I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

“In the first Battle of Sekigahara 300 years ago, the two armies fought for only half a day before the outcome was decided, but we fought for two and a half days.”

"In terms of the number of days, this Battle of Sekigahara will be much more intense!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng chuckled a few times, and the tense lines on his face relaxed.

Then, he let out a long sigh, and a clear look of fatigue appeared on his face.

Throughout the entire campaign, he not only fought the whole game, but also charged ahead in every single battle.

If Qingdeng were a common soldier, his performance and achievements in this battle alone would be enough to promote him to general!

After two and a half days of fierce fighting, even Qingdeng couldn't help but feel exhausted.

If there were a bed right now... no! Let alone a bed! Even if it were just a flat pit dug for Qingdeng, he would crawl into it like a seal and go to sleep.

Although he desperately wanted to rest and longed for a warm, soft bed, he knew very well that now was not the time to rest!

He took a deep breath, mustered his strength, and tightened his relaxed expression again, speaking firmly and forcefully to Kondo Isami:

"Yong, relay the order to the cavalry in the rear—assemble immediately and prepare to attack!"

Kondo raised an eyebrow and subconsciously opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But he quickly regained his composure, closed his mouth which had just opened, and said solemnly:

"Well, I see."

The victory in the Second Battle of Sekigahara was certainly exhilarating.

However... this is only the beginning.

The life-or-death battle between the Special Forces and the Special Forces at Sekigahara was merely a "process," not an "objective."

Qing Deng and his men's ultimate goal remained unchanged: to rush to Kanto and stop the Faki coalition! To rescue Edo!

Even if we win at Sekigahara, but lose Edo... it means a strategic failure! All the blood shed these past two and a half days will have been for nothing!

Therefore, from the very beginning, Aoto was preparing for the "rescue of Kanto" after taking Sekigahara.

He deployed all his cavalry, including the Aizu cavalry, in the rear as a reserve force.

Even during the most intense and fiercest moments of the battle, they were never sent to assist in the fighting.

Firstly, sending cavalry to fight in mountain warfare was like asking a rooster to lay an egg—it's not its job, so don't make it do it.

Secondly, if we want to save Edo, we can only rely on the high mobility of the cavalry!

As things stand, there is no doubt that the infantry are no longer able to participate in the subsequent "rescue of the Kwantung Army".

First came the "Second Great Turnaround in China," which involved rushing back to the capital region from Changju at an abnormal speed.

After a brief rest, they rushed to Sekigahara to engage in a life-or-death battle with the strongest forces of the Choshu Domain.

The relentless pressure had left the newly formed infantrymen exhausted and overwhelmed.

To ask them to replicate the "Second Great Roundabout in China" again, crossing the entire East China Sea Street at that exaggerated speed to reach Northeast China... that's undoubtedly a fantasy!

No matter how elite the Shinsengumi infantrymen were, they were still just mortals.

Since the infantrymen are too exhausted to run anymore... all hope of saving Edo can only be placed on the cavalry!

Qingdeng did everything he could to preserve the cavalrymen's strength for this very moment.

With the obstacles cleared, it's time to lead all the cavalry to Kanto!

It's not time to rest yet... the real battle is about to begin!

Just as Kondo Isami turned around to deliver the military order, a messenger from the Ninth Division hurriedly pushed aside the bushes and ran towards Aoto, crying.

"My lord! We've finally found you! The Eighth Prince has sent word! The Eighth Prince has sent word!"

Upon hearing this, both Aoto and Kondo Isami were taken aback.

The Eighth Prince has sent word... coupled with the messenger's grief-stricken expression... an extremely strong sense of foreboding immediately welled up in Qing Deng's heart.

He hurriedly asked:

"What happened to the Eighth Prince?"

The messenger said in a trembling voice:

"The Eighth Prince was lost two days ago!"

……

……

2 days ago——

Hachioji, somewhere—

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The continuous explosions were the only sound in the area, drowning out all other noises.

The Fazi alliance's artillery shells seemed endless.

Every morning, they would bombard the ground with artillery shells, repeatedly bombarding the position of the thousand-man united, until it was blasted into the surface of the moon before sending infantry forward to fight.

At this moment, the thousand soldiers who were of one mind... or rather, the thousand remnants of the defeated army who were of one mind, hid in the bomb shelters, waiting numbly for the bombing to end.

No matter how you judge it, the fighting power and achievements of a thousand people united as one are astonishing!

As a mere militiaman, he managed to withstand the fierce attack of a ruthless army on a vast, undefended plain for a full five days!

Such a victory surprised both the enemy and their own people.

Neither Hijikata Toshizo, Elodie, and others, nor the opposing Shuten-dōji, Katsura Kogoro, and others, expected that this "Battle of the Eighth Princes" would last for so long!

However... no matter how brave the soldiers were, they could not hide the huge gap in combat strength.

The deaths and injuries of the thousands of soldiers who fought together are too painful to bear.

In short, only about a thousand soldiers remained who were still able to move and had not fled.

Despite losing nearly half its staff, the company didn't collapse... Honestly, that's already a remarkable achievement.

However, it has reached its limit.

Although no one said it outright, everyone could sense that today was the "last day"!

At this moment, Hijikata Toshizo sat alone in a bulletproof hole.

The fierce battles of the past few days, along with the immense pressure, have left him looking extremely disheveled.

His face was covered in red and black patches, his long black trench coat and black suit were stained with blood, and his boots were covered with thick mud.

Although he was covered in filth, the faint arrogance on his face never faded.

At this moment, he is silently looking through the photos in his hand.

These photos were taken by photographer Kenzo Takamoto for the Shinsengumi generals, which he had previously commissioned.

There are group photos of the Shinsengumi generals, group photos of the "Shiekan faction," and photos of him with Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke (the three great lechers of the Shinsengumi)...

Among these many photos, his gaze lingered on two of them for a long time.

One of the photos is a group photo of him with Kondo Isami and Souji.

Kondo Isami crossed his arms, grinned widely, and looked completely refreshed.

Souji stood between Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo, his smile exceptionally bright, his eyes curving into beautiful crescents.

Perhaps influenced by these two, Hijikata Toshizo, who usually has a stern face, shows a calm and warm smile in this photo.

As for the other photo, it is a picture of him and Qing Deng.

Compared to his photos with Kondo Isami and Souji, this photo of him with his brother-in-law Aoto is much more serious.

The two men sat imposingly on two stools placed side by side, their hands resting on the swords at their waists, their expressions solemn.

Hijikata Toshizo's gaze swept back and forth between the two photos, and his previously expressionless face slowly began to show emotion—the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and a smile appeared.

Suddenly, the explosions outside stopped abruptly.

The incredibly noisy world suddenly fell silent.

The only sound around was the buzzing deep in my ears.

The shelling has stopped, which is both a good thing and a bad thing.

The good thing is that we no longer have to listen to those incessant, maddening explosions.

The bad thing is that... after five days of fierce fighting, the thousand soldiers, united as one, know what the end of the bombardment means—the infantry of the Faki coalition are about to attack!

At that moment, a childish voice reached Hijikata Toshizo's ears:

"Mr. Hijikata, you were looking for me?"

A short figure slipped into the bullet hole where Hijikata Toshizo was hiding—it was none other than Hijikata Toshizo's junior, Ichimura Tetsunosuke.

Seeing Ichimura Tetsunosuke flash in front of him, Hijikata Toshizo quickly put away the photo in his hand.

"Tetsunosuke, I have a very important task for you."

"A very important task"—upon hearing these words, Ichimura Tetsunosuke immediately straightened up and puffed out his chest:

"Mr. Hijikata, please give me your orders! Whatever the task, I will not let you down!"

Hijikata Toshizo smiled slightly:

"Well said."

After saying that, he pulled a dirty piece of cloth from his waist, and then took out a photograph from his pocket—it was a solo photo of himself, with his hair combed back, wearing a handsome black trench coat, a sharp black suit, and shiny leather boots, with Izumi no Kami Kanesada on his hand at his waist, facing the camera lens at an angle.

He solemnly placed his solo photograph in the very center of the cloth, then took out a small section of his broken hair—which he had just shaved off—and placed it next to the photograph. He then wrapped it tightly and handed it to Ichimura Tetsunosuke.

"You should leave here quickly and give this to my family in Tamano Hino."

For a moment, Ichimura Tetsunosuke stood there, stunned.

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