleashed a fierce burst of strength, deflecting Hijikata Toshizo's sword. He then stepped forward, closing the distance in one breath, and thrust his twin swords fiercely towards Hijikata Toshizo's chest.

Hijikata Toshizo nimbly stepped to the right and dodged it.

Suddenly, he felt the light on his right dim—Umibozu raised his greatsword, adopted the upper stance, aimed at Hijikata Toshizo's body, and unleashed a powerful "Mount Hua Cleave".

Its momentum was so strong that there was no doubt that if the sword were to strike, Hijikata Toshizo would definitely be "split in two".

At this critical moment, Hijikata Toshizo displayed the prowess of a "Demon Vice-Commander".

In terms of fighting style, he, like Saito Hajime, is a "speed-type swordsman" who emphasizes agility and reaction speed.

He moved like a whirlwind, closing in on the sea monster in one breath—so that the other's sword could not reach him.

By employing the tactic of "advancing instead of retreating," he not only turned danger into safety but also created an opportunity for a counterattack!

As he closed in on his opponent, he changed his stance, adopting a blue-eyed posture.

In a split second, Izuminokami Kanesada's blade sliced ​​a fleeting notch in mid-air, sweeping diagonally toward Umibozu's chest.

Umibozu's pupils contracted slightly. He had intended to retract his greatsword to his chest and forcefully take the blow.

But one person blocked Hijikata Toshizo's slash for him.

clang!!

The large naginata that emerged from the side was like a solid wall, firmly and unwaveringly catching Izumi no Kami Kanesada's blade.

The ox-wielding demon tightened his stance and took a deep breath—

"Haaaaaaah!"

Veins bulged out of his arms like green worms, and powerful force erupted from the blade, shoving Hijikata Toshizo and his sword flying.

Hijikata Toshizo gripped Izumi no Kami Kanesada tightly in his hand, refusing to let him slip away, struggling against the immense strength of the Gyūki. His legs dragged two long tracks on the ground, and he only stopped after dragging for 5 or 6 meters.

When he steadied himself and looked ahead, Sukuna, Umibozu, and Ushioni had already reunited.

The three of them stood in a row, coldly staring at Hijikata Toshizo.

Based on their brief exchange just now, Hijikata Toshizo had already concluded that these three were no ordinary people!

"...You don't have a Changzhou accent, you're not from Changzhou. As far as I know, Changzhou has joined forces with the Fazhu Party, you're from the Fazhu Party, aren't you?"

Although Hijikata Toshizo used the question form, his tone was that of an affirmative sentence.

Su Nuo sneered:

"so what?"

Clearly, they had no intention of wasting words with Hijikata Toshizo.

As soon as Su Nuo finished speaking, his figure turned into a blurry and indistinguishable afterimage, and in just a moment he rushed to Hijikata Toshizo's side.

Hijikata Toshizo lowered his waist, gripped Izumi no Kami Kanesada tightly in his palm, and calmly met the attack.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two were locked in combat.

The continuous clanging of metal against metal demonstrated the intensity of the battle.

Hijikata Toshizo had seen people who wielded two katana before.

This was truly the first time he had ever seen someone wielding two katana.

The two katana in Su Nuo's hands resembled the two forelegs of a praying mantis, exuding a chilling aura.

This unprecedented and cunning swordsmanship caused Hijikata Toshizo considerable trouble.

Of course, if it were just Su Nuo alone, he wouldn't be afraid.

Those present also included Umibozu and Ushioni...

The two stood aside, watching Hijikata Toshizo's battle with Sukuna intently, ready to step in and help at any moment, just waiting for Hijikata Toshizo to show a weakness...

……